Travel Cribs

Travis, the Pogy would probably work until you could find a used crib or pack n’ play. If your boy’s nine months old he could easily crawl out of the Pogy; then again he could probably do the same in a crib. The mattress is of medium firmness and about 2" thick, and it’s plenty long for a toddler. He might knock it over if he rolled, though. With that in mind, you’d have to keep it on the floor, so picking up the boy would give you a backache.
Take a look at the photo in the article. If you want to e-mail me I can pick you up a Pogy- I have seen them online for just 30 euros (they appear slightly different from the one we have- no windows). You can try it out beforehand and then decide once you get to the UK whether you want to get something more permanent.
As for other travel tips: we just went to Italy for Labor Day. I do have a few observations.
1. Strollers are a pain in the butt to get on and off trains and buses. Most museums we’ve been to have elevators for handicapped and strollers (and obnoxious opportunistists who jump in the elevator with you). I recommend an umbrella stroller for city travel (we only have our Graco)
2. For flying, you can check your stroller at the plane but you have to pick it up at the baggage claim.
3. For your flight over, arrange with the airline to get a bulkhead seat- they usually have special cribs to hang onto the bulkhead.
4. Make sure the airline knows the age of your child- we flew to the US in July and they didn’t know he was an infant (or I assume we could’ve gotten bulkhead seats).
5. I have seen a lot of folks using Keilty baby carriers- if you don’t mind a workout it looks like a good pick for hiking/crowded cities.
6. Restaurants and hotels in Europe are very accomodating toward families with babies, particularly in Italy, where the birth rate is around 1.3 children per woman. At two restaurants we weren’t charged for our drinks, and our hotel set up a pack n’ play for free.
7. Museums, of course, are generally free for kids (under 4), train travel is free for kids up to 12 in Austria, Germany, and Italy, and I assume elsewhere too.
After schlepping this past weekend on trains and buses, and using the backbreaking Baby Bjorn (just shy of 5 months, our little boy is off the charts at 19 lbs.) through Florence, Pisa, and the Italian Riviera, my wife and I have decided to curb our travel ambitions. I usually try to squeeze too much into the 4-day weekends the Army gives us. Future trips will probably be either one-night visits, or longer visits remaining in the same place.
Good luck in your travels!