Top 6 Best Travel cots of 2022

Stoke Cloud Sleeper doesn't belong anywhere but in the travel cot category, but it’s not like other travel cots on the market. A more correct name would perhaps be to call it a travel mattress. The Cloud Sleeper is an extremely compact air mattress, which can fit into a small backpack and be a comfortable sleeping place for larger children in no time.

Built-up edges ensure that your baby never rolls off

The Cloud Sleeper comes with an integrated pump, so no extra accessories are needed to get your baby’s bed ready. The bed can quickly be inflated by an adult, resulting in a soft and comfortable sleeping place. The Cloud Sleeper has raised sides to prevent your baby from rolling off the bed while sleeping. This is something that actually works, as children have never rolled off when sleeping – something which has happened several times on ordinary air mattresses.

The minimum recommended age is 3 years, but testing also shows that a 1.5 year-old slept comfortably and without discomfort. The Cloud Sleeper has a cover that breathes well, and the child does not feel cold or sweaty. And the mattress is impressively durable. After being inflated as instructed, the Cloud Sleeper could be used daily for one month without the need to add air.

Super smart travel cot that works in all positions

Besides the actual Cloud Sleeper, we did note something about the storage bag. The design is smart. Double zips allow the bed to be compressed for extra compactness after deflating. But after the first use, a large tear occured along the seam in the bag. It could still be used, but the fact that it got holes felt like a shame for an otherwise good and well thought-out product.

As a travel cot, the Cloud Sleeper is incredibly versatile. It works as an extra bed for a relative, to have at home when your child’s friends want to sleep over, to take with you on trips, or when camping. The fact is that the Cloud Sleeper works in all situations, is so small that it fits in a larger handbag, and gives the child a safe and good sleep. It’s hard to imagine how a travel cot could be more affordable and practical than the Stokke Cloud Sleeper.

Baby Björn’s Light travel cot is one of the more expensive models on the market but it’s quickly clear that this is a quality product. The travel cot comes in a storage bag with simple carrying handles. The Baby Björn Light is small enough when folded to make the travel cot easy to handle, and easy to get in the car even with other baggage. As the name implies, it’s also light, weighing just 6 kg. The travel cot includes a mattress that you fasten in the bottom so it can’t slide about. You can buy special fitted sheets, but you can also use normal sheets. It’s pretty much impossible to fail at unfolding the cot, and folding it is easy too provided you’ve read the exhaustive instructions that come with it.

There’s nothing negative to say about comfort levels for the sleeping child. The mattress isn’t particularly thick, but it’s perfectly sufficient for a child to sleep on and the bed area is very spacious. Because the bottom is on the floor, there’s no upper weight limit. So as long as the child has space to sleep comfortably, you can use the Baby Björn Light as a travel cot or extra bed. The construction is so stable that even a child of around one year can lean against the edges for support while standing without there being any risk that the cot will tip over. It’s quite deep down to the bottom, which is a minus when you need to lay a small child or a sleeping child in the cot. But the Baby Björn Light is convenient in every other way, and in many ways this is the essence of the modern travel cot.

The classic, simple model of travel cot – as many parents already know – means a tough wrestling match every time you need to set it up or dismantle it. And it’s rare that you feel like a winner afterwards. So it’s nice that the characteristic that most stands out with the Bugaboo Stardust is that the cot is amazingly easy to handle.

Quick and easy folding

To unfold the travel cot, you undo two press studs on each side and pull apart. The cot is ready for your child to sleep in it in seconds. To fold the Stardust again, you press in the white buttons on the long sides of the cot and push the cot bottom upwards with your foot. The cot folds up square and flat, making it easy to pack into your car.

The Bugaboo Stardust’s cot bottom can be adjusted to two different heights. The higher, newborn, position places the baby at a very comfortable height from the parent's perspective. It’s a bit fiddly to get the bottom into newborn position, as the zip is in a corner where it’s difficult to reach. When you’re folding the cot in newborn position, the mattress must first be removed. In the lower height position, the mattress can stay in place when the Stardust is folded.

Maximum length reduces use time

The main disadvantage with the Bugaboo Stardust is the short period of use. The maximum weight of 15 kg is standard. However, the maximum length of the cot is 89 cm, which means your child will grow out of it at about two years of age. But much else about this travel cot is good. The mattress is soft and comfortable. All of the covers can be removed and washed in a washing machine. And the included storage case is sturdy and keeps the cot clean during trips.

When it comes to children, there’s never any guarantee of a good night's sleep. But the adjustable sleeping area height, together with good sleeping comfort and extremely convenient folding provide the best possible conditions. Although the cot is expensive, the Bugaboo Stardust can be considered as worth its price if you plan to spend many nights away from home during the first year with your baby.

