What Can a Baby Sleep in Away From Home?

Hotel Playpens

• Hotels often supply playpens, which take up less storage space, instead of portable or full-size cribs. Hotel playpens must meet new government standards for safety by February 2013. Ask the hotel if their playpens meet government safety standards, which call for strengthened floors to ensure that your baby won't fall through it and side rails that don't form a V and could trap your baby's neck when collapsed. Make sure the playpen does not have mesh holes larger than 1/4 inch across, which your baby could become entangled in. If you can fit two fingers between the mattress and the playpen side, the mattress is too small.

Hotel Cribs or Portacribs

• Hotels were required to replace all older portable cribs with models that met safety standards by the end of 2012, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission; make sure your hotel has done this. Portable cribs found in some hotels might have undergone rough treatment or abuse that renders them unsafe, so look them over carefully. Slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. Corner posts and other parts should either be less than 1/16 inch or more than 16 inches high. Hotel cribs should not use adult sheets, which can smother if they come loose and wrap around your baby's head. Consider bringing your own baby sheets. Don't add extra padding to the crib, even if the mattress feels thin to you.

Family Cribs

• When you're staying with relatives, you risk insulting the in-laws by refusing to use the crib that every baby in the family has slept in since the Lincoln administration. But keeping your baby safe comes before family politics. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends not using any crib over 10 years old or one that is broken or modified. Check the slat widths and post heights, just as you would a hotel crib. If the crib has a drop side, which nearly all older cribs do, don't use it unless there's a way to secure the side so it can't drop. A side that drops unexpectedly can trap your baby's head and cause strangulation. Older cribs might also be painted with lead paint, which is a poisoning hazard.

Making Your Baby Comfortable

• Sleeping in a strange place in an unfamiliar bed could possibly lead to a sleepless night for you and your baby. Bringing his favorite blankie or a few stuffed toys along with you can make a strange bed seem more like home for your little one. However, only put them in the crib if he's over 12 months old. This is the minimum age the American Academy of Pediatrics says is safe for doing so. If you're sharing the room with your baby, don't drape blankets over the crib top to block the light or to keep him from seeing you. If the blanket falls down into the crib, it presents a smothering risk.