Toddler sleeping arrangements

[wrk2cruisesoon]

We will be sailing on AOS in April with our 16 mos old. I asked for a crib but I wondered if he will be too big? Does anyone know the length or size of the crib? If he is too big, what have you used for sleeping? He has only ever slept in a crib or pack and play. Also, I have a balcony room, how tight is is with a crib? A non sleeping toddler will not make this cruise very fun!

[Paleochick]

Here's a shot of a crib on a Carnival ship. It's the same kind of port a crib we get in hotels. My son used them when he was 16 months old and was fine...a little cramped, but fine.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1097138697050830847rSjSKH

[Paleochick]

By the way, I feel your concern. I'll be in a balcony room with a 16 month old dd and a 3 yo ds. My dh and I plan to spend some time on the balcony while they fall asleep each night. One of us will hang out on the balcony while the baby naps during the day (or we'll let her sleep in her stroller for naps). The other will take my ds out and about at that time.

[wrk2cruisesoon]

The picture helps. I guess it will do. I thought about buying one of those inflatable beds but it would be the first time that he has had freedom to just get out of bed and that makes me a little nervous! We have the same plans as you about using the balcony. We also have an adjoining room with family so that we could hang out in their cabin if they are out.

[Tinkerbell]

The adjoining rooms will really really help. We would put the baby to sleep and hang out in our room. My grandaughter who is 17 months was a little cramped in the crib. Plus she is used to the padded guard and on the cruise she would bump her head and wake up. Another problem is we would get her to sleep and they would come over head with annoncements about upcoming shows or bingo and the announcements sounded 10 times louder when you have a sleeping baby. I have a lot of tips if you need them.

 

Kris

[Paleochick]

I have a lot of tips if you need them.

 

Kris

I'd love to hear your tips. I was worried about the announcements during nap time. I think I'll turn the tv on low for background noise while my baby sleeps. Hopefully that will mask some of the announcements.

[wrk2cruisesoon]

I would love some more tips. This will be our fifth cruise but the first one with a child! Thanks so much for the reply.

[Tinkerbell]

I will post things as I think of them. What ship are you going on? The noise I would say was a problem, plus when guests are coming to their room in the middle of the night sometimes that noise would wake her up. We would stock up on milk, yogurt, boxes of cereal etc to keep in the room for snacks and in the morning because on Carnival the buffets etc did not open until 8:00 and she was hungrey! Depending on what time you dinner is we would usually feed her at the buffet before going to the dining room. We asked to have vegtables and fruit at the table also so when we got to the table she already had something there waiting. And we did take a portable DVD player to the dining room it keep her happy and everyone around us happy. It is a long time for them to sit there. We also took a good umbrella stroller on the trip. That was great for getting around the ship with her and in ports. If you have any questions please just ask!

[Celebrity Bride]

When I cruised with my (then) 12 month old and 2 year old, we had adjoining cabins on Radiance of the Seas. My older daughter slept in the bed (we had the beds pushed together) and my younger daughter slept on the couch, that we had turned around to face the wall (so it made a little crib-like spot that was longer than the pack-n-play that RCCL had). She could climb out if it, if she wanted to, but never did, as she was so tired from the day and the rocking of the ship seemed to help her sleep very well.

 

What we also did was slightly re-arrange the furniture to make more 'dancing' room in the cabin... all we did was move the two night tables so they were on the side of the bed that was facing into the cabin, allowing the bed to be completly pushed up against the wall... made for an extra foot or two of space, but in a small cabin, it made all the difference.

 

About the announcements waking up the kids and distrubing you in your cabin, there should be a place somewhere on your wall or by the door or vanity that you can control the volume levels for you stateroom. We have always had the volume turned completely off in the kids room.

 

 

Hope that helps! Enjoy your cruise!!

 

 

Jenn

[wrk2cruisesoon]

Thanks so much for the tips! I had thought about the couch, if he did not fit in the crib. I guess we will have to see when we get there! Thanks for the volume tip- I will definitely go searching for it.

[1alexcartermom]

We brought our pack and play for our two year old last year and we were glad we did. With the unfamiliarity of the surroundings, he had a hard enough time sleeping as it was so he was happy to sleep in something he was comfortable with. On the last night, you pack up your bags you want the steward to take down the night before, so we sent the pack and play down & borrowed the ship's crib. Big mistake. Our two year old ended up sleeping with us, as he did not like sleeping in a strange place and in something he was unfamiliar with.

[Jenrose]

The baby needed the pack n play for daytime play when we were in the cabin--otherwise there were too many hazards and she drove me crazy trying to open drawers.

 

But at night, we used the Kidco Peapod. VERY portable, very comfortable for her, and since she sleeps in it at home, very familiar.

[rebeccalouise]

Proceed this way...

 

Have them provide the crib. If it gets in the way, have him sleep on the bed for naps and have the pullout sofa for bedtime. At least the sofa folds up by day but crib is going to be in the way I think.

[Angie-Pangie]

We just returned from a cruise with our 20-month old on the NCL Pearl. We were in an inside stateroom and just took the duvet/comforter from the top pull-down berth and folded it and put it on the floor between the 2 beds. In the morning, we just folded it up. He rolled under the bed a few times but we just pulled him out. We weren't too worried about him walking around at night since it was super-dark in there.

