Best travel cot?

dublinlady

Have to buy a travel cot in next 2 days and looking for recommendation!
Light , easy to assemble , possible to use as play pen, carry case and small to carry!! Good quality suitable from baby to toddler, but good value too... I don't want much do I?!?!?

Thanks in advance!

How Strange

Ha ha dublinlady!! We bought a mamas and papas one in Argos for €55. It doesn't have a mattress which is a negative but otherwise it's fine as a travel cot. It's relatively easy to put up and down although I leave that to himself so there's always a bit of cursing at the start. I don't think it would be suitable as a playpen though.

I would've bought a better one secondhand but at the time I couldn't see any decent ones for sale.

Moonbeam

Graco do lovely ones,our is a mother are own brand one and we find it brilliant.
I found then do not make good playpens after a few months.
Something like -
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Bassinette-Travel-Cot/393527,default,pd.html?avtc=df1fc1ddf31d1d1c82e275aac57d3418&avpid=433162%2C393527%2C433301%2C449406%2C433140%2C375330%2C306955%2C230777

The bassinet is invaluable for small babies.

dublinlady

Moonbeam wrote: »

Graco do lovely ones,our is a mother are own brand one and we find it brilliant.
I found then do not make good playpens after a few months.
Something like -
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Bassinette-Travel-Cot/393527,default,pd.html?avtc=df1fc1ddf31d1d1c82e275aac57d3418&avpid=433162%2C393527%2C433301%2C449406%2C433140%2C375330%2C306955%2C230777

The bassinet is invaluable for small babies.

This one def contender!! It doesn't specify an age or weight allowance for bassinette.. I wonder would my 16lb 5 month old be too heavy?? She'd much prefer it in there I think! Plus means I could get her in without having to wake her.... She only falls asleep in our arms..!

Xdancer

I have this one in pink (only colour available when I bought)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-Playpen-Entryway-Gray-KRB02/dp/B00859OQ5I/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1342597277&sr=1-2

I had to get an extra mattress for it, but it has been brilliant. You can have the base of it at a higher level for when the baby is tiny as well. We run our own business, so I bring A to work with me every morning and this is what she sleeps/plays in. Very happy with it.

dublinlady

Xdancer wrote: »

I have this one in pink (only colour available when I bought)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Travel-Playpen-Entryway-Gray-KRB02/dp/B00859OQ5I/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1342597277&sr=1-2

I had to get an extra mattress for it, but it has been brilliant. You can have the base of it at a higher level for when the baby is tiny as well. We run our own business, so I bring A to work with me every morning and this is what she sleeps/plays in. Very happy with it.

Ohh I like the sounds of being able to raise the base!! How come u had to get extra mattress?
Must google and see if any Dublin stockists as heading away fri and would like to have it and know how to assemble and check it etc before we go - just don't trust amazon to get it to me by tomorrow without any doubt!

This is very helpful - thanks ladies

Xdancer

The base that came with it is fine for a toddler, but not for a baby. The travel cots my mother, sister and sister-in-law have all required a mattress too. I bought a very handy one that folds up so it's handy for travelling too.

Moonbeam

They are fine in the bassinet until they can sit up on their own.

Ellsbells

We got the graco contour on the go. Had base with it, wheels, bag, can raise base and has a changing bassinet. It's the best purchase I have made. I bought an extra mattress with it.

http://kiddicarereviews.kiddicare.com/review/121980

Moonbeam

I never bothered with buying an extra mattress for it as it is more to carry and the girls sleep soundly in it.

Little My

We have two for the respective grandparents, the Babystart one from Argos and the more expensive Mamas and Papas again from Argos. To be honest, there is no difference in them, if anything the mattress provided with the Babystart one is slightly better in our opinion.

I had considered getting one with a bassinette and cot-top changer but honestly I decided that unless I was using it a lot I wouldn't get enough use out of these extras to justify the extra cost.

You will generally need a mattress, all travel cots (that I have seen so far - I have worked hotels so I have seen tons of different brands) come with a fold up mattress which wraps around the cot for storage. So the mattress is thin and hard, a bit like a yoga matt with a firm base if that makes sense?

If you are leaving the cot with relatives or something it does make sense to have an extra mattress. If its always going to be travelling with you, probably not, as it defeats the purpose of having something easily transported if you need to cart around an extra mattress.

None of them that I have seen have worked as playpens once baby starts crawling, its more like having a cot in your living room you can pop baby into for a few seconds while you go to the kitchen or something. The base isn't really designed to be stood on.

pwurple

+1 on the extra mattress for whatever travel cot you get. The extra mattresses are pretty cheap, and they make all the difference. The mattress they come with is a hard base with a plastic padding on it. It's not breathable enough in my opinion.