Best Baby Travel Beds [Review] in 2021

Best Travel Cribs and Travel Beds Buyers Guide

When it comes to our baby they deserve the very best, and getting yourself a high-quality travel crib means that your baby can rest in a familiar environment at home while allowing that ease of safely traveling with your baby.

When it comes to getting a travel crib convenience is key, you should ensure that the travel crib is easy to fold, that it is easily portable, easy to clean while being secure enough to provide you with peace of mind while you travel.

Finding the best travel cribs for your baby all depends on your needs, your baby’s needs, how often you’re looking to travel, and what features you would like to get out of a portable travel crib.

Let’s break down everything you need to know:

Things to consider before buying a portable baby travel crib or baby travel bed: 

A high-quality travel bed allows your toddler to sleep and rest in a comfortable environment away from home. Make sure to choose a travel bed that is easy to use and transport when you need to travel.

Since your outdoor travel crib is going to be exposed to harsh elements, the bed should be easy to clean and sanitize. The best travel cribs are built around your specific needs, how often you travel, how old your baby is, and the features that you want.

Here are a few helpful suggestions you should consider before purchasing a travel bed for your baby.

Ease of Use and Convenience

If you are traveling, chances are that you already have a lot of luggage in your arsenal, including your toddler’s stuff. It is inconvenient to carry bulky items that take up lots of space and weigh a ton (figuratively speaking of course!).

So your first priority is to see how easy it is to carry the travel bed. Travel cribs come in various sizes and styles. Some of them are easy to fold, such as portable beds, while others fold into a tent or mini cocoon.

Air mattresses are by far the easiest portable baby travel beds to store because when they lose a significant amount of size and weight when deflated. Your priority should be to select a mattress that is compact, lightweight, and easy to set up. 

Here’s a rule of thumb: if it can’t fit in the trunk of your car, you should look elsewhere.

Safety and Comfort

Nothing is more important than your child’s safety. The best baby travel beds are designed in such a way that they make it difficult for children to escape from their closure. The travel bed should make it impossible for children to accidentally rollover.

Some travel beds have very thin mattresses to reduce weight and manufacturing costs whereas there may have poor airflow. Thin mattresses won’t provide enough cushioning to your children, while poor airflow means that the temperature inside the cot could get very uncomfortable.

The Baby’s Age and Size

Some travel beds are designed for older toddlers, others are only big enough for newborns. Many manufacturers found a healthy workaround for this limitation: cords that can be adjusted to increase and decrease the bed’s overall size.

Easy to Assemble

Let’s face it; you will be carrying the portable bed around with you a lot during your travels. It makes sense to find a bed that is easy to set up in just a few minutes. If it takes more than 10 minutes to set up, you probably should find something else.

Travel Bag

Most travel beds come with a carry bag or travel bag to help you store your accessories with ease. Once again, the trick is to find a product that doesn’t weigh a lot, with or without a travel bag. The bag lets you unfold the travel mattress when not in use.

Out of sight and out of mind, as the saying goes.

Different types of portable baby travel cribs and travel beds:

There are a few different types of portable;e baby travel cribs and I’m here to break it all down:

Inflatable Travel Beds for Babies

As the name suggests, these beds require inflation and deflation. An electric pump is used (may require batteries to work).  If you choose an inflatable toddler bed, make sure it has rails with raised sides that form bumpers to prevent your toddler from rolling over the mattress.

When you deflate the mattress, it reaches a compact and lightweight package.

There is one big disadvantage with these mattresses though: they are easy to puncture if the manufacturer used low-quality materials. In many cases, you can repair punctures using a repair kit (often comes with the inflatable mattress).

However, some of the inflatable travel beds I have selected today come with a few year’s warranties.

Air mattresses for Babies

If your child isn’t very active at night, you could go with a regular air mattress without any protective built-in rails. This travel bed is not safe for very small children who will probably twist and turn during sleep.

Folding Travel Crib

Apart from inflatable beds, you can also use folding travel cribs for use with your toddler. These beds require no assembly and bear a great resemblance to tents. The only problem is that it takes longer to set them up and, depending on the quality, maybe heavy.

 Travel bassinet

Now a travel bassinet is a mini crib for your baby to lay in while you travel. They are ideal for newborns up to 6months old, they are perfect for on the go when your baby needs to be put down for a nap.

