Pack & Play or Another Crib for MIL's house

[marispel]

My MIL lives a couple miles away and she has been great to babysit our DS (20 mo) when we go out to eat or to the movies. There has been occassions when we've stayed out late and I've felt bad that she is sitting at our house waiting for us to get home.

Next weekend DH & I have a fun gathering to go to and we don't want to worry about rushing home (or getting up early). DH mentioned asking his mom if she would keep him O/N. I'm totally fine with that because MIL and DS are around each other often. She knows his routine, bathes him and puts him to bed just fine. Since we're only a couple miles up the road if anything happened in the night, I could be there in a few minutes.

So...my question is about sleeping. We have a PNP, but the mattress is thin and hard (can't believe you call that a mattress). It's also small. We've thought about getting a crib for MIL's house, but that really seems like an overkill for occassional overnight stays (or afternoon stays for naps). MIL doesn't mind having a crib there and we don't mind buying it....

IDK - is another crib an overkill or would you do it for the comfort of your DC?

[limabean]

Originally Posted by marispel

My MIL lives a couple miles away and she has been great to babysit our DS (20 mo) when we go out to eat or to the movies. There has been occassions when we've stayed out late and I've felt bad that she is sitting at our house waiting for us to get home.

Next weekend DH & I have a fun gathering to go to and we don't want to worry about rushing home (or getting up early). DH mentioned asking his mom if she would keep him O/N. I'm totally fine with that because MIL and DS are around each other often. She knows his routine, bathes him and puts him to bed just fine. Since we're only a couple miles up the road if anything happened in the night, I could be there in a few minutes.

So...my question is about sleeping. We have a PNP, but the mattress is thin and hard (can't believe you call that a mattress). It's also small. We've thought about getting a crib for MIL's house, but that really seems like an overkill for occassional overnight stays (or afternoon stays for naps). MIL doesn't mind having a crib there and we don't mind buying it....

IDK - is another crib an overkill or would you do it for the comfort of your DC?

They sell thicker mattresses for PNPs. They're not super thick but they're regular spring-type mattresses rather than the hard pad that comes with the PNP. I've seen them at my Babies R Us, right next to the crib mattresses.

Even though your MIL says she doesn't mind, it seems like a burden to me for her to have a crib permanently set up in her home when it sounds like overnights are rare. But if she truly doesn't mind, a crib would certainly be able to be used far longer than a PNP -- my kids outgrew those (in length) fairly quickly.

[sapphire_chan]

Is your LO likely to wander around at night? My first inclination would be a twin mattress on the floor that can be put on a bedframe for older overnight guests.

[QuestionGal]

you can fold up a heavy blanket in the bottom of the pnp for extra padding. Top it with a pnp sheet??

Other Option
make a pallet on the floor with folded up blankets & pillows.

I don't think an extra crib is necessary for just the occasional nap/overnight. However my IL's have several grandchildren who have all done the occasional overnight (total of 8 grandkids) so they do have a crib that is stays set up permanently...but with so many kids that crib has seen a good bit of use.

[crunchy_mommy]

I would just get a mattress (crib mattress or twin or whatever) that she can store under her bed or in a (child-proofed) spare room & pull out when necessary. That's how we sleep in our family bed... how does your son normally sleep at home? Would he even be receptive to sleeping in a crib? I'm pretty sure my DS would freak out if I tried to put him to sleep in a crib or PnP...

[Caterina]

We have a pnp at my MIL's house for the same reasons (though no overnights yet, we often have later dinners and stay to watch a movie or have a sauna and put DD down earlier). We just put a sheepskin under the cotton sheet and it seems pretty comfy. I don't know if I'd do it with a very little one, but when DD was littler she just slept in my arms or on the couch with us. Now that she's bigger I feel safe with it.