Nuna Sena Aire is a foldable travel cot that can be used from newborn and up to 15 kg. The maximum height of the child is given as 86 cm, but the bed can accommodate much taller children than this. The mesh net on the sides of the bed allows the baby to look out, and allows air to circulate easily throughout the cot. The design is unusually pretty for a travel cot. Nuna Sena Aire is neutrally stylish and could be displayed in any room.

Super easy to set up and fold back together

The first thing that comes to mind is how easy it is to set up the Nuna Sena Aire. There is a good manual, but it is not needed – you instinctively understand how to do it. Folding it back together is just as easy. This means that you don't have to shy away from folding the Sena Aire together if, for example, you need more space in your bedroom or hotel room during the day.

A bassinet comes with the Sena Aire, for babies who can't roll or sit yet. It hangs on the edges of the bed and raises the bed base by 10 cm, making the total height 38 cm above the ground. This makes it more gentle on the parent’s back, when they need to put down or pick up their baby. As your baby grows, you can remove the bassinet to create an even larger sleeping area, which can comfortably fit children up to the age of 2-3.

Safe travel cot with a larger design

Sena Aire should be given extra praise for the safety of its structure. There are no unprotected parts where children or adults could get their fingers caught. The metal frame of the bed is padded along the entire inside, so that children cannot hurt themselves if they hit the walls of the bed. The included sheet is specially adapted for Sena Aire. The mattress’s velcro fastener is pulled through the sheet to ensure a perfect fit. It is also possible to make up the bed using a standard sheet; however, then the mattress cannot be attached to the bottom of the bed.

Considering the bed’s dimensions, both folded and unfolded, and how much it weighs, Sena Aire might be better suited as an extra bed in a summer cottage or at a relative's house if you often spend the night there. It is a bit heavy and clumsy to carry with you on a train journey, and takes up quite a lot of space in the car. But as a sleep space, Nuna Sena Aire is an excellent choice of travel cot for your child’s first few years.

BabyTrold’s travel cot is a classic model that many parents will recognise, with a little twist in the form of a practical opening at the foot end of the cot. With a zip you can open up a hatch large enough for the child to be able to crawl in and out of the cot on their own. This is a function that was very popular with the children testing the cot. The BabyTrold travel cot comes in a storage bag that you can carry with you. But this isn’t a bag that you pop on your shoulder when you’re going to cycle over to a friend and want to put your baby down to sleep once you’re there, because it's relatively large when folded and above all rather heavy. This is more of an exemplary extra bed to have at home for visitors, or for a longer stay in a holiday home you get to by car.

The cot has two lockable wheels, so it’s easy to roll around indoors. On the outside of the head end is a storage pocket, which is the right size for an extra set of bedclothes. The mattress is quite thin but does have a layer of padding. You attach it to the bottom of the cot with Velcro straps to keep it in place. There are instructions for how to unfold the cot on the bottom of the cot, which is very useful. It isn’t difficult to unfold the BabyTrold travel cot, but it takes a few attempts before you understand the technique and do the steps in the right order. Folding it up is just the same. To get everything into the storage bag again you have to wind the mattress around the folded cot frame and fasten everything together with Velcro straps. This isn’t difficult but you have to pull on it so the joints come together in the right place. For use as a more long-term travel cot in a single place, the BabyTrold delivers exactly what you’d expect given the reasonable price tag.

BabyDan’s travel cot is a classic model that’s been available under many different names. This type of travel cot is a very good alternative for anyone who wants a stable and spacious cot for as small a price tag as possible. Folding and unfolding work well when you’ve understood the order in which you should carry out the steps involved. The travel cot comes with clear instructions, and it’s a good idea to really get to know these as it’s easy to lose them over time. The travel cot has wheels on one end, which means you can lift it by the other and then easily roll it around. The wheels can be locked when the cot is in the right position. On the outside of the head end of the travel cot is a large storage pocket with an elasticated opening. This is useful for essentials or to put bedclothes in if you want to use the travel cot as a playpen during the day.

The long sides of the cot are made from mesh fabric, which lets in plenty of air to the sleeping child. The bed surface is comparable in size with a normal cot, and this together with the maximum weight of 15 kg means that BabyDan’s travel cot can usually be used up for children up to three years of age. The included mattress has thin padding but worked fine for our test children to sleep on Even though there are many similar models, BabyDan have been successful at getting the cot frame and mattress to fit together when the cot has to be packed in its storage case. The mattress has to be wound around the frame and fastened together with Velcro, and this works really well. The cot is manageable in size when it’s folded up. It weighs quite a bit, but you can carry it. Even though this travel cot doesn’t fold up really small or weigh as little as possible, you’ll undoubtedly be happy with the BabyDan travel cot.