When you’ve returned to the hotel with your new child, you’ll quickly be offered the use of a crib.  Fellow travelers are of mixed opinions to their usefulness.

First, your hotel room does not have much spare space, especially since you’re traveling with a lot of extra baggage.  The crib is likely much bigger than you’d expect – almost the size of a single bed.  The ones we saw were made of cast iron and looked older than we are, and were rather difficult to maneuver.

Second, your beds are typically lower to the floor than what you’re used to.  Toddlers can get off these beds without much trouble, if you’re considering the likelihood of a fall.

Third, you’ll want to think about how well your child is bonding.  Does he or she need more physical contact with you?  How well do you think your child can handle being separated from you during the night?  What bedtime routines are you starting to create?  In our case, our daughter was permanently attached to her Baba for the first few days…

Is your child too big for the crib?  Too small?  Many older children can easily climb right over the bars, or don’t need rails to stay on the mattress.  Infants and small toddlers may be able to wriggle between the bars.  The cribs we saw were not designed to accommodate American safety and product liability concerns – and notice how much extra clothing infants are wearing (they may not be able to fit through the bars with three sets of pajamas on, for instance.)

Some families kept the crib, others – including us – returned it and made do with the two beds already in the room.  For us, it was the right decision because we learned quickly how our daughter slept, how fidgety she was, what her breathing sounded like, and how often she needed her diaper changed.  Every family is different and every child is different.  You can only make your decision once you are finally all together in one room, and you can always change your mind.