We're looking for a travel cot that can be used inside and out, is suitable from 6 months onwards, is light, stable and well designed. Mosquito netting would be a plus.
All I seem to be able to find is stuff that claims to be 'lightweight' at 3kg! I'd put the little one in my quasar inner if I was going to lug 3kilos around!
So who is the "Crux" or "GoLite" of the travel cot market? Who knows how to use good design and materials to make something that I'll be able to actually CARRY around with me?
I'll have a look around but something tells me that the other half wouldn't think to highly of me suggesting we put the baby in a kennel when we go travelling?!
We use one of these for my daughter who is now 9 months and used it previously for my son up until he was just over a year, sat it on top of either a blanket or the end of my Therm-a-Rest if we were in a tent. Depending on temperature the kids either wear their usual 'grow-bags' or, if its a bit cooler, we use a Vango baby size sleeping bag.
Due to the dimensions it would be too small for use beyond a year or 18 months depending on a child's size, but its not too heavy, folds to the size of a thick dinner plate and keeps the insects out. Its certainly small enough and light enough to carry.
I looked at some items of this 'pop up design' and wondered if she would soon outgrow them... However, she is quite little and it is evidently a light weight option. How decent is the mattress that comes included? For outdoor use I'd supplement it with a closed cell foam probably, but for indoors travel would you say that it is sufficiently padded for a couple of weeks of use?
Littlelife also do a version much like the Nomad one I linked in the picture above. How do you rate their quality?
We recently bought the Pogey travel cot for our then 6 month old baby daughter. It is extremely light and easy, and folds nicely to fit inside a suitcase (a backpack might be more problematic).
It comes with a mattress, but on cold floors (fi tiles) or in a tent, I would put something thicker under (thermarest fi).
It also features a no nonsense mosquito net.
I don't know how long we will be able to use the Pogey for, as at 7 months, our daughter is already pulling herself up from her crib. I would definitely never use this unattended.
so:
+: cheap (around 20£), light, small -: not sure how long you can use this, depends on your baby
You know what we're like, we spend more on our dogs than our kids in Britain!
