Find the best sleep solutions for travel with baby
When you have a baby, it’s great to add a travel crib to your list of must-haves. It makes it simple to travel with your baby, as you don’t need to worry about whether there’s a crib at your destination and your little one will always have a familiar sleep space. It can be kept at a relative’s or childminder’s house and you can also use the larger versions as a play yard, ensuring your baby’s safety while they play. Here are our favourite travel cribs.
Weight: 6.8kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
Light and airy, this has mesh all round for easy visibility and an external frame to avoid accidents. Its shape, with the base wider than the top, also makes it very stable even with the most adventurous of babies! It opens with one movement and the base has a nice mattress with an organic fitted sheet can be bought as an extra. It has a travel bag and although it has not got wheels, it’s one of the lightest around, so you can easily move it about. All fabrics that come into contact with your baby are organic and certified with the OEKO-TEX Standard Class 1. It’s also machine washable, so it will look good for longer. You can buy an additional mattress to make it more comfy if you’re going to be using it a lot.
Graco Pack and Play Change 'n Carry Playard
Weight: 12.95kg
Suitable for: birth to 3 years
If you’re looking for a long-term solution to travel with your baby, plus a safe place for them to play during the day, this is great value for money. From birth, you can use the bassinet section of the travel crib – a higher sleeping area for smaller babies who are not yet able to sit up or pull themselves up. Once your little one is a bit older, from 4-6 months, you can remove this and they sleep in the larger section of the travel crib and they can use this up to three years or even a little longer. Then there are all the extras that you get with this model – the control panel on the side offers a nightlight, music and a timer that allows you to set the sounds for a period of time before it turns itself off. It also vibrates, which can help your baby fall asleep. The crib is easy to both assemble and to fold, with just a push of a button and it packs away neatly into its own travel bag. Wheels on one end mean you can transport it with you when folded or move it around your home. There’s a little changing table that pops on the top, making it a travel changing table and a toy bar with three sweet toys to keep your little one amused while they are being changed or dressed.
Weight: 2.8kg
Suitable for: birth to 2 years
Super light weight and compact, this is great for occasional use and for things like camping and festivals. It fits easily into car trunks in its travel bag, which is almost as small as a yoga mat! It’s simple and easy to assemble and has four mesh sides, one of which unzips from both sides to allow toddlers to crawl in and out – it’s also easier on your back when getting baby to bed! The mattress is firm and comfortable, with insulating properties that will keep your little one warmer if it’s on the ground outside, plus the frame is held outside the play and sleep space, making accidents unlikely and the top rails are all padded too. There is an included fitted sheets that’s made from OEKO-TEX fabric.
Weight: 4.12kg
Suitable for: birth to 6 months
Not quite a travel crib, not quite a crib, this clever little gadget is ideal as a temporary travel bed for very small babies younger than six months, or before they can pull themselves up. It works like a Moses basket, in that you can have it next to you around the home and at night and it is much easier to fit into a small bedroom than a traditional travel crib. It has a mesh cover over the top that will protect your little one from insects and pets. You can see through it to keep an eye on your sleeping baby and it can be removed when not needed. It has a nice mattress and a stable base. It folds flat for transport or storage and come with a carry bag.
4moms Breeze GO Portable Travel Playard
This is a simple and easy to use travel crib that uses just one push to open and one pull to close it. It's ideal for traveling with your baby or having them when playing around the house. It has a water-resistant playard mattress and a simple, clean design that allows your to see your baby through the mesh sides.
