Are you thinking about buying a caravan but are concerned about where the baby will sleep? Do you already have a caravan and wonder about the best place to put your little one? Are you going on holiday to a caravan and you aren’t sure where your baby cot will fit in? Whatever your problem or worry about your baby sleeping in a caravan, we will find a way to make it work. Lets take a look at some of the best small travel cots that are suitable for a caravan.
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Best Caravan Travel Cots
This Travel bed is a cosy bed for baby to sleep in, and it’s great if your little one will happily sleep through the night. It’s quite large at 100 x 60 x 58cms and will suit babies from 6 months to 18 months. It’s attractive in aubergine and white. It’s easy to set up and collapse down again, and it fits into a carry bag neatly. When your little one gets too big for it, it can become a place to play in for your little one.
If you are traveling abroad this will keep mosquitos away from your baby, and there is an inflatable mattress which can be bought separately, along with fitted sheets so it will be perfectly comfortable for your precious son or daughter.
If your baby is younger or you would prefer the cosiness of a bassinette then take a look at this.
The bassinette is available in lemon and lime, beige and polka dot so you can choose whichever goes best with your decor. It is smaller than the bubble travel cot at just 80 x 50 x 58cms and again it is a lovely place for your baby to sleep. You can also purchase the inflatable mattress with this product for extra comfort, and some people like to put the mattress provided on top of the inflatable mattress for ultimate comfort. The sheet is 100% cotton jersey and is washable at 40 degrees,
To make putting the sheet on easier, just inflate the mattress three-quarters full of air, and then put the sheet on. Finish by filling the mattress with air and the sheet will be perfect.
The bassinette is just right for babies up to six months and you can be sure your little one is comfortable and safe in their crib. You can fit the crib into tiny places, making sure it doesn’t take up too much room but ensuring your baby is safe and comfortable.
The bassinette has won the 2005 baby gear gold award and the 2006 baby gear silver award, so you can be sure that you have a quality product that will suit your baby. Unless your baby can roll over, you could put this on top of a bottom bunk bed in a caravan or in between two single beds in the twin room. Of course, no baby ever fell off the floor so my preference would be to have this lovely crib near your bed on the floor, so you can be there in an instant if your little one needs you.
Bassinette sheet and inflatable mattress available here
This is the Sun and Sleep travel cot, and this would be the travel cot I would choose for my little ones, because it has an integrated blackout cover. If your babies are used to sleeping in a perfectly dark room and you use blackout curtains at home, then this could be just right for your baby. The same easy set up as the other travel cots, this travel cot is slightly larger at 100 x 60 x 73cm.
Another great thing about this small travel cot for a caravan is, it is perfect to take to the beach because the cover protects your little one from 93% of UVA and UVB rays. I would still put on some cream on my baby especially if they are very little, but it is good to know that while they are in their crib, they are safe from the suns dangerous rays.
Another great bonus is the inflatable mattress will also fit this bubble travel cot, so you can have your baby as comfortable as can be and safe from the sun. All travel cots or bassinettes come with a carry case to keep everything together, very useful for caravanners.
This travel cot is made from flame retardant fabric and blocks out 50% of UVA rays, so it is good for taking with you to the beach for your little one to play in, as well as for sleeping in. It is suitable for babies from 0-2 years, and it is 120 x 75 x 46cm, so slightly larger than a usual travel cot. The 120cm is obviously the length, width is 75cms, height is 46cms.
It probably wouldn’t fit a tall two-year-old but it is good for little ones. With the width being 2’6″, you may need to think whether it will fit between single beds in a caravan – it might be something you need to check out. Of course, you could put this on the floor of the caravan, and it still wouldn’t take up much room, certainly less than a traditional travel cot.
The cot comes with an inflatable mattress, so you would need to provide cot sheets but so long as they are flat and not fitted, I’m sure they would be fine. This travel cot comes with a carry bag about the size of a cushion, so it would easily fit in a suitcase.
Finally, the Safe T Sleep. This is a small portable device that will wrap around any mattress with a depth of 15 cm (6 inches) or more. If you imagine two layers of fabric, one to go around the mattress and attached to it a T-shaped piece of fabric that goes around your baby. Wrap the long bit round the mattress. Pop your little one on the T fabric. Wrap one side around your baby’s left side. Pull up the bottom bit of the T between their legs. Wrap the other piece of fabric round their middle.
