Quick Look Best Portable Toddler Bed Quick Recommendation By Age:
Winner: Portable Crib For Infant to Two-Year-Olds: Guava Lotus Travel Crib
Winner: Best Travel Bed For Toddlers 2 and Older: Intex Inflatable Travel Bed
Read on to see what travel beds I recommend for flights, road trips, and more!
What You'll Find In This Artcile
- 1 Quick Look Best Portable Toddler Bed Quick Recommendation By Age:
- 2 What is a Toddler Travel Bed
- 3 Best Toddler Travel Beds Styles
- 4 Why Find and Take The Best Toddler Travel Bed While Traveling?
- 5 What To Look For When Buying The Best Travel Toddler Bed
- 6 So, Who Doesn’t Need A Travel Kids Bed?
- 7 Types of Travel Beds for Toddlers And What Kind Of Travelers They Are Perfect For
- 8 Inflatable Toddler Bed
- 9 Types of Inflatable Travel Beds For Toddlers
- 10 Foldable Toddler Bed
- 11 Toddler Travel Mattress
- 12 Portable Bed Rails For Travel
- 13 Other Traveling With Toddlers Tips
- 14 FAQs For Traveling With Toddlers And Sleep
What is a Toddler Travel Bed
At A Glance: Best Toddler Beds For Travel Comparison Chart
Bed | Weight | Extra Supplies Needed | Best For Travel Style | Great For Ages | Get It Now |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intex Toddler Travel Bedset | 9.45 Pounds | Travel Bag and Handpump Included. Need fitted sheet, blanket and pillow | Roadtrips, Grandparents, and Friends/Family Stays | 2 and Older | Check Prices Here |
Intex Toddler Airbed | 4.6 Pounds | Inflatable Pillow Included Needs: Sheet StrapsTo Fit The Size and a Pump | Roadtrips, Grandparents, Friends and Family, Camping | 2+ and older | Read Reviews Here |
My First Ready Bed | 3.22 Pounds | Nothing extra is needed | Roadtrips, Grandparents, Friends and Family, Camping | 2 and older | See It Here |
Regalo Foldable Toddler Cot | 6.25 Pounds | Bedding and Pillow | Roadtrips, Grandparents, Friends and Family, Camping | 2+ and older | See It Here |
Leachco Bumpzzz | 6 Pounds | Fitted Sheets and Pillow | Roadtrips, Grandparents, Friends and Family, Camping | 2 and older | Read Reviews Here |
Tri Fold Mattress | 7.8 Pounds | Sheets/ Blankets and Pillows | Roadtrips, Grandparents, Friends and Family, Camping | 1.5 and older | See It On Amazon |
Pillow Stuffed Beds | 1.46 Pounds | Several Pillows and a Blanket | All Travel Types (including air) | 1.5 and older | Get It on Amazon Here |
Toddler Nap Mat | 1.5 Pounds | None | All Travel Types | 1.5 and older | See Current Prices |
Best Toddler Travel Beds Styles
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Lightweight Travel Crib
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Folding Toddler Bed
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Toddler Air Mattress
Why Find and Take The Best Toddler Travel Bed While Traveling?
Bedspace
Safety
Routine and Familiarity
Their Very Own Space
The Pros and Cons To Bringing a Travel Toddler Bed
Benefits to Bringing a Toddler Travel Bed
- If you travel a lot, or even just a few times a year (even just to Grandma’s) a kids travel bed is perfect so that they have a familiar place to sleep. This helps tremendously so that they can fall (and stay asleep!) easily in a comforting space rather than a new and scary location
- It gives the child a more “normal” bedtime routine and location, making sleeping in foreign places easier
- The right travel cots and beds are lightweight, easy to take and not much of a hassle
- You can save money by booking rooms with fewer beds/ bedrooms since you can put a portable toddler bed just about anywhere (see “Expert Travel Tip”)
- It’s Great to have as a spare at your own home for guests, sleepovers or late nights when you would rather not have to do a change of sheets after the kiddo gets sick (we’ve all been there before!)
