When it comes to travel cribs (or pack-n-play, or play yard, whatever you call it), there are only five names to know. While similar, price tags and individual perks might help you determine which travel crib is the right fit for your family.
Here’s everything you need to know before you swipe right.
We’ve broken down our top three favorites, the Guava Lotus Travel Crib, the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light, and the Travel Crib and Bed 3-in-1 Moov & Comfy from Babymoov.
Worth considering as well are two others on this list, the Silver Cross Sleep & Go, and the Newton Baby Travel Crib and Play Yard.
There are a few things from my experience you should know first before diving into my favorite 5 travel cribs. However, if you’re already familiar with travel cribs and want to skip ahead, just click below to jump to the list.
- Guava Lotus Travel Crib
- Babymoov Travel Crib and Bed 3-in-1 Moov and Comfy
- Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light
- Silver Cross Sleep and Go
- Newton Travel Crib and Play Yard
What to Look For in a Travel Crib?
Floor Resting Travel Cribs
Before breaking these down, a quick word on the difference between a floor resting travel crib, and a raised travel crib (pack & play, play yard, ‘thing’ baby shall nap in).
I recommend a floor resting travel crib, meaning the base of the unit rests on the floor, as opposed to the raised travel cribs, of which there are several, typically at a lower price point.
Why? I find raised travel cribs are easier to break, don’t last as long, not as safe for older children, and generally not as comfortable (a la two brass bars running across the bottom).
No, no, not for me. My little ones must have the comfiest and coziest of travel cribs – metal bars and squeaky legs just won’t do.
But again, you can find a quality raised travel crib for as low as $50, so please, no judgment here if that is the route you take.
Amy Babys list comprises only floor resting travel cribs, which I believe give little ones the best rest.
When a baby is having a great sleep, this means parents get great sleep (or, like me, it means you get to stay up later, uninterrupted, binging Hallmark movies).
When baby naps regularly, everyone in the family benefits from a well rested munchkin (or, like me, gets more time to binge mid-day Rom Coms).
Everyday Use
More and more I see parents choosing travel cribs for everyday use. Owning a great travel crib is great for active families – it means you’re not as tied down to being at homebase or ‘the crib room’.
Apartment living often means close quarters.
Everything in general is just more expensive.
Depending on the dynamics of your family, there are plenty of reasons to consider a travel crib as a permanent solution.
If you use a travel floor crib as your everyday crib at home, you may find problems such as mold, poor air flow, or ventilation issues – but this is extreme and would only happen if you don’t move the crib around and keep it clean.
Typically these are used for vacations, trips, or they travel with the family to Grandma’s house.
So let’s get to it, which crib is best for your family?
Bassinet
First question to ask yourself, will you be using the travel crib as a bassinet? In other words, do you have a newborn younger than 6 months old?
Or, personal question (shh I can keep a secret) – are there any plans to have newborn addition(s)?
You rascal! I knew there was something you weren’t telling me!
Travel Bassinet
If you’re strictly looking for a travel bassinet, yes they do exist (and they’re pretty cool).
There are some super neat pod like creations, such as Munchkin Brica (under $50) or one of our favorite discoveries at the ABC Expo, the Portable Space Pod from Kalencom (pricier, but awesome).
These are neat products, very lightweight and convenient for travel – just remember, they’re not going to last much past 6 months (per baby) as newborns outgrow these types of items (why can’t they just stay little forever?).
Best of Both Worlds
Why not get the bassinet and the crib?
The raised bassinet portion on travel cribs is something I’ve only seen recently. This little section typically comes with its own mini mattress and attaches via the wrap around zipper.
It’s a great addition to the travel crib world, and it gives growing families options on how to best use their purchase.
Can younger babies do just fine in the bottom portion of the travel crib – probably. But for peace of mind, better air flow, and to save you from the constant back pains, for newborns especially, a travel crib with a bassinet is a must.
As awesome as a product we find the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light to be, if you want the bassinet insert you can cross this one off your list. Baby Bjorn does not currently offer this addition with their travel crib.
The 5 Best Travel Cribs
1. Guava Lotus Travel Crib
If money is not your number one determining factor, we recommend the Guava Lotus as our top pick. Why?
In our opinion, this thing is a little tank.
You could throw it off your roof (not recommended) and this thing will probably just pop back into place and keep on ticking.
It’s built differently than any of the others on this list, and if I’m choosing the absolute best for my little one, I’m getting a Guava Lotus.
Read our full review for all the deets, but the cliff notes would be that it has a waterproof mattress, can be worn as a backpack (hands free, yes please) and is super sturdy for those extra rambunctious toddlers.
While there is no bassinet included with the Lotus Travel Crib, but the Crib-to-Bassinet Conversion Kit is available as an add on ($129.95) for those who already own the crib.
When you purchase both the crib and bassinet together, you pay a bundle price of $349.90.
I’ve also seen certain times during the year when Guava offers $50 off this product, so it’s possible to purchase for a bit cheaper.
2. Babymoov Travel Crib and Bed 3-in-1 Moov and Comfy
Now what if price is your top priority? Look no further than Moov and Comfy.
For under $200, you’re getting the raised bassinet and the same zipper side opening – just like is found in the Guava Lotus. The cribs both have very similar dimensions, and they weigh roughly the same (about 15lbs).
Guava Lotus is black (which can be nice for hiding spills, spit ups, diaper blowouts, etc) whereas the Moov and Comfy comes in a unisex sage green. They are a french company and oo la la the sage green is magnific.
