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If you’re going on holiday with your baby, investing in a travel cot ensures they’ll have somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep. And it could well make the difference between you enjoying a calm, peaceful holiday, or spending several sleepless nights abroad – money well spent in our opinion.
Of course, many hotels supply cots, but buying your own means you can be confident in its quality and suitability. There’s a huge range available in terms of function, weight, baby size, and of course price. The newest models are lighter and more versatile than ever - not to mention more comfortable, so your baby may even sleep better than usual. What’s more, if you make it “their” travel cot it can be part of the adventure of travelling.
How to buy the best travel cot for you
There are some key questions to consider when buying a travel cot. Obviously it needs to be appropriate for the age and size of your child; consider too how portable it is, how quickly you’ll want to assemble it and how deep your pockets are. The cheaper brands tend to sacrifice convenience for comfort, so if you want to make sure your little one has a good night’s sleep, you may end up with something that’s fairly big and heavy to lug around. That’s not great if you’re going camping, but it might be fine if you’re driving to a British resort.
What else do I need to consider?
Make sure that you’ve got all the necessary accoutrements. All the travel cots we’ve recommended come with a mattress, but sheets aren’t included. You could use a pillowcase, but you may prefer a fitted sheet, and this may be available as an optional extra.
Are travel cots suitable for newborns?
Most cots can take newborn infants, but you may prefer to get a smaller bassinet that’s designed specifically for young babies. We’ve included our favourite travel bassinet in the list below.
READ NEXT: Our pick of the best baby carriers to buy
The best travel cots to buy
1. Chicco LullaGo Zip: The best convertible crib-to-cot
Price when reviewed:£110
This clever new portable crib-to-cot from Italian brand Chicco serves as a raised crib for the first six months, then unzips concertina-fashion to full length and becomes a cot for the next year.
Despite easily folding away to a slip of a thing, it comes with one of the thickest, most padded mattresses on the market. There’s no sheet include, but the mattress material feels soft to the touch and is washable at 40ºC. At nearly 9kg, it’s not the lightest travel cot out there, but it’s great if you’re driving and boot space is at a premium.
Key features - Age range: 0-18 months; Weight: 9kg; Cleaning: Hand-washable fabric; Time to assemble: 1 minute
2. Koo-di Travel Bubble Cot: The best travel cot for camping
Price when reviewed:£34
The Travel Bubble is hard to fault as a value travel cot. It’s extremely light, but the padded mattress helps give it stability, and promises a good night’s sleep for your baby.
The sides zip down - or halfway down - so you can keep an eye on your beloved overnight, or zip up a flysheet so you know they won’t be going anywhere (nor getting bitten by any flying nasties).
For longer trips and older, larger toddlers the design can get a little cramped. But with its tiny footprint and minimal weight it’s perfect for camping with a little one. It pops out of the bag like a festival tent and folds back in with an escapologist’s twist of the wrists – perfect for impressing your friends.
Key features - Age: 6-18 months; Weight: 2.2kg; Cleaning: Hand-washable fabric; Time to assemble: 10 seconds
3. Babybjörn Travel Cot: The best luxury buy
Price when reviewed:£185
Babybjörn gear isn’t cheap, and the fitted organic sheet adds an extra £20 to this already pricey cot. But if you’re willing to pay, it won’t disappoint. The cot takes mere seconds to assemble: the legs drop and lock as you open it, and then the mattress is dropped in. That’s a significant strength, as reaching the end of a journey often corresponds with parents reaching the end of their tether.
The mattress is thick and soft, is fully washable and looks gorgeous. There’s a range of cool colours to choose from and the mesh that surrounds the baby ensures good ventilation and all-round visibility for the parent. The angle of the legs ensures that it’s also stable.
Key features - Age: 0-3 years; Weight: 6kg; Cleaning: Machine-washable fabric; Time to assemble: 15 seconds
4. Hauck Baby Center Travel Cot: The best for first-time parents
Price when reviewed:£75
Straying away from home with a newborn can be daunting; this Hauck travel cot provides a raft of calming extras to make your night away as similar as possible to being in your nicely laid-out nursery.
It comes with a mattress (but no sheet), and a bassinet unit - basically a raised mattress that hangs halfway up, making it much easier for you to pick up your newborn. There’s also a padded changing table that sits on top of the cot, an accessory tray for wipes and nappies, and a musical mobile to help distract and entertain your child.
Basically, nothing has to go on the floor, and the stress of a first night away will be greatly reduced. Then, when you and your baby have got the hang of it, you can do away with the extras and use it as a more simple travel cot. It’s a heavy bit of kit, but if you’re looking for peace of mind, it might well be worth it.
Key features - Age: 0-3 years; Weight: 12kg; Cleaning: Sponge clean; Time to assemble: 5 minutes
5. Red Kite Sleeptight Travel Cot: The best budget travel cot
Price when reviewed:£32
This may not be the lightest or prettiest travel cot, but it does the job for just over £30. It does come with its own mattress, although some parents prefer to buy an additional mattress (around £20) as the one provided is not too thick. Setting it up and down can be a bit of a challenge - make sure you follow the instructions carefully - but the sturdy, steel-framed design is reassuringly stable once erected.
It has no bells or whistles: you just get the cot, a mattress and a bag. You’ll want a sheet for the mattress too, which you can buy from around £13. If you’re not travelling too often, or are a little short of cash, this cot will serve its purpose.
Key features - Age: 0-3 years; Weight: 8.5kg; Cleaning: Sponge clean; Time to assemble: 1 minute
6. Koo-Di Pop Up Travel Bassinet: Best bassinet
Price when reviewed:£25
This brilliant little cradle is super light, super small and just perfect for venturing out with a baby. You can use it until your baby is able to sit unaided, which is normally around six months. It has a water-resistant base, so it can also be used outdoors as a lounger. It’s simple to assemble and comes with a zippable mosquito net.
You also get a washable mattress (although not a sheet – you can use a pillowcase), which is fine for a couple of nights or if you’re putting this on a soft surface. If you want more support, you can also buy an inflatable mattress for £16, which comes with a little pump and a fitted sheet.
Key features - Age: 0-6 months; Weight: 798g; Cleaning: Sponge clean; Time to assemble: 1 minute
