travel

Best Toddler Travel Beds

What is a Toddler Travel Bed and Why Do I Need One?

A travel bed is basically a portable bed you can bring with you while away from home. They are generally lightweight and don’t take up too much extra space, you can even pack them on airplanes! Why do you need one? Well you may or may not need one. Answer these two questions to find out:

Do you co-sleep with your toddler?

Does your hotel or other accommodation have a set up for toddlers to sleep?

If you answered no to either one of them, then you need a travel bed. If you answered yes to either question, you may still benefit from having a portable bed for your toddler. Toddlers love familiar settings, so they may find it easier to fall asleep in the same portable bed every time they are away from home.

Other Benefits of Portable Travel Beds

Besides having your child sleep in a familiar setting, you as a parent can sleep well knowing you never have to think twice about finding accommodations with child beds. This means you can also save money on hotels and lodging because you do not need to stay in larger places with extra bedrooms and beds. The travel beds also come in handy for beach trips or other longer day trips where you might consider letting the younger ones take a little nap.

Types of Toddler Travel Beds

There are two types of beds for toddlers, inflatable and foldable. Inflatable ones are great when you are limited on space for packing, such as when you’re traveling by air plane. They can deflate and roll up to fit inside of your luggage. Most inflatable toddler beds also have blow up side rails to prevent children from falling out of while sleeping.

The foldable ones are great because they are quick and easy to set up and pack up. They fold to about the same size as a small, foldable camping chair so they are not ideal for airplane travel. They are however great for camping or sleeping anywhere.

Here is a closer look at each of our top picks for toddler travel beds:

Regalo My Cot

The Regalo is a popular option for most travelers who are camping or road tripping. The My Cot folds up compactly into a convenient travel bag, although it is not suitable for packing on flights it’s still a great (and affordable!) option for all of your other trips. One really nice benefit is that it lifts your child off of the floor while sleeping, because of that this portable travel bed is best suited for older children.

Milliard Portable Toddler Bed

This super comfortable bed has an extra feature that the other options do not have- it also serves as a suitcase when folded up! It is not suitable for carryon luggage, but you can fit it in a checked bag or tote it along for camping and road trips. The sides are 7 inches high so this is a great option for younger children to help prevent them from rolling off. The material is waterproof, washable and it comes with a fitted sheet. This is definitely a great option to consider.

Hiccapop

This inflatable travel bed is a favorite for most, it deflates and fold up super small making it perfect for bringing along on all trips, including flights. It inflates in under 30 seconds and is made of a very durable vinyl. It fits any standard size crib sheet and it comes with inflatable bumpers attached to prevent your little ones from rolling out while sleeping. This portable bed hits all of the checkmarks making it the perfect choice for your travels. The only possible downside to it would be comfort, some kids may or may not like sleeping on an air mattress.

The Shrunks Toddler Travel Bed

The Shrunks is another inflatable option, this one takes a bit longer to inflate than the Hiccapop but that shouldn’t stop you from considering this bed. It also includes an inflatable bumper to keep the little ones contained and folds up small enough to pack in a carry on! Their claim to fame is being the ‘original’ maker of the portable travel bed.

Other options to consider:

Dock-a-Tot

We love our DockATot, it was the first travel bed we tried and it’s remained a favorite for us. It is definitely only for camping and road trip hotel stays because of its size, but the biggest pro to this one is comfort and high, padded sides. If you are not a frequent flier I suggest this bed.

Pea Pod

The Pea Pod is a popular travel bed option due to its compact size and light weight. We use this most often at the beach for naps. The main pro to this bed is that it is fully enclosed with a zipper to shut it. It’s great for containing little ones at nap time in unusual places like the beach or park, but I wouldn’t rely on it for overnighters as the padding is very, very thin.

Other Portable Sleeping Gear for Toddlers

Here are some other ideas for portable sleeping when you either haven’t purchased or perhaps forgot your portable travel bed:

–Inflatable Bed Rails are a great solution for older toddlers who will be sleeping in a regular bed while you travel. They are easy to travel with and generally a pretty affordable option.

–Sleeping Bags work great for older toddlers as well. My kids each have their own sleeping bag and always look forward to using them while we travel. They are best for camping and road trips as they do not roll up small enough for flying with. Here are a few of our favorites:

There have also been plenty of times when we co-sleep with our children, they sleep great when we do but my husband and I, not so much. When we do co-sleep we usually make our own bed rails with extra pillows or blankets so they don’t roll off. When our boys were younger we also used a movement monitor for peace of mind. They clip onto your infants diaper and track their movement and alert you if they stop moving. They are nice to have, especially when co-sleeping or using extra pillows and blankets.

I hope you found this guide helpful, leave a comment with your favorite travel beds! If you’re heading out on a trip soon be sure to read our flying with car seats post and if you’re camping be sure to read more about camping with toddlers. Wishing you all a good night’s sleep on your travels! 😉

PIN TO REMEMBER!