[CruzCra-Z]

I will post things as I think of them. What ship are you going on? The noise I would say was a problem, plus when guests are coming to their room in the middle of the night sometimes that noise would wake her up. We would stock up on milk, yogurt, boxes of cereal etc to keep in the room for snacks and in the morning because on Carnival the buffets etc did not open until 8:00 and she was hungrey! Depending on what time you dinner is we would usually feed her at the buffet before going to the dining room. We asked to have vegetables and fruit at the table also so when we got to the table she already had something there waiting. And we did take a portable DVD player to the dining room it keep her happy and everyone around us happy. It is a long time for them to sit there. We also took a good umbrella stroller on the trip. That was great for getting around the ship with her and in ports. If you have any questions please just ask!

 

I don't know if anyone else has posted this yet or not but why don't you think about getting a small sound machine? We plan to take one with us on our cruise. It's actually more for me, I'm a light sleeper:rolleyes: but my daughter sleeps with one as well. We purchased our on the Sharper Image website and they also sell very discounted refurbished sound machines.

[lottie7]

You should get an inflatable ready bed. You can pack it in your case, it doesn't take up much space in the cabin and they are so much smaller than a travel cot. They're not too expensive to buy, only £15.99, definately worth it!

[Tammyg]

When we went on the Navigator our DS was 2 and we had requested a crib. What they brought was a pack and play and plenty of room for him to sleep in but no room for us to move around the cabin. We were in a balcony room and ended up having them take the "crib" out and he slept on the bed with us. I'd put him down and we would sit on the balcony and have an evening drink while he slept. I didn't have any problem with noise waking him up during naptime or at night. I think he was just exhausted :) He had a blast.

 

One little tip. If he's in pull ups make sure you take plenty because they are impossible to find in any of the ports.

 

Have a great cruise :)

[CabinForFour]

Here's a shot of a crib on a Carnival ship. It's the same kind of port a crib we get in hotels. My son used them when he was 16 months old and was fine...a little cramped, but fine.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1097138697050830847rSjSKH

 

LOL. I clicked on the link and was surprised to see that this was my picture! I hadn't looked at them in ages, so it was a nice surprise!

 

DS and DD were able to use the cribs like those shown here until they were about 24 months. However, the cribs were getting a bit small at that age, so by 30 months, they both needed larger accommodations. If you look in that same link, same album but a later page, you will see a photo of our solution for our cruising toddlers. We carried along a collapsible bed rail and put it under the sofa's "mattress" to keep DS from sliding off. It worked great, and it could be lowered each morning to allow us to use the sofa for extra seating if needed. I know that NCL and CCL would accommodate such an arrangement...not sure about others.

 

Have a great cruise!

[As You Wish]

CabinForFour, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing the pics. You have a beautiful family. I'll be taking my DD on her 1st cruise in December and can hardly wait. All the info from these boards is a huge help in preparing.

[ryanandsara'smom]

RCCL uses pack n' plays. HTH

[Olwyn]

HI There!

We were on the Star with my 20 month old neice, in 2005, and she slept in a ship provided crib, in the alcove outside the bathroom! A walk in closet really...It was perfect!...Unfortunately she did have sleep problems on that voyage, nothing to do with announcements...just wakeful, every morning at 3-4am...yikes!

A question...we are planning a follow up cruise with the family next Spring, probably on the Crown. Kate will be 4 at the time, and too large for a crib. Do the inflatable kids beds really work, and I wonder if they would fit in the same spot for her, outside the bathroom....

Anyone who has tried this, I would love to hear!

I am the one who will probably share the room with her, and I do not want any noises I might make in the night to wake her!

Thanks

Olwyn :)

[tanishao]

We will be sailing on AOS in April with our 16 mos old. I asked for a crib but I wondered if he will be too big? Does anyone know the length or size of the crib? If he is too big, what have you used for sleeping? He has only ever slept in a crib or pack and play. Also, I have a balcony room, how tight is is with a crib? A non sleeping toddler will not make this cruise very fun!

When we cruised, RCCL provided a pack-n-play for my 17 month old daughter who's of average size. She was fine sleeping in there. The only thing is... we had a junior suite and we had the room to walk around. With a blacony cabin I am not so sure...

[dosi]

Maybe I missed it, but does she sleep in a regular bed at home?? If so, then I don't see why she cannot sleep in the twin bed in the cabin. You can bring a portable bed rail if needed, but we usually just back the chair up against the bed. As far as noise goes, I highly doubt that her own home is absolutely silent when she sleeps so you need not be either. Gosh I could vacuum, watch tv, run the disposal whatever when my son was a baby. Last year we were at a hotel and the fire alarms went off around midnight. Scared the poop out of me and DH, but DS (now six) slept thru the entire thing. She will be fine. After all day out in port or the beach she will literally sleep like a baby.

[Olwyn]

HI Dosi!

Yes, Kate does sleep in a regular bed at home, but in the standard cabin there are only 2 twin beds, one for her dad and one for her mom!!!

So now we are looking at Triples!

Hard to get, when you want it attached to 3 doubles! We like adjoining balconies for our family cruises, and there is usually a fire door, between the double and triple cabins! In any case, on the Crown princess, there is a pull down, above the main bed, which could be Kates'. Hope that works!

Has anyone tried one of those beds on Princess?

Thanks again!

Olwyn

[dosi]

Olwyn....My DH has always slept in the third bed. Now that Timmy is almost seven that will probably change. But we just felt safer with my husband up top and Timmy and I down below. Made it alot easier for nighttime trips to the bathroom etc. Up until a couple years ago we all slept in a family bed. So we had the steward push the two lower beds together for me and Timmy and then daddy went up top. On ships where there is the foldout sofa bed we just push the bed next to the two "stuck together" twins and had one enormous bed for all of us.:)