Shoppers Guide to Buying Baby Travel Cots

Travel cots take away the worry of finding a place for your baby to sleep if you often need to spend the night away from home. Some hotels will provide cots, but many people prefer to use their own, and they also come in useful when staying at a friend's house.

Travel cots usually consist of a fabric cover fitted over a metal or plastic frame. Mesh side panels allow the baby to see out. Some travel cots have removable covers that make cleaning much easier. A solid base, often segmented so it can fold away, is covered by a padded mattress. There may be wheels on the base, allowing the travel cot to be pushed around. If the design keeps the wheels on the outside when the cot is folded up, then the cot can be wheeled rather than carried.

Since they are designed to be moved around, the size and weight of a baby travel cot are some of its most important features. Many cots can fold down small enough to fit inside a bag. These are ideal when travelling, and particularly if they need to be carried up and down stairs. Other products fold flat but are still fairly large.

Folding cots can also be used as playpens, so they can be useful even if you are not intending to travel a lot. They tend to be smaller than dedicated playpens, but they can be moved around the house.

If you are buying from the high street, you should be able to test out a travel cot before you buy it. There may be one on display, but if there is not then you could try asking the staff to bring one out for you. Find out how easy it really is to carry around and assemble. You may be able to find cheaper baby cots online, although you won't be able to try them out.

A good travel cot should be a safe and secure place for your baby to sleep and play. There should be a central locking system to keep the sides rigid when they are unfolded. If there are wheels then make sure the baby cot will be stable when you are not moving it. There should be two wheels with two legs, or four wheels, two of which are lockable.