One Baby, Three Beds - The Travel Cot edition
As part of our christmas holidays, MisterB, Coco and I went to Holland to spend time with friends who live out there. In the days leading up to the trip, I started looking up travel cots online, because I figured we would be bringing a travel cot along for Coco and I hadn't bought one yet.
I wanted something comfortable, lightweight and value-for-money. A few questions I had for each brand of travel cot I saw online:
- will the mattress be comfortable enough for the baby to sleep in (as opposed to baby being transferred to my bed),
- how much does it weight
- will it be difficult to transport
- what age can she use it till
- can it also be used at home as a playpen so that we get a bit use of it
The ones which topped the 'best travel cot' list on several websites, weren't exactly convincing. The Graco Contour sounded OK, it's easy to assemble but at 14kg cannot pass as lightweight. The Baby Bjorn travel cot light is lighter at 6kg but folds up large and the mattress is pretty much on the floor, so I assume it's not the best to use in a cold climate or in rooms without carpets. The Graco is just under £100 and the BabyBjorn just under £200, and from the reviews on amazon, it sounded like they were more for setting up in Grandparents /care-takers home, or in your living room, but not suited for taking with you on travels.
The cheaper ones I saw including, Mothercare, Joie Allura, Baby way from Amazon, all seemed to require an extra mattress, which then defeats the purpose of buying cheap, and a few are quite heavy too. You can probably see where I am going with this, there seems to be a gap in the market for a comfortable, lightweight, good-priced travel cot. We decided, not to buy one, just yet, at least. We made do with cots provided in paid accommodation and at friends, Coco and I bed-shared safely. It worked out just fine, but it would have been nice to have a familiar bed/cot for her, as I think it could have made sleep time smoother. The first two nights she was back to waking up every two hours, although that may have been related to other things.
The cheaper ones I saw including, Mothercare, Joie Allura, Baby way from Amazon, all seemed to require an extra mattress, which then defeats the purpose of buying cheap, and a few are quite heavy too. You can probably see where I am going with this, there seems to be a gap in the market for a comfortable, lightweight, good-priced travel cot. We decided, not to buy one, just yet, at least. We made do with cots provided in paid accommodation and at friends, Coco and I bed-shared safely. It worked out just fine, but it would have been nice to have a familiar bed/cot for her, as I think it could have made sleep time smoother. The first two nights she was back to waking up every two hours, although that may have been related to other things.
I was also on the look out for a cot bed, at the time, so the search for the travel cot, yet another bed, got me thinking, could I have consolidated these beds into one buy? If we had bought the Sleepyhead and used that from day one instead of the Stokke Day bed which we settled on per this post, that would have worked perfectly for bringing along 'her bed' for travel.
The Chicco Next to Me crib would also have been a good alternative, though slightly more expensive than the Sleepyhead and Daybed. It allows you to side sleep with your baby, so they're next to you and you can reach across to them, but they're in their own little crib. This one would also be suitable to use on your travels as it comes with a travel bag. It weights 9kg, but if it's baby's usual bed, it would be worth lugging it around, when you're going away for that sense of normalcy at sleep time.
The Chicco bed and Sleepyhead are great for co-sleeping, although they also have great reviews by Mums who do not, the sleepyhead for example can be used on the sofa in the living room, inside a cot etc.You can also put all four sides up, and use the Chicco like a regular bassinet. Both are great products for keeping the co-sleeping option open, for travel and for use in baby's nursery, if you want. These are some good options for your baby's first bed, if you were looking at alternatives to
the moses basket, because of their versatility.
I've missed the boat of the two above as they make great first beds, but not for after. I troll the internet before I buy baby products, so I don't have insights like this, months after purchase, but sometimes it cannot be helped.
We are still on the look out for a travel cot, so if you have or know of one that worked well, please do share.
x
The Chicco Next to Me crib would also have been a good alternative, though slightly more expensive than the Sleepyhead and Daybed. It allows you to side sleep with your baby, so they're next to you and you can reach across to them, but they're in their own little crib. This one would also be suitable to use on your travels as it comes with a travel bag. It weights 9kg, but if it's baby's usual bed, it would be worth lugging it around, when you're going away for that sense of normalcy at sleep time.
The Chicco bed and Sleepyhead are great for co-sleeping, although they also have great reviews by Mums who do not, the sleepyhead for example can be used on the sofa in the living room, inside a cot etc.You can also put all four sides up, and use the Chicco like a regular bassinet. Both are great products for keeping the co-sleeping option open, for travel and for use in baby's nursery, if you want. These are some good options for your baby's first bed, if you were looking at alternatives to
the moses basket, because of their versatility.
I've missed the boat of the two above as they make great first beds, but not for after. I troll the internet before I buy baby products, so I don't have insights like this, months after purchase, but sometimes it cannot be helped.
We are still on the look out for a travel cot, so if you have or know of one that worked well, please do share.
x
One Baby, Three Beds - The Travel Cot edition
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