Disclaimer: These are all products we actually use and love. We have purchased all of them ourselves, with the exception of the Babylio Inflatable Bed Rails, which I was gifted by the company.

This post serves as an update to my previous posts about baby travel gear (specifically sleep gear) from 2020 and 2022. Our travel routine has evolved as our kids continue to grow. We still use some of our favorite products and have added others to the mix. What hasn’t changed is the need for well-rested kids and parents! This can be especially tough if the whole family is staying in one room, but we’ve found a way to make it work seamlessly.

Our Travel Sleep System Essential Gear (updated for 2023):

• Guava Lotus Travel Crib
• SlumberPod(s)
• Babylio Inflatable Bed Rails
• Hatch Baby Rest Plus
• Monitor
• One lovey/stuffie for each kid over 1 years old

When traveling, we try to stick to our normal routine as much as possible, although our boys (almost 6 and almost four) are able to stay up later now without an issue. Our oldest is sleeps in a bed or sofa bed now, which makes things a lot easier as we don’t need to pack much in the way of gear for him anymore. Our middle sleeps in a bed, but we want to make sure he stays in the bed and doesn’t fall out. Our youngest is 1.5 and still needs a travel crib. Right now, we are all over the spectrum when it comes to baby/toddler/preschooler sleep gear needs, so this post is more relevant than ever.

If your kids aren’t ready for a bed, you’ll need a travel crib. We use the crib provided when one is available to save on space when packing, but still bring our own sheets for familiarity. Most hotels provide a decent travel crib; however, if we are staying in an airbnb or visiting family and friends that don’t have a crib or travel crib on hand, we use the Guava Lotus Travel Crib. It is hands down the best travel crib and is worth the price. It is lightweight, easier to set up than any other travel crib we have seen, and packs up small. The mattress is comfortable unlike many other travel cribs. It’s also longer than most travel cribs so has a longer useful life (though note that only Guava sheets will fit). Another bonus is that it can easily convert into a bassinet using a conversion kit, so we used it daily for our third baby until she was ready to move into her crib.

Next, enter the SlumberPod. This item is one of the number one products we recommend to friends. It is a GAMECHANGER for travel. The SlumberPod is basically a small, ventilated blackout tent that provides a dark place for baby to sleep even if he/she is in your room. This way, you can actually leave the lights on while baby is sleeping. I’ll never forget some of the vacation nights before the SlumberPod came into our life – going to bed at 7:30 with our first baby, trying to watch a movie under the covers, stumbling around to get ready for bed in the pitch dark.

We are now the proud owners of not one, but TWO SlumberPods because for a while, our two youngest were both in travel cribs. We have even found that it’s still useful to put the tent over a mattress or mat for a toddler and use it as a very exciting personal sleep fort! Fortunately, the SlumberPod packs up very compactly and can fit into a suitcase or be carried separately while traveling (it comes in a small tote). A small fan is also useful to keep the tent cool during warmer summer months.

We also used the Guava Lotus Crib Fun Shade for the baby before I was comfortable using the SlumberPod (they recommend not using it until baby is 4 months old). It was helpful to provide a little darkness/separation, but still allowed me to see and hear her.

Now that two of our three kids are able to use a bed, things are a little easier, but we still have to worry about our 3.5 year old falling out of the bed on occasion. He’s a heavy sleeper and while he normally stays in one place, every so often, he falls out. Enter the very convenient Babylio Inflatable Bed Rails. Two “rails” come in a little travel bag that barely takes up any room in a suitcase or travel bag. I am able to blow one up in just a couple of minutes, with minimal effort. You can use them on any bed under a fitted sheet. I’ve even used it in my son’s toddler bed (converted crib) at home. I will note that it takes up a pretty significant portion of the bed, so I think it’s better used in a twin bed or bigger.

If you normally use white noise for your children, the Hatch Baby Rest or Hatch Baby Rest Plus is a worthwhile purchase. It is a sound machine and night light that can all be controlled from an app on your phone (or from the device). It is small, packs easily, and is simple to set up wherever you are traveling. Now that we have one, we bring it everywhere we go. There are several different sounds, but we typically use the TV sound (most like traditional white noise), ocean waves, or rain.

We actually have both the Rest and Rest Plus, but I’d recommend the Rest Plus as it has everything the original Rest has, plus an audio monitor, backup battery, clock, and connection to wi-fi. I most appreciate the backup battery and clock. The night light feature is useful to get in and out of a dark room without tripping over things and is also essential for middle of the night nursing sessions. You can turn it on 1% on the Rest and 15% on the Rest Plus to give just enough light to get the baby up and fed but keep everyone sleepy. We also now use the Time-to-Wake light to signal to our older boys that it’s time to get up – green means go!

Finally, a great, easy-to-travel-with baby monitor is the VTech Digital Audio Baby Monitor. The VTech monitor is small and super easy to set up anywhere you go. The sound quality is great and it works up to 1000 feet. If you’re staying somewhere where the little ones will be in a separate room, having an audio monitor allows for some freedom in your evenings and during nap times. Bonus, it is under $20!

We’ve been traveling with kids for almost six years now and while we may not have all the answers, we can vouch for these items and rate them all as ESSENTIAL to good sleep while traveling.

I would love to hear your tips and favorite products for ensuring great sleep while traveling? Please share in the comments!