- They are geared specifically towards kids, so it is easy to pick out a fun design (Paw Patrol My First Ready Bed anyone!?) to get them excited about it. (AKA- they’ll WANT to sleep in their own FUN infant travel bed, NOT Mom and Dad’s! ? )
- There are actually a lot of travel beds out on the market. Buying a specific travel bed for toddlers though ensures that it’s not too big (like ones for youth) or bulky (ones for adults).
Cons
- Just another thing to have to pack (but I think that is just kind of the life we resort to as parents, right? We EXPECT more STUFF!)
- May need extra supplies (fitted sheet for crib, air pump for inflatable bed, etc)
- May not use very long (after a certain age, throwing them on the floor with a pillow and sleeping bag can suffice). HOWEVER, If you have multiple children, it can be passed down and used for years
What To Look For When Buying The Best Travel Toddler Bed
Lightweight
Packing Ease
Durability
Comfort
Extra Supplies
- Do you need an extra air pump or does it easily inflate on its own?
- Do you need to purchase an extra (possibly special sized) fitted sheet or do you have something that will easily pack into the portable travel bed (or better yet, have something on hand at home already)?
Precautions and Safety First
So, Who Doesn’t Need A Travel Kids Bed?
1) We were flying budget airlines and were at our max luggage allowance
2) If you always co-sleep at home
Types of Travel Beds for Toddlers And What Kind Of Travelers They Are Perfect For
Portable Crib
Pros To a Travel Crib:
- You can find some really lightweight and easy to use travel cribs, like the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib
- They can last for awhile through a wide variety of ages (newborn through toddlers)
Cons:
- Not great for older toddlers (especially if you have tall kiddos)
- Can be hard to fit into smaller hotel rooms
Travel Cribs are Best For:
- Most types of travel (flights, camping, road trips, etc)
- People who want a kids bed that can last several years
- Children Ages 0-1.5
See My Favorite Portable Crib On Amazon Here
or skip below to read my own personal review on the Lotus
Inflatable Toddler Bed
- Toddler Air Mattresses
- Kids air mattress
- Ready Beds
- Sleeping Pads
Pros To Inflatable Toddler Beds:
- This type of travel bed is probably the most comfortable of all the travel beds for toddlers
- Many are extremely compact and even the big ones can be shockingly smooshed down pretty well!
Cons:
- Cheaper ones are more prone to holes
- You may want a pump for the heavier duty ones that are more bed-like if you don’t want to pass out from blowing it up, meaning having to pack another piece of gear
- Can take up more space than other alternatives, making it hard in some hotels
Travel Styles Best For Inflatable Toddler Beds:
- Camping, Overnight Stays at Friends/ Family
- Great for: Older toddlers that won’t jump on (and pop) the mattress or roll into crevices
Types of Inflatable Travel Beds For Toddlers
Inflatable Toddler Beds
These inflatable beds, like the Hiccapop Inflatable Toddler Bed, take toddlers exactly into account. They have sides built into the inflatable bed so that your tot is comfy but also safe.
Best For Traveling Styles:
- Camping, when packing for airplane travel, hotel stays
- Great for children that no longer need the confines of a crib
Best For Ages:
- 2+
My Top Pick For a Toddler Inflatable Bed: Intex Kids Travel Bed
Click Here To Read Reviews On the Intex Kids Bedset
Kids Air Mattress
Best For Traveling Styles:
- Camping or hotel stays
- Great for children that no longer need the confines of a crib
- Great for kids that do not roll
Best For Ages:
- 2.5+
We also LOVE kids sized sleeping bags, which pair perfectly with a kids air mattress.
Check Out Our Complete Guide To Kids Sleeping Bags Here
Ready Beds For Toddlers
- Inflatable Bed
- Pillow Included
- Sleeping Bag/ Blankets Already Attached
Pros to a Kids Ready Bed:
- There are some pretty fun designs that can get kids excited about their bed space (which hopefully translates to them wanting to sleep well in them)
- Looks like a real bed, which is great for routine if your kid sleeps in a “big kid bed” at home
- Is an all in one-bed system, meaning you don’t have to pack anything extra
Cons to a Toddler Ready Bed:
- Like all inflatable mattresses, it can deflate over the course of the night or puncture easily
- Doesn’t pack down as well as other compact toddler beds due to the amount of stuff that comes with it.
