Top 5 compared
The best travel cots
A bed that packs into a bag, for holidays, weekends away and nights at the grandparents’.
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The top 5 at a glance
A travel cot is a folding cot with mesh sides and a padded base, which packs into a carry bag and goes up wherever the baby is sleeping that night, from a holiday cottage to a spare room. Plain cots keep things simple; others add a newborn insert, or a door in the side so it doubles as a playpen for an older baby.
Every cot here is rated from birth, with an upper limit set by its maker in age, weight or height. Every one comes with its own mattress or padded base, and Red Kite’s own rule is to use only the mattress that comes with its cot.
What matters
- A carry weight and folded size that suit how you travel.
- Padded top rails and a base that locks in the centre.
- Inside length, if it’ll be used well into the toddler years.
#1Red Kite Sleeptight Travel Cot
£33.00 RRP
Light to carry at 6.75kg and rated by Red Kite from birth to about 15kg, with padded top rails, mesh panels to see through, a central locking base and a padded mattress.
What owners say: Simple to assemble and sturdy, say parents, with room to spare for a toddler of about 18 months; they also praise the tidy way it packs into its own bag, though a few found the sides stubborn to lock.
Heads up: Red Kite says only the mattress supplied must be used with this cot, so don’t add a second one on top or underneath.
A closer look: Folded, it makes a long, slim bundle of 70 × 19 × 21cm that slides into its carry bag, easy to stand in a cupboard between trips. The fabric covers and bag can be sponged clean with a mild detergent and warm water, then left to dry in the open position.
- Full padded top rails
- Easy-view mesh panels
- Central locking base
- Padded mattress and carry bag
- Sponge-clean covers
Best for: Weekends away with a baby
- Suitable for (maker’s)
- Birth to approx. 15kg
- Newborn insert
- No
- Zip side door
- No
- Open size (L × W × H)
- 98.5 × 69 × 71cm
- Folded size
- 70 × 19 × 21cm
- Weight
- 6.75kg
#2Graco Compact Travel Cot
£40.00 RRP
Graco’s push-button fold closes it quickly, and it’s rated from birth to about three years (15kg), with mesh on all sides and padded top rails. Graco’s portable cots go back to its Pack ’n Play playard of 1987.
What owners say: Parents like how fast it can be set up and collapsed again, and say the folded cot is easy to carry about.
Heads up: Graco says to stop using it once a child reaches 86cm tall, which can come before the 15kg limit.
A closer look: Before each use, Graco asks for a check that the centre of the base and the top rails have locked into place. At 8.95kg it’s the heaviest here, so it suits trips by car better than a long walk from the station, and it folds into a tall, square bundle 79.8cm high.
- Push-button fold
- Mesh on all sides
- Padded top rails
- Mattress and carry bag included
Best for: A quick fold, to three years
- Suitable for (maker’s)
- Birth to 15kg, under 86cm
- Newborn insert
- No
- Zip side door
- No
- Open size (L × W × H)
- 102.5 × 72.5 × 79.5cm
- Folded size
- 22.4 × 22.4 × 79.8cm
- Weight
- 8.95kg
#3Babylo Alpha Travel Cot
£30–£50
A plain, sturdy cot with a central locking frame, mesh all round and padded top rails, rated from birth to 15kg; it folds into a narrow column 21cm square.
What owners say: Buyers say the frame feels solid and is straightforward to set up.
A closer look: Packed down, it stands 76cm tall on a 21cm square base, so it tucks into the corner of a wardrobe or the boot between trips. The padded base doubles as the mattress, and with mesh all the way round, a sleeping baby can be checked on from any side of the room.
- Mesh all round
- Central locking frame
- Padded top rails
- Base doubles as the mattress
Best for: Homes short on storage space
- Suitable for (maker’s)
- Birth to 15kg
- Newborn insert
- No
- Zip side door
- No
- Open size (L × W × H)
- 104 × 74 × 76cm
- Folded size
- 21 × 21 × 76cm
- Weight
- 7.8kg
#4Venture Airpod 3 Travel Cot with Newborn Insert
£99.99 RRP
It comes with a removable bassinet insert for the first months (Venture says up to about six months), then carries on as a cot to three years, with a side panel that zips open for play.
What owners say: Owners call it lightweight and simple to travel with, and some use it as a daytime playpen as well; several find putting it up fiddly at first.
A closer look: Lift the bassinet insert out once the baby passes about six months, as Venture rates it, and the cot carries on to three years. The side panel zips from the outside, so an older baby can play inside with the door open and a grown-up sitting alongside.
- Foam mattress included
Best for: Use from the first weeks
- Suitable for (maker’s)
- Birth to 3 years
- Newborn insert
- To about 6 months
- Zip side door
- Yes
- Open size (L × W × H)
- 85 × 55 × 66cm
- Folded size
- –
- Weight
- 6.7kg
#5My Babiie MBTC1 Travel Cot
£40.00 RRP
The longest here, with a 120 × 60cm padded base, so toddlers have space to spread out, and My Babiie says it doubles as a playpen. Rated from birth to 15kg, in a quilted black finish.
What owners say: Owners mention the quilted pattern and the sturdy frame, and several were surprised by how big it is inside; the main grumble is a hard mattress.
A closer look: The padded floor folds around the frame and everything goes into the zipped bag with handles. Unfolded it’s 120cm long, so measure the space at the foot of a hotel bed or in a spare room before the trip.
- Doubles as a playpen
- Padded bumper rails
- Quilted black finish
- Zipped bag with handles
Best for: Toddlers who like room
- Suitable for (maker’s)
- Birth to 15kg
- Newborn insert
- No
- Zip side door
- No
- Open size (L × W × H)
- 120 × 60 × 77cm
- Folded size
- 21 × 21 × 75cm
- Weight
- 7.4kg
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Red Kite Sleeptight | #2Graco Compact | #3Babylo Alpha | #4Venture Airpod 3 | #5My Babiie MBTC1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best for newborns | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Price | £33.00 RRP | £40.00 RRP | £30–£50 | £99.99 RRP | £40.00 RRP |
| Suitable for (maker’s) | Birth to approx. 15kg | Birth to 15kg, under 86cm | Birth to 15kg | Birth to 3 years | Birth to 15kg |
| Newborn insert | No | No | No | To about 6 months | No |
| Zip side door | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Open size (L × W × H) | 98.5 × 69 × 71cm | 102.5 × 72.5 × 79.5cm | 104 × 74 × 76cm | 85 × 55 × 66cm | 120 × 60 × 77cm |
| Folded size | 70 × 19 × 21cm | 22.4 × 22.4 × 79.8cm | 21 × 21 × 76cm | – | 21 × 21 × 75cm |
| Weight | 6.75kg | 8.95kg | 7.8kg | 6.7kg | 7.4kg |
| Best for | Weekends away with a baby | A quick fold, to three years | Homes short on storage space | Use from the first weeks | Toddlers who like room |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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