Your baby is now attached to the mattress and cannot wiggle out of bed. They can move their arms and legs, they can play with their feet, suck their thumbs and self-sooth. But they cannot roll over either on their tummy (how many times has your baby rolled over and cried out because they cannot roll back? For me I am sure it’s several million times!), nor can they roll out of bed.
There are different sizes of Safe T Sleep so although each one fits a great variety of size beds, you should check if you think you are going to use a very big bed, bigger than a standard king size.
I would suggest if you are going to try this, then try it at home for a few weeks before you go away on holiday. Your little one may need some time to get used to it, and the same is true of the travel cots or bassinettes. Babies often need a while to get used to new things and since you will be giving them a new experience while on holiday, if you want a good night’s sleep (and who doesn’t?) then get them used to the bed before you go on your holiday.
So, there you have it, I’m not going to lie and say it’s not a challenge caravanning with babies and toddlers. However, I’m also not going to say it’s impossible. Thousands and thousands of families do it every year, so don’t be put off by initial hurdles. Where there’s a will there’s a way, as the old saying goes. If you look at the suggestions outlined above, I am sure you will be able to find one that works for you, your little one(s) and your caravan layout. One thing I can’t help you with, is getting the baby to sleep! That’s your own problem to solve!
Standard Travel Cot
First of all, let me say you can always use a travel cot; but they will not generally fit well into the bedrooms of caravans, they are just too wide to fit in between single beds. So, you would have to keep it in the living area of the caravan, which at best is inconvenient. It may be that you don’t mind collapsing the cot every morning and putting it away, but things like other children getting up to get a drink of water might disturb the baby in the middle of the caravan living space. It certainly isn’t ideal. Thats why the ones above are narrow travel cots for caravans.
Some people have adapted the beds with safety rails and such but if you have a tiny baby who can roll over it still seems a bit risky. Safety rails are there to keep your little ones in their beds, not to give them something to pull up on. If you have someone clever in your family and you have your own caravan, then they can build something made to measure that will do the job perfectly. But sadly, not many of us have a family maintenance person we can rely on for clever inventions. There are some different workarounds though and we will look at two.
Inventive Workarounds
First of all, you can buy a mini travel cot for the caravan, which will fit on the floor between two single beds even in a caravan bedroom. They are completely enclosed and have a mattress, which should be renewed for each baby, and they are very cosy looking. They are not solid, so they wouldn’t prevent a toddler from falling on the baby inside the crib so you would need to have trained toddlers or keep the crib in a separate room. But they are a specific place for your little one to sleep in comfortably, and if they sleep through the night then you won’t be struggling with zips at all hours.
Some of them have blackout sections for you to use, ideal if your baby is used to a totally dark room, and that particular model is one that blocks 93% of the suns UVA and UVB rays. I wouldn’t advise you miss out on the sunblock though, babies burn very easily and that is the very last thing you want to happen, especially when you are on holiday with the family.
An alternative method is very ingenious of keeping your baby attached to the bed. It sounds a bit 1800’s but actually, this method has helped mums and dads get their babies to sleep and has been an absolute godsend for many thousands of families.
It’s called Safe T Sleep and it involves wrapping the little one so that they cannot roll over. The fabric is attached to a larger piece of fabric which is then wrapped around the bed. The mattress has to be 15cm deep, which is six inches. Then the baby is laid on his or her back, one piece of fabric goes around one side of the baby. Then a section goes up the middle, between babies’ legs, then a piece around the right side of the baby. These three sections of fabric are attached to the sheet of fabric that goes around the mattress.
I know it does sound a bit draconian, but thousands of families swear by this method of getting baby to sleep. And one of the highlights of the product is that it folds flat and is easy to transport. So, if your caravan has mattresses of the correct depth, then you can get a Safe T Sleep and you can put your baby on any bed, knowing that although their arms and legs can move around easily, they cannot roll onto their tummies, and they cannot crawl out of bed.
Another good thing about the Safe T Sleep is that it can be used until the baby is two years old, so you can get plenty of use out of it. One of the downsides of the Safe T Sleep is that it is white, so it can get dirty really easily so you may even need to get two, one for the wash and one for the bed.
If you are after another baby related article then check out the best travel high chairs.