Best For Traveling Styles:
- Road trips
- Sleepovers
Great For Ages:
- 2+
Inflatable Sleeping Pads
An inflatable sleeping pad is a great option for travel because there are some extremely lightweight and compact sleeping pads available, like the Sleepingo camping sleeping pad. This style of inflatable mattress is fantastic when you want something more than just a hard bed, but don’t need anything extravagant.
Since adult sleeping pads already are on the smaller side, we find them actually ideal for a travel mattress for toddlers.
You can find our full Guide to the Best Sleeping Pads here if you want to see the top ones on the market.
Pros To Using An Inflatable Sleeping Pad:
- Ultra lightweight options available (less than a pound!)
- Many are extremely compact (think the size of a water bottle!)
- Most do not need a pump to fill up
Cons:
- Like any inflatable bed, they are more prone to popping or deflating
- Not as big as some of the other bed options
- Still need extra bedding (blanket, pillow etc)
Best For Traveling Styles:
- ANY! They are so small, compact and lightweight!
Great For Ages:
- 2+
Click Here To Read Reviews On Camping Sleeping Pads
Foldable Toddler Bed
The next common style of toddler travel beds is usually a style of a portable folding travel bed. Think things like a child cot or a trifold mattress.
Depending on the kind of travel you do, a fold up toddler bed can either be an incredibly easy and comfortable option or it can be way too bulky.
Kids Travel Cot
Pros To A Toddler Travel Cot:
- Not a ton of padding, but still great support and surprisingly comfortable
- Easy setup
- Don’t need TOO many “extra” things (see cons for specifics)
Cons:
- Often bulky making it hard to travel with on flights
- Not as “plush”
- Cheap or wrongly set up cots can fold up on your child! (woops!!!)
- Still need a pillow and blankets (but depending on where you are at, they may have these anyway)
Types Of Travel Cots Are Good For:
- Road trips
- Camping
Fun For Ages:
- 2+
Click Here To See One of Amazon’s Best Rated Kids Travel Cot
Portable Bunk Beds For Kids
These bunk bed cots are the perfect kids camping cot when you have more than 1 little one!! Most versions of these can be used as two separate cots, or stacked on top to make camping bunk beds.
But it’s not just camping that these can be useful for. If you have more than one kid and are limited on hotel or accommodation space, stacking the beds to make bunks is the perfect solution!
Pros to Kids Bunk Bed Cots:
- Easy to transport in organized bags
- Great for families with more than 1 child
- Can use for a wide range of ages
- Can use for a very long time as children get older
Cons:
- High price point
- Can be tricky to figure out set up initially
- Bulky and therefore not ideal for certain travel situations
Perfect For Travel Styles:
- Camping!
- Staying over at friends and families when there are multiple children
- Small hotel rooms
Great For Ages:
- 2 (on lower bunk) through 12 years
Click Here To Read Reviews On the Disc O Bed Bunk Cots
Foldable Pods and Baby Travel Tent Beds
These foldable pod baby beds and travel style baby tents are fantastic for travel! Imagine a little baby sized tent, which is completely enclosed (most have mesh sides for safety). While it looks more “crib-like” there are ones that fit kids up to 5 years old! Just call it a “travel tent!” and your kid will love it!
What this translates to is that if your kid wakes up in the middle of the night, all s/he’ll sees is the tent, instead of a scary, new room! Therefore, it’s great especially if you are moving from hotel to hotel on a trip and want some continuity. Once your kiddo gets used to the pod, then s/he should be able to sleep great, regardless of what strange, new place they are in.
Pros:
- Some, like the Peapod Plus Infant, are incredibly lightweight (3 pounds!)
- Many can fit kids ages infant-5 years! That’s great for longevity!
- Many can fit easily and compactly into a suitcase (even carry on)
- Most travel bed tents are instant pop-up assembly, so no poles or setting up required.
