Travel cots

[Cheryl_M]

Looking for recommendations on travel cots please! Is it worth spending more so it lasts until they are aprrox. 3 years old?

[srisky]

Asda red kite - costs approx ?25, very easy to use. Has a thin mattress (as you would expect for a travel cot) so we pad it out with some towels unders the sheet.

How often do you think you'll use it?

[swagstar]

I got a graco one recently which was circa ?100 and we bought an additional mattress which has been great. My daughter sleeps better when away now than she does at home!

[Norfolkvillas]

The Phil n Teds one is SO light and portable, so if you're actually planning on carrying it anywhere, I would recommend it - it's about the same weight as a largish handbag. I think they're pricey, but I found one in brilliant nick second hand - travel cots are often used infrequently, so quite a good thing to purchase second hand as a general rule, I would have thought.

On the other hand, I once used a friend's Mamas and Papas one which was really easy to put up, but I could barely lift it up the stairs let alone travel with it.

[cazbee]

I splashed out on the Baby Bjorn one when it came out, being rather put off by the heavy, huge clunky ones I had come across at relatives houses and was swayed by the fancy videos on their website. It cost a small fortune, especially at the time being on mat leave, but I had bought almost everything else second hand so decided to just go for it. I have to say it's a great product, true to the fancy videos, and we have used it loads for our baby, for guests and loaning to friends.

[Cheryl_M]

I go home to my parents once a month so it will be used quite frequently. I looked at a few Graco cots so thanks for the recommendation but yes a bit pricey. I suppose a good mattress is the most important thing. Cheers guys.

[dulwichgirl2]

Mattress plus also length. Ours is very old now but big according to our friends. THere wasn't much choice in those days...so it is accidentally big in fact. The other thing is that there seems to be a knack to putting them up and I have never had it!

[uptime]

I'd avoid buying the Mothercare one, which is really difficult to close down.

[Yak]

The thing which REALLY bugged me about most travel cot is how hideously heavy and unwieldy they are. If you're using it once a month, and your parents have storage space, is it worth getting a cheap second hand cot to keep there? That's what we do, and then we use a little life pop up travel cot for other trips away. It is like a little tent and is beautifully light and compact. I'm not sure it will last til our one is 3, but there is still plenty of room for him at present and he is a long and quite chunky 1 year old.

[Cheryl_M]

So my parents have decided a cheap little cotbed with a good mattress will do the job. In the meantime I'll check out the little pop up travel cot for small trips away. Thanks guys! Much appreciated. Have a great weekend!

[lucyA1308]

we were given a graco one, which on our first attempt to go traveling with it - up to Scotland to see the G-parents, we left it behind, because it was so heavy. It is still useful when we go and stay there, but luckilly we don't have to transport it, which sort of defeats the point of a travel cot.

If I had the money though, I would go for a phil and teds light weight, or a baby bjorn light weight.