They also offer a good amount of protection as most come with a removable and washable mattress pad and cover at the bottom. Some even come with a  canopy over their head to protect them from the sunrays and to keep them cool when outdoors.

Playard:

This is also known as a multifunctional travel crib, it acts as a crib, travel crib, napper, and play area for your little ones. Some even have travel bassinets attached to them as well as entertainment toys to keep your little one entertained on journeys.

Questions to ask yourself before buying a portable baby travel crib or travel bed: 

What is Your Budget?

While your child’s safety is of utmost importance and non-negotiable, you should be able to find a fairly safe option even if you’re on a limited budget. The mattresses we have available on this list are an excellent choice and extremely affordable.

Typical prices vary from $50 to over $200.

How Old is Your Child?

Not all travel beds are universal in size. And not all toddlers are the same size or grow at the same pace. They have features that may or may not accommodate your child’s height, age, and weight.

You need to know these metrics before searching for a bed to ensure you select the best fit for your toddler. I have selected a wide range of different travel cribs for a range of different ages. Some come with a travel bassinet as well as a portable travel crib that will grow with your child, from newborn to 3 years old. 

Travel Crib for toddlers

Toddlers are naturally curious and will cause lots of chaos in their beds. To prevent any damage to the crib (and to your toddler) find something that is both durable and easy to clean.

It goes without saying that regular maintenance will play an important role in your child’s safety. Make sure the crib’s side is breathable and well ventilated to avoid suffocating your child and allowing the free flow of air.

Travel Cribs for Twins

What’s expected of the baby travel bed drastically changes if you have twins or more than one toddler to care for. The last thing you want is for your toddler to be squeezed in their cribs and increase the likelihood of getting suffocated.

Don’t be afraid of getting two separate travel cribs if a single crib is not spacious enough for both of them. The same rules apply: the travel crib should be lightweight and super stable so it doesn’t tumble over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Use a New Mattress for Each Baby

It is advisable to buy a new mattress for your baby, especially if the used mattress was second-hand from another home. There is enough research to suggest that secondhand mattresses contain toxic bacteria linked to sudden infant death syndrome.

How do I Know if My Toddler Can Sleep on a Toddler Bed?

Most companies advertise the ideal age ranges that are best compatible with their beds. But you can still check to see if the travel bed is the ideal size for your toddler by seeing if they settle well on the bed. If not, try to find a new travel bed. You can always borrow a friend or family member’s toddler bed to test it on your toddler.

What should my baby sleep in while traveling?

When traveling I would recommend getting your baby a portable baby travel bed or crib that has mesh sides for support and complete airflow. A travel bassinet is also a brilliant travel bed for your little one as it is very similar to a crib but it will cradle your baby.

Getting a travel basinet is brilliant for newborns, so if your baby needs putting to sleep while visiting family it allows for that option.

Is a portable baby travel bed safe?

Absolutely but make sure you do your research, look at the different options and make sure they meet safety standards and have crucial safety features like a study frame, mesh sides, a comfortable but firm mattress and ensures safe sleeping.

Can a baby sleep in a travel bassinet?

A travel bassinet is ideal for babies, it is a portable baby travel bed that is suitable from birth for both overnight sleep or just for napping while out and about during the day.

Do hotels provide baby cribs?

You can either bring your own travel bed or most hotels have baby cribs spare for you to use if you request one. Before you go I would always check with the hotel before you arrive to make sure they can accommodate a crib for you while you stay. 

Call about this before you book and always bring a spare just incase. 

Also Read: 35 Baby Travel Tips

Summary of the best travel cribs:

When looking for the best travel cribs there are some key things to consider, from comfort, support, convenience to budget. As a parent going out sometimes with your baby can be a challenge, but with the right travel crib, travel bed, or travel bassinet you won’t need to worry. 

From a leisurely trip to the park, a catch-up with family and friends to going on vacation a travel bed/ travel cribs can actually make the world of difference, it allows for your child to relax in an environment that they recognize and they feel comfortable in. 

The best travel cribs not only provide your baby with support and comfort but should also come with mesh outer walls for both protection, ease of supervision, and effective temperature regulation within the baby travel bed. 

Travel cribs start from catering towards newborns to toddlers, I have even selected some air mattress travel bed options for the in-between stages of your toddler moving from a crib to a bed. 

Whatever travel bed or crib you decide to choose today I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed, some even provide a worry-free warranty so you can buy with complete confidence. 

Happy sleeping on your travels!