Cons:
- Smaller versions are only ideal for infants and younger toddlers
- Some kids don’t like not being able to see out and around
Perfect For Travel Styles:
- Camping
- Air travel (small and compact)
- Hotel rooms
Great For Ages:
- Infant to 5
Click Here To View What A Foldable Pod Toddler Bed Looks Like
Toddler Travel Mattress
There are a few options for travel mattresses for toddlers. Unlike the inflatable mattresses, these are more like actual mattresses. They can be easily rolled up for out of the way storage when not in use.
Pros To A Travel Mattress (not inflatable):
- No blow up required
- No risk of popping/ deflating
- More comfortable than an air mattress
Cons To A Travel Mattress:
- Heavy and bulkier
- Not ideal for flying or when you need to pack small or lightweight
Foam Travel Mattress
Pros:
- No assembly required. Just unsnap and unroll.
- Carrying strap made for easy transport
- Just like sleeping on a mattress, so it’s super comfy
- Can use for a wide range of ages, meaning you can also use for a very long time
Cons:
- Need to bring bedding (pillows, blankets) in addition to the mattress
- Is not compact, so it limits certain travel styles
Best For Travel Styles:
- Road trips
- Staying at friends or family
- Camping
Great For Ages:
- 1.5+
Tri Fold Mattresses
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Low to the ground (great for toddlers)
- Can use for a wide variety of ages
- Multi-functional (play mats at home, sleeping mattresses, lounge mats for movies, etc)
Cons:
- Bulky and big (not ideal for certain travel styles)
- Still need separate bedding (sheets, pillows, etc)
- Twin fitted sheets might fit awkwardly
Great For Ages:
- 11.5+
Floor Pillow Bed
Pros:
- Can pack into just about any suitcase, meaning it is great for almost all types of travel!
- Really fun designs for kids
- Can use normal extra pillows to stuff for padding
- Easy to machine wash
Cons:
- Not worth the price if you can’t use pillows already on hand
- Is slightly less comfortable compared to the other kids mattresses just because of the “lumps” from the separate pillows
Best For Travel Styles:
- Any that there will be extra pillows at the destination (hotel, AirBnB, etc)
Great For Ages:
- 1.5 and over
Click Here To Add a Floor Pillow Bed To Your Cart
Nap Mats
Pros:
- Rolls up really easily
- Is easily washable
- Pretty Lightweight
Cons:
- Don’t expect significant padding/ cushioning.
- Self-inflating pad versions available
Best For Travel Styles:
- Camping
- Staying at Family or Friends
- If You Have A Lot Of Luggage Space.
Great For Ages:
- When they no longer are in a crib
Check Current Prices On Nap Mats Here
Portable Bed Rails For Travel
Inflatable Toddler Bed Bumpers
Pros To Inflatable Toddler Bed Bumpers:
- Extremely easy to use
- Fits on any bed
- Lightweight and compact
Cons:
- Need bed space (or an extra bed)
- Like anything inflatable, they may be prone to deflating/ punctures/ leaking
Best For Travel Styles:
- Any that have bed space!
- Air travel and roadtrips
Great For Ages:
- Toddlers who can handle sleeping in a real bed
Click Here To Buy Portable Bed Rails For Toddlers
Other Traveling With Toddlers Tips
Tips For Getting Your Toddler To Sleep When Traveling
1) Routine, Routine, Routine!
Folks, I can not stress this enough!!! If you don’t have a pretty strict (or at least predictable bedtime routine, start one now. It will SO help when on the road).
Toddlers crave predictability, it is literally in their nature. If you have a set routine that you do at home, try to replicate it as much as possible. This creates what sleep experts call “Sleep Cues.”
Once a baby or toddler sees their sleep cues, the hopes (and dreams) are that they will go to sleep much easier.
What is our bedtime routine?
Whether we are at home or on the go, here is what we do nightly with our baby and toddler
- Start winding down about an hour before bed. No screen time, just slowing down.
- Take a bath (if the hotel has one)
- Get in bed and read a few books together
- Sing Twinkle Twinkle
Incredibly easy, right!? (I’m not saying my kids are amazing sleepers! But I am saying that they know when we start to do this routine, what is coming up around the corner!)
