01.Small travel cots
Please note: this information was current as of February 2008 but is still a useful guide to today's market.
We reviewed two small travel cots, to see how robust they were, and how easy they were to transport and use.
Baby Nation Pop-Up Sleep Easy
Price: $85
Weight: 1kg
Dimensions when folded (H x W x D, cm): 28 x 31 x 22
Dimensions when assembled (H x W x D, cm): 57 x 55 x 95
Contact: (03) 9553 0024; Dale Importers (Australia)
Kinderkot Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed
Price: $140
Weight: 3kg
Dimensions when folded (H x W x D, cm): 44 x 48 x 24
Dimensions when assembled (H x W x D, cm): 62 x 135 x 89
Contact: www.kinderkot.com.au
Update July 2008: Kinderkot has advised that this product has changed since our test to include velcro strips on the base and sleeping bag to stop the sleeping bag moving around, changes to the ties and strengthening of the metal frame joiners.
What's a travel cot?
Portable cots are popular with parents who get out and about. But they can be fairly bulky, even when folded up, so travelling with them might not always be convenient, especially if you’re camping or out on a picnic and need somewhere sheltered for your baby to sleep.
Small travel cots like the Baby Nation and Kinderkot help address that problem. They have foldable wire frames so they’re lightweight and very compact when folded, UV-resistant fabric to help protect against the sun, and mesh to keep out the bugs.
Folding and unfolding
Our tester found both easy and fairly quick to set up, though the Baby Nation is a bit fiddly. Folding them up takes a bit of practice and in the case of the Kinderkot requires a little more force than you might expect. Also, the Kinderkot has a self-inflating mattress which must be rolled slowly to deflate, so it’s a bit slower to pack up than the Baby Nation.
Safety
Neither cot has any major safety risks. They’re robust enough in construction, and don’t have any potential head, limb or finger traps. However, there is some risk from the soft bedding (the Kinderkot has a soft sleeping bag and the Baby Nation has a soft fabric mattress). A baby sleeping face down on these could be at risk of suffocation.
Kinderkot now recommends that the sleeping bag shouldn’t be used for children under 18 months, and the distributors of the Baby Nation told us that they're considering including advice to parents to make sure their baby is put down to sleep on his or her back.
A firm mattress is better for a baby, though it might make the cot harder to fold. As long as your baby sleeps on his or her back, as recommended by the SIDS Council of Australia, there shouldn’t be any significant risk from these cots.
The Baby Nation is suitable for babies up to about 18 months old. The Kinderkot is a bit larger and is suitable for children up to the age of four years. Unlike standard portable cots, both are too small to use as playpens.
If you use one of these cots outdoors —such as at a picnic or when camping — you should anchor the cot to ensure it can’t move around. The Kinderkot has four loops suitable as anchoring points, though no pegs are provided. The Baby Nation has no anchoring points, so might not be suitable outdoors on a windy day.
CHOICE verdict
They aren’t a substitute for a proper cot, maybe not even for a standard portable cot, but if you want a travel cot that’s very light, very portable and useful outdoors, the Baby Nation and Kinderkot will do the job.