We spill the beans in more detail in our stand alone review, the travel crib does have its flaws (not the most durable travel bag), but any thrifty parent with a growing family is making a great choice by purchasing the Moov and Comfy.
3. Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light
If children are beyond that 6-month-bassinet-phase, we think the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light is a great option.
One top perk with this crib would be its weight, as it is the lightest of all five travel cribs. If you know me you know I don’t do heavy things, the lighter the better.
The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib is offered in three different colors, black, gray and dark green.
It also features a durable carry bag which can handle the many bonks and scrapes all baby gear tends to eventually receive. You could take a pair of scissors to this thing (not recommended) and not make a dent – very heavy duty – which we love.
The company itself is as trusted as they get in the industry. Parents without the need for a bassinet will be very satisfied with their purchase of the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light.
Read our full review of Baby Bjorn’s Travel Crib Light here.
4. Silver Cross Sleep and Go
Bassinet, check. Zipper opening, check.
The Best of the Bump’s best travel crib winner, Silver Cross, had to make the list.
This travel crib comes in two colors, black and tan. The mattress included with the Sleep and Go actually zips apart into two separate pads – one for use strictly with the bassinet portion – and then the two combine for use in the bottom crib itself.
The biggest difference you’re going to see with this crib is the side opening, which is more of a front hatch opening.
Instead of zipping up along the wide side of the travel crib, the Silver Cross Sleep and Go opens on the shorter front side.
This front side opening can make a difference if there is a perfect slim area you’d like to squeeze this travel crib into, being able to open in a very unique way.
Of course during rest periods, you want any travel crib out in the open to get proper air flow, but that doesn’t hinder parents from using the Silver Cross as a pack and play during wake windows in different ways.
Vertical next to a couch (taking up less space) in the living room as opposed to horizontal for instance – some of the areas it’s able to fit into can change the way it functions and lives with your existing furniture.
Another thing we love is the over-the-shoulder sling that comes with the travel bag, allowing this crib to be carried hands free.
One potential issue I see with the Silver Cross are the legs. Rugged enough to handle a one year old, but I’m not sure if my rambunctious 2 year old boy would be able to topple this travel crib over.
While the front opening is unique, we prefer the larger side zip up. During nap times, I love scooping my toddler in sideways once they fall asleep on me, a move that’s harder to pull off with a front opening.
5. Newton Travel Crib and Play Yard
Similar to the Lotus Guava Travel Crib, the Newton Travel Crib offers the bassinet as an add-on option.
By itself, the crib retails at $300, but can be purchased with the raised bassinet insert for $400.
What you are paying for with the Newton is a unique wovenaire mattress (90% air), along with an overall bigger crib. The Newton Travel Crib has the largest dimensions of any crib on our list, giving your youngster ample space to both play and sleep.
The Perks
1. Travel Bag
Outside of pricing, the weights and dimensions of these cribs are very similar. One difference you may spot is the way in which the products are stored away in their travel bags.
The Guava Lotus all packed up is a 12 packs of soda – long and somewhat skinny — you know the ones you can slide into the fridge and tear the edge so the cans roll out for easy access.
Is that just a reference for soda pop moms or do we all know what I’m talking about?
The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib and Babymoov on the other hand are more like carrying around an art easel – it’s a jumbo size super thin purse.
If Lotus is a hot dog, Baby Bjorn and Babymoov are hamburgers.
One difference with the Guava Lotus is that it does include straps to be worn as a backpack. This can help free up your hands when the family is on the move, and makes it my favorite perk of all these travel bags.
Silver Cross Travel Crib includes a shoulder strap with its travel bag, making it the only other option for hands free transportation.
In the end, all of these bags are very portable. Top bags go to Guava Lotus for the backpack straps and Baby Bjorn for its durability.
2. Side Opening
The last perk to highlight is the side opening. For our family, the use of this can’t be overstated.
I find the zippered door can really help a baby transition when they are falling asleep. I’m just too petite to reach in and lightly plop baby over top without waking them up — or nearly falling in myself and waking the whole house up..
If your child is past that age where you allow them to doze off in your arms before putting them down, the zippered side opening is not as big of a deal in my opinion.
I think it varies from person to person, and baby to baby – but if you are in that zone where you are transitioning a sleeping baby from your lap to the crib, Guava, Babymoov, and Newton are the only ones with that wide side opening.
Being able to get on a knee, and gently place my baby into the travel crib without waking them up really saved some backache for me – along with saving my sanity by not requiring multiple attempts.
3. The Breakdown
Honestly, when it comes to the breakdown, I think with all of these travel cribs you will ‘get the hang of it’ after a use or two.
When I first tried disassembling the Baby Bjorn, I couldn’t figure out how to fold the frame in half.
After a few different attempts, I realized it really needs to be firmly flat (forced down with a hand or knee) before it will release and fold in half. Figured it out, and never had the issue ever again.
With the Guava, ‘moon’ and ‘star’ visuals make figuring out how to fold the crib up super simple.
Well if you’re in a rush and you don’t match the pictures up properly, it’s really not going to fit into the carry bag. That was a one-time mistake which I never repeated.
Each crib might have a quirk, but whatever differences you might find in how they are packed up in their travel bags, it is a minor detail that won’t matter after a use or two.
All of these travel cribs can be broken down and packed away quickly. Like two minutes quickly.
Setting up, and breaking down all five of these travel cribs is both intuitive and fast.
That’s a Wrap
That is everything I know about the five best floor resting travel cribs on the market.
I hope you are now a master in travel crib knowledge, ready to go out and make the best purchase for you and your family.