I also love this routine because we can literally do it anywhere in the world!
2) Relax and Go With The Flow
Easier said than done, right???
Ok, yes, I try to stick to our routines, and that includes our usual bedtime. However, that doesn’t mean that over time, I’ve allowed myself to go a little more with the flow.
No bathtub? Ok, not the end of the world.
Later bedtime tonight? Not ideal, but we’ll all survive.
3) Practice At Home With Your Toddler Travel Bed
For several nights before your trip, have your toddler practice sleeping in it at home. This is so important so that you can work out a few kinks but also so that it is familiar to your toddler. That way, when you get to your new destination, sleeping in a new place won’t be as strange or scary.
FAQs For Traveling With Toddlers And Sleep
1) What Is the Best Way to Get a Toddler To Sleep in a Hotel Room
Gettings kids to sleep in a hotel room can be HARD. Here are a few of our own tried and true tips.
- If you can afford a suite (or even just a larger room), that is ideal. This way when the kids go to sleep, you have your own space as well.
- Don’t have a separate room? MAKE ONE! Bring along some command hooks and a shower curtain and hang up around a small corner of the hotel room to create a mini room within your room!
- Ask for the end of the hallway rooms. These have the least outside noise.
- Get comfy in the bathroom. Ok, I know….Ew. But until you have toddlers or babies confined to a small hotel room, don’t knock it ’till you try it! Once your kids are asleep, you may find you’ll do anything to keep them asleep! This may include grabbing a comforter and pillows and watching a movie in the bathroom.
- Put THEM into the bathroom! We’ve actually put our travel crib in the bathroom before which is ideal for giving us all our own space while still allowing us adults to have the hotel room to ourselves.
- PRACTICE AT HOME! I know I mentioned this above, but it is THAT important to mention again!
- White Noise Machines. There are so many apps that you can download now that can help down out the noise of a hotel.
- Get older kids out. If you’ve got older kids that may be a distraction, get them out of the room. Have one parent take them to the pool (shhh don’t tell your toddler), go on a walk, etc.
- Tire them out….but not TOO much!! All parents know that a TOO tired baby or toddler is actually HARDER to get to sleep (seriously, WTH!?) But a just right tired kid will happily zonk out. Right before your bedtime routine, go swimming in the hotel pool, run around the block, etc. Hopefully, your full day of travel will be tiring enough, but just be careful about pushing them TOO far.
What Are the Best Tips For Staying In AirBnB Properties With a Toddler While Traveling
- Use AirBnB Family. Use the filters to narrow down your searches. For example, be sure to have your infant or toddler count in, select “entire place” instead of a shared room, check off things like “crib” and “highchair” under amenities. This should drastically narrow down the options that are not kid-friendly.
- Make sure kids are allowed. Some listings will flat out say “No kids under (Certain Age).
- Try to avoid personal homes. There are many properties on AirBnB that are strictly rentals. We have found that real homes have a lot more “stuff” that tots can get into (and destroy), where the rentals are typically pretty bare bones, meaning a toddler can’t pull out all the tea bags or climb into someone’s personal clothing drawer
- Avoid homes with a lot of decor. This is similar to point #2, but nothing makes me more nervous than a bunch of fragile decor that my toddler can toss like a baseball across the room.
- How many bedrooms are available. We ALWAYS get a 2 bedroom AirBnB while traveling with toddlers. It just gives us all extra space and that way, we can stay out in the family room and watch a movie or relax after the kids have gone to bed.
- Nearby Amenities. We always check the map on AirBnB and see if there are any kid-friendly things nearby, like parks!
- Laundry. Depending on the length of your stay or how much you pack, this is typically a top priority for us if we are staying somewhere more than a few days, simply because we tend to pack light….oh….and toddlers are messy!!
- Read reviews for noise. Some listings are in locations that you wouldn’t THINK would be noisy, but they end up being across from a loud pub or the apartment itself has incredibly thin walls. Typically the reviews will clue you in on this.