Trail Scout Sleeping Pad

it depends on what r-value you need, but honestly most sleeping pads that are thick and comfortable are going to be inflatable of some sort, either self inflating or otherwise. under a hundred you'll end up with a zlite or some other foam pad which is fine, but not very plush. I use an old thermarest (maybe a scout?) on a neno switchback and it's pretty comfy, serves me down to about 25°f. when my partner and I go camping, we use an exped megamat which is great. we have friends who use a Nemo roamer and they love it.

It's honestly just a 2003 regular grade thermarest judging by the ones I've seen as surplus here in Anchorage.  Non ridgerest closed cell foam was the budget answer (and the only answer for a long time) and still works as great insulation in the cold for small money.  Just information for your decision matrix - you gotta carry it all! 

Thermarest trailscout is an excellent mattress around the price. Trusted brand and packs really nicely in my dry bag.

My kiddo spends at least 30 nights a year camping since she was born.  Without knowing what kind of overnight temps your dealing with it’s hard to give specific recommendations, but if it’s anywhere where the overnight lows are below like 45f, I wouldn’t be putting them on something that isn’t camping-specific.  We use an exped megamat duo for us and a thermarest trails scout short for our 3 yo. I picked one up on sale for like $30. And we got our megamat on sale as well for like $120. You could get your kid a megamat - they are the top of the line, or you could find something of that style that’s specifically for camping, but cheaper (I think REI makes one).  Go with something that has foam and isn’t purely inflatable (the ones mentioned above are both) for durability.  At 18m I wouldn’t do a cot just cuz they may fall out. And I wouldn’t purchase a cot that doesn’t have any insulation under it - it’ll be cold.  We have an REI wonderland 4. It will fit the 3 of us and our stuff no problem, but if you plan on expanding your family, I’d get something bigger. 

A thermarest scout is in budget; it doesn’t save any weight over the old pad, but, since you have the mechanical advantage, I’ll go on: -comfortable. The way the foam works in self inflating pads is just quite comfortable. -warm. The 3.1r value seems accurate. I used it down into at least the teens. Durable. Here I must admit both of mine suffered ill fated premature failure, however, I do not blame the mattress. One is a simple pinhole I just need to fix and the other is a dog inflicted wound. The materials and the build quality to me seem plenty durable, like, overbuilt. -packable? Meeeehhh, prolly 3L or so? -self inflating, no pump/pump sack.

I have the basic thermarest trail scout in long. It's okay for side sleeping, but I might consider their base camp model instead if I were buying today. Thicker, more insulation. Should be better for side sleeping. Still reasonably priced.  I'd shy away from used on this purchase.

I'm a larger guy and I use the Thermarest Trail Scout Pro. It's decent though I have thought about an upgrade. One thing I do like is my hammock in the summer. Maybe worth checking out