Travel cots make wonderful beds for babies, toddlers and young children to sleep in for trips and short periods. As they’re easily portable, travel cots are ideal beds for holidays and overnight stays, even for taking naps in when visiting friends and family for day trips. Don’t be fooled by the Nuna Sena Aire's stylish lines – this one is built like a tank. After being pushed, shoved and bounced into with the ‘help’ of our tester’s exuberant toddler, we were impressed at just how sturdy this neat-looking crib actually is. You’ll find that the added extras will usually need to be carried separately once the frame is folded down. Brands that offer attachments like these include Joie (the Joie Commuter Change won Mumsnet Best Travel Cot 2018), BabyBjorn and Graco. This travel cot can be used as a next to me crib whilst on holiday or visiting friends. The mesh sides allow you to keep an eye on baby as well as allowing for increased air circulation.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun. The Lullaby Trust says that all cots need to comply with British Standards Institution (BSI) safety standards regardless of how old they are. If there is no safety standard number visible then you shouldn't buy it. It’s important to understand too, that whilst travel cots can make brilliant beds for holidays and trips, they’re not for long term use. Your baby should sleep in a suitable bed at home, like a cot, a Moses basket or a bedside crib. Five products were then awarded a Mumsnet Best badge – these are the products that we feel offer the absolute best value for most parents. We also gave honourable mentions to four others. Has a front panel with a safety toggle that can be zipped open or closed, making it a great option to use as an outdoor playpen

If, however, you tend to travel often or think your little one will have regular sleepovers with the grandparents, then a travel cot is a great solution.

Lift the changing table topper to reveal a baby bath tub with a built-in mould shape to prevent the baby from slipping The Smart Changer is a complete solution for changing and bathing your baby in a clean, comfortable, and convenient way Use the bassinet for a new-born in the standalone travel cot or in the co-sleeping setup. For older babies remove the bassinet for a deeper protective side panel. While you may have dedicated a lot of time to finding the best crib, moses basket or cot bed for your child, we tend to give less thought to which travel cot to buy. But getting the best sleep possible is just as important while you're away from home, so we've put some of the best travel cots on the market through their paces. Sleep positioners and pillows must not be used and there should also be no loose or bulky bedding inside the crib as this can cause a baby to overheat.We also wanted to see which products might cause difficulty for people with mobility issues and which were the easiest to assemble and take down