My husband and I often took weekend jaunts here and there when we were dating, and even after we were married we traveled frequently—weekends to Toronto and New York City, and a trip to London every summer to visit my in-laws, who were expatriates for four years.

Then our daughter was born, and we both decided to quit our jobs and pursue our dreams: he left his public-school teaching job to pursue a doctorate, and I ditched my corporate gig for a career as a freelance writer.

Because, after all, who wants to have all that pesky money lying around when you are raising a kid?

Not I! No, sir!

So these days, our travels are limited somewhat by budget, and even more so by the fact that our extended family is spread out over multiple states—the closest of which is more than 400 miles from our home base in Central Illinois.

It’s important to us that we nurture the close relationship between Emmeline and her grandparents. We want to maintain our own ties, as well, and that means traveling to spend time with the people we hold dear. 

Gone are the days of a hotel room for two. Hello to days of staying with great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles.

For days at a time. Sometimes, for weeks.

What’s that saying about guests and fish? They both stink after three days? Let’s just say that our stench could burn the hair out of your nose.

However, we are fortunate that our families are patient, and so eager to see the golden child that they go to great lengths to make it easy for us to stay in their homes.

Avoid Excess Baggage 

Both my mother and my mother-in-law purchased cribs and toddler beds for their grandchildren, and they each keep a small supply of “grandma toys” stashed away so that we don’t need to haul the entire toy box with us on every trip.

Yes, we’re spoiled. And we know it.

To be fair, we also put in plenty of effort to make these visits successful and low-stress.

We often stay at my husband’s grandparents’ house, and things got a little hairy when our kid decided that sleeping in a portable crib was the equivalent of having hot pokers stuck in her eyes.

So while my husband slept on the sofa, I snuggled up to our outrageously tall (98th percentile!) toddler in a single bed.

Good times, people, good times.

Deciding that sleep trumps frugality, I searched Google for “crib rental Cleveland” before our next visit and found a service that rents cribs and other baby and toddler necessities. I was amazed at the number of sites that came up, in cities all over the country. Who knew?

It cost us about $75 to rent a crib—plus the mattress, a sheet and bumpers—for three days, with delivery, set-up and pick-up included. I cannot recommend a service like this enough, even if you are staying in a hotel. A good night’s sleep, as all parents know, is rare and valuable.