Your Toughest Baby Product Questions—Answered!

It's fine to use a hotel crib or a play yard as a temporary crib, provided it meets current safety standards. For the crib, check to make sure the mattress is firm and snug-fitting, that a soda can can't fit between the slats, and that there are no missing or protruding parts or high corner posts, which pose a strangulation hazard.

Your play yard should have mesh panels to foster air flow, sides that securely lock (and won't collapse onto your baby), and a snug, tight-fitting mattress, says Reno. (Only use the mattress or pad provided by manufacturer.) "We've found that lots of hotels don't have safe cribs," Reno says, so your best bet may be to bring your play yard along in case the hotel's crib doesn't pass your inspection.