Find the best sleep solutions for travel with baby
When you have a baby, it’s great to add a travel cot to your list of must-haves. It makes it simple to travel with your baby, as you don’t need to worry about whether there’s a cot at your destination and your little one will always have a familiar sleep space. It can be kept at a relative’s or childminder’s house and you can also use the larger versions as a playpen, ensuring your baby’s safety while they play. Here are our favourite travel cots.
BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light £247
Weight: 6.8kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
Light and airy, this has mesh all round for easy visibility and an external frame to avoid accidents. Its shape, with the base wider than the top, also makes it very stable even with the most adventurous of babies! It opens with one movement and the base has a nice mattress with an organic fitted sheet can be bought as an extra. It has a travel bag and although it has not got wheels, it’s one of the lightest around, so you can easily move it about. All fabrics that come into contact with your baby are organic and certified with the OEKO-TEX Standard Class 1. It’s also machine washable, so it will look good for longer. You can buy an additional mattress to make it more comfy if you’re going to be using it a lot.
Weight: 12.95kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
If you’re looking for a long-term solution to travel with your baby, plus a safe place for them to play during the day, this is great value for money. From birth, you can use the bassinet section of the travel cot – a higher sleeping area for smaller babies who are not yet able to sit up or pull themselves up. Once your little one is a bit older, from 4-6 months, you can remove this and they sleep in the larger section of the travel cot and they can use this up to three years or even a little longer. Then there are all the extras that you get with this model – the control panel on the side offers a nightlight, music and a timer that allows you to set the sounds for a period of time before it turns itself off. It also vibrates, which can help your baby fall asleep. The cot is easy to both assemble and to fold, with just a push of a button and it packs away neatly into its own travel bag. Wheels on one end mean you can transport it with you when folded or move it around your home. There’s a little changing table that pops on the top, making it a travel changing table and a toy bar with three sweet toys to keep your little one amused while they are being changed or dressed.
Weight: 10kg
Suitable for: birth to 4 years
Able to be set up and folded with just one hand, this is a good sized and sturdy aluminium-framed travel cot that has a soft, quilted mattress and some clever features. The feet are skid-proof so it can be used on hard floors, though wheels at one side would have been helpful. It packs neatly into a travel case and has a bassinet that can be used from birth and that doesn’t have to removed before folding, which is great. The sides are mesh and the frame sits on the outside, meaning it’s very soft inside and your baby won’t bump their head on the frame. The mesh also allows you to see your baby from any angle while they sleep.
Weight: 8.8kg
Suitable for: birth to 4 years
This is a great travel cot to use right next to your own bed, so if you’re traveling with a very small baby, you have all the advantages of a bedside crib – but with portability! The strap and clip attachment means you can fix it right onto your bed, keeping it flush against the bed with no danger of your baby slipping between the two. The side can be pushed down with two clips, meaning access to your little one at night for a feed or a cuddle is simple. It packs compactly in its own travel bag, has wheels for easy portability, comes with its own mattress and is easy to fold, plus it has a bassinet for newborns that can be removed when your child is around 4-5 months old and can pull up, roll or sit. One extra feature is that the mesh side has a zip opening, meaning that you can store bedding, clothes and other items under the bassinet when it’s being used, and your little one can crawl in and out when they are old enough.
Weight: 7.65kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years (newborn set sold separately)
Designed to double up as a sleep space and a play space, this travel cot is lightweight and easy to use, with a pop-up design that folds away in just seconds. It can be used for overnight sleeping and has a good travel bag with shoulder strap. Its shape makes it super stable, with a wide base and all sides are mesh so that you and your little one can see each other. The top rail is padded to avoid knocks and bangs and the end panel has a zip that opens up for an easy way for your toddler to get in and out. A bassinet can be added to turn it into a bedside crib.
Weight: 5.96kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
This travel cot is as good for toddlers as it is for newborns, as it has a larger sleep space or a bassinet for tiny babies, just by raising or lowering the cot base. Easy to use, it has a square travel bag and is one of the lightest around, making it easy to carry. It is not a pop-up style travel cot and it’s a little more complicated to open and close it, or to swap between newborn and toddler mode, but it would be ideal to use as a bedside crib for a few months if you don’t want to buy an extra piece of kit. The bassinet is a good height for the first few months, allowing you to easily put down a sleeping baby without waking them. When they are older, you can drop the base and it’s safe for toddlers. The mesh sides are great for visibility and it has a good, well-padded mattress.
Weight: 2.8kg
Suitable for: birth to 2 years
Super light weight and compact, this is great for occasional use and for things like camping and festivals. It fits easily into car boots in its travel bag, which is almost as small as a yoga mat! It’s simple and easy to assemble and has four mesh sides, one of which unzips from both sides to allow toddlers to crawl in and out – it’s also easier on your back when getting baby to bed! The mattress is firm and comfortable, with insulating properties that will keep your little one warmer if it’s on the ground outside, plus the frame is held outside the play and sleep space, making accidents unlikely and the top rails are all padded too. There is an included fitted sheets that’s made from OEKO-TEX fabric.
Weight: 4.12kg
Suitable for: birth to 6 months
Not quite a travel cot, not quite a crib, this clever little gadget is ideal as a temporary travel bed for very small babies younger than six months, or before they can pull themselves up. It works like a Moses basket, in that you can have it next to you around the home and at night and it is much easier to fit into a small bedroom than a traditional travel cot. It has a mesh cover over the top that will protect your little one from insects and pets. You can see through it to keep an eye on your sleeping baby and it can be removed when not needed. It has a nice mattress and a stable base. It folds flat for transport or storage and come with a carry bag.
Weight: 7.6kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
This is a great budget choice if you will use a travel cot occasionally and it is ideal to leave as a permanent bed for your baby at Grandma’s house, or for playtime in the lounge. With simple mesh sides and fabric ends, your baby can see you and you can keep an eye on them as they sleep or play. It folds easily and packs away in its own bag and a mattress is included.
Red Kite Sleep Tight Travel Cot £35
Weight: 7kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
Another great budget option, this simple travel cot is ideal for using around the house or taking on holiday. It has four mesh panels and a simple to use folding mechanism plus padded top rails. It has easy to clean fabrics and folds away neatly into a travel bag. It does not have wheels.
