Hurdles.

There is a lot to consider for this move. Any move really, but when you're moving across an ocean, there is a lot to consider. One of my main concerns is sleeping arrangements for my youngest. He'll be 3 in July and he sleeps in a crib still with a tent attached. We have to do this because he started climbing out of his crib at 18 months old. Way too young to be told no and actually listen. Then shortly after he turned 2 he was diagnosed with Mild Autism. He is almost 3 and still cannot be told no and him actually listen. He is a very active little boy, and while he does sleep well, he doesn't fall asleep right away. He usually plays for a while, jumping in his bed, singing ABC's or other songs he knows. Kicking the sides of the crib and so on. During our move we could potentially be in lodging (read hotel room) for weeks, maybe even months. He would surely climb out of a pack n play. I looked up many options for travel cribs and they are mostly on the small side or are not fully enclosed. Some people may think I am cruel for wanting to fully enclose my child while he is sleeping. But I think it would be more cruel to allow him the freedom to electrocute himself or roam free in the hotel while the rest of the family sleeps blissfully. Not to mention the lack of sleep I would get worrying that he was going to wake and harm himself.

So I have done a lot of internet searching for the right product to use. A lot of searching. I'm a glass half empty sort of person, which helps in this instance because I can look at a product and see every way my son could get out of it or why it would not work for us. A lot of the products I saw were, as mentioned, small, or not completely enclosed. There were also issues with tipping, but the main issues were with size and enclosure. I really need something that is enclosed and also large enough for him to be comfortable in. I was ready to give up, I felt like there was nothing that would fit our needs. But that thought was exasperating. surely there are other families with Autistic kids who don't stay in their beds and also travel! I made one last attempt for the day searching on Google, but this time I did an image search for Autistic bed and I came across this http://thesafetysleeper.com/index.html

This bed is portable, fully enclosed, made for people with special needs and it is full sized. That means I could put an air mattress in it during travel and a regular mattress in it when we get a house and continue to use it every day. The downside is the price. While much cheaper than the structured special needs beds I saw earlier today (At $5800 and $11,000+) this bed at just over $1500 is quite inexpensive. However as a family of 5 with a special needs child who also has expensive special dietary needs, we can't afford it.

I am not giving up. I emailed the company asking about financial aid, emailed our early intervention worker about grants or other aid options for Military families and I will keep looking. I saw in the testimonials about a woman who got hers through the Air Force Aid Society, but we are Army, so I doubt they would help us. I don't know if we can use AER for this since it is not a matter of being behind on a bill or needing to visit family for an emergency. But I will see what I can find out. I really feel this is the solution for us and I will do what I can to make it happen. I will update when I have more info about the process in case it can help another family.