Best Travel Crib

Traveling with your family can be a big challenge, especially if your youngest family members are still in their infancy. From vacations overseas or out of state to short trips to visit relatives, you’ll have to arm yourself with baby accessories to get through the journey stress-free and your baby as comfy as possible. When it comes to your child’s comfort and safety, a travel crib is a must-have on your packing list. Travel cribs make sure that your baby always has a safe and cozy place to rest, whether you’re staying at a hotel or a relative’s guest room. Lightweight, portable, and foldable, travel cribs come in many shapes and sizes with many different features available – their designs can significantly vary so it’s important to do your research beforehand.

The Best Travel Cribs

Why Buy a Travel Crib?

Travel cribs are a great way for your baby to sleep in a comfortable and familiar setting when away from home. It’s important for everyone including babies to get adequate rest no matter where they are and traveling often interrupts that healthy sleep cycle.

Being unfamiliar with a new environment can hinder a baby’s will to sleep. Travel cribs have that look and smell babies can easily become familiar with and can, therefore, go to sleep soundly.

Most travel cribs can easily be used at home as well as on the go. They provide a safe place for your little one to play in when they’re not asleep, away from any hazards in the home or disruptive pets and siblings.

Travel cribs are safe and easy to use, with designs made to be set up in a matter of minutes or seconds as well as being packed in an easy-to-carry, compact manner.

Overall, travel cribs are a convenient place for your baby to sleep and play: whether you’re out traveling, or at a picnic or someone’s house overnight, the travel crib is a useful thing to bring with you.Things to Consider 

When you’re choosing any product for your baby, you have to do your research: there are so many factors that have to be double-checked to make sure that your child’s safety and comfort are not compromised- and you’ll still want the item in question to fit in with your budget and own preferences. In the case of travel cribs, you’ll want to add a few more features to the checklist, as in addition to the child’s safety and comfort, a good travel crib should be easy to set up, convenient to store, and portable enough for any kind of travel.

• Type

The first thing to clear up about travel cribs is that there are different designs that could be categorized as separate types of travel cribs. The most common is the classic travel crib or travel cot that resembles the crib you already have at home, the difference being that this one is collapsible and portable. These usually have a removable mattress and can also be folded into a carrier for easier transport. Some people refer to these travel cribs as travel pack and play or pack and play cribs because of the brand that originally produced collapsible cribs for babies. Then, there are so-called pop-up travel cribs, which, quite literally, pop up from their carry bag to assemble in seconds. They are smaller than standard travel cribs and often flimsier- they are more suited for overnight trips or occasional trips rather than regular use. Lastly, you can get a portable bassinet, which is more appropriate for a newborn or a smaller baby (usually no older than 3 months).

• Size

To make sure your baby will have plenty of space to rest and that they’ll be safely cozied up in their travel crib, it’s important to compare dimensions and check the weight limit to make sure that the fit is right. Babies up to three months can use a travel bassinet, whereas older babies and toddlers need a bigger travel crib. Similarly, you’ll want to make sure that the size and weight of the crib suit your own needs: it should be compact enough for your preferred method of travel (it’s not the same if you need a travel crib that can be packed in a car trunk or that which can be folded and stored in a big backpack). Also, you don’t want to lug around a heavy crib no matter where you’re traveling or how- not being portable kind of beats the point of a travel crib. The weight of travel cribs can vary a lot, with the lightest models weighing only circa 4 pounds and those that can weigh around 20 pounds, so the differences can be pretty significant and could be an important factor in your decision- so choose correctly.

• Weight

Needless to say, being a travel crib means it should be a suitable weight for travel. In most cases the lighter the crib the better, but you also want it to be sturdy enough to hold a moving infant or child (especially if said child also plays in the crib). Many travel cribs will advertise that they’re very lightweight, but you should take into account the weight and size of your own child and if it is suitable for the weight limit.

• Ease of use and setup

Let’s face it: babies are a handful as it is, especially when you’re traveling, so the last thing in the world you need is to fuss over a travel crib that requires special attention in order to be functional. Coming to your accommodation after a long trip, jet-lagged, with a cranky baby in tow, only to start an hour-long assembly of the crib before you have someplace to put your baby to sleep… Yeah, that’s pretty much a nightmare rather than a vacay. Luckily, there’s plenty to choose from without worrying about the ease of set up. Steer clear from overly complex designs and go for the foldable or pop-up cribs if simplicity is what you’re after, as these take almost no effort to set up.

Setting up the tent would ideally be no hassle, and the best-designed cribs come pretty close. They can be folded, packed, and reopened with ease no matter your intended use wherever you are. Sellers will usually advertise how their setup works, and it helps to check customer reviews to see how well they fared with the advertised set up themselves.

The ease of use can vary – some travel cribs fold open and shut-in one action, whereas others might take some fiddling with the legs before being suitable for use.

• Comfort

One department many travel cribs would be lacking in is the mattress department. Of course, you’re not going to find luxurious soft mattresses, but the baby will need a decently comfortable place to sleep. The mattress included should be a decent thickness and it’s an added plus if they include a mattress cover for extra comfort.

Be especially careful when it comes to cheaper travel cribs. They are more likely to have flimsy mattresses that won’t do much to support your baby.

The crib should offer good airflow, usually through mesh walls. This not only helps for safety reasons but also makes for a cooler circulation of air.

• Safety standards

Your child’s safety should always be your primary concern- whichever product you’re getting- but especially so with cribs. Unstable, poorly made travel cribs from low-quality materials aren’t safe for use as they could collapse or rip and injure your child as a result. To prevent any unfortunate scenario and get peace of mind, go for travel cribs that meet the current safety standards. These will be labeled as approved by CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) or ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). Additionally, be sure to pick a travel crib made from quality components that are built to last as this influences sturdiness and durability of the crib. In these cases, it’s worth investing a bit more if the higher price tag means ensuring the utmost safety for your little one.

• Purpose

The type of travel bedding you’ll need will depend on your circumstances. Ask yourself: Will you be staying somewhere? How much space do you have for packing or carry-ons? Are you getting there by driving or flying? How old is your baby?

When it comes to that last question, you should really consider the size of the bedding. Smaller babies would best be put into bassinets, as they’re the lightest and take the least amount of space. However, if your baby has begun moving around something more spacious would be needed such as a regular travel crib or a “pack n’ play” that would keep them busy.

Conclusion

Travel cribs are a much-needed accessory when you travel with your baby by your side. From newborns to toddlers, all infants will need their own place to sleep in, and in most cases, you won’t get an appropriate option at the place you stay at, whether it’s a hotel, Airbnb, or your relative’s home. This is why a handy portable crib could make your stay safer and cozier for your child- it gives them their own nook to get some rest in without having to worry about their comfort or security.

There are plenty of design options to choose from when it comes to travel cribs, from compact portable bassinets to convenient pack and play cribs – all you have to do is pick one that matches your needs and start your adventure the right way.

Recent Updates

October 18, 2021: phil&teds Traveller Crib has been removed due to unavailability, replaced with the popular Munchkin Brica Fold N’ Go Travel Bassinet for newborns.