Pack N' Play

I don't know if we could've survived without a Pack N' Play (or something very similar). We had Jayden in the states, a week later Adam was off to Croatia and a week after that, Jayden and I were on our way to join him. Because we were traveling, new bedding, nice crib and cute wall decorations were not on my registry, instead a simple and easy Pack N' Play took their place. Jayden slept in a Pack N' Play the first 19 month of his life (in France the team had provided a nice crib for him).

A Pack N' Play can be used for a play pen as well, but for Jayden's sake, because he slept in one, we kept it as just a place to sleep. They easily fold up and can be taken anywhere. At the time, airlines would accepted it as a piece of free luggage (may not hold true today). You can purchase a fancy Pack N' Play with all the extras and then there are some that are basically just a playpen. My advice, go for the one in between! If you plan on keeping downstairs as a place to change diapers and maybe a place for the baby to nap then the ones with a changing table may suit you best. Otherwise the cheaper ones work just fine!