BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

21 nights.

3 cities.

1 missed nap.

0 missed sleeps.

These are the statistics that summarise our experience with the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light while travelling in Japan, and I would say they are pretty good!

Hannah’s sleep was one of our major concerns on this trip. At home, she is an excellent sleeper, and the thought of day after day with a tired and cranky toddler was a scary one. We had to get sleep right, and that meant we needed the best.

BabyBjorn delivered in spades. They knew they had the goods, and were only too happy for us to put their travel cot to the ultimate test…

Small and Light – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

I have tried the budget portable cots. After dragging one through the streets of Brisbane, I knew there had to be a better way. A few extra kilos here and there really add up when travelling with a toddler, so I was eager to try something light and easy to carry.

The BabyBjorn is light. Very light. It’s also cleverly designed to fold away to as small a package as possible. The end result is somethings that can fit inside a suitcase.

Anyone who has ever had the burden of lugging a large and heavy portable cot, on top of the rest of their luggage knows how cumbersome and frustrating an experience that can be. With the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light, it was out-of-sight and out-of-mind for the entire time we were in transit – a total of ten local trains, one Shinkansen, one monorail and about an hour’s combined walking. For me, that was a huge relief and a massive tick to the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light.

Easy to Set Up and Pack Away – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

One of the great appeals of the BabyBjorn Tavel Cot Light was the ease with which it could be set up. I knew that on more than on occasion, I would want to have the thing set up within a matter of minutes after walking through the front door.

In Tokyo, the urgency was somewhat mitigated by an exhaustion-induced, 3-hour stroller nap. However, in Osaka, the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light was the first thing out of the suitcase.

Each time, the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light went up without a hitch. The legs consistently snapped into place on the first attempt. From there, it was simply a matter of inserting the mattress/base and hooking it to the frame. Easy!

We found that we were able to travel with the fitted sheet already on the mattress. This saved extra fiddling about upon arrival, and made it even easier to have the cot up quickly.

Packing the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light away was just as easy. Simply remove the mattress, flip over the frame and fold down the legs. Again, this was completed without fuss on every attempt. The system just worked, and it worked well. There was no wrestle – something I had come to expect as standard from my prior portable cot experiences.

Comfort – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

I can really only base this on Hannah’s sleep throughout the trip. My assumption is that it is very comfortable, because Hannah slept and she slept well.

A close inspection of the mattress and general cot design further supports my assumption of a comfortable sleep. The mattress is firm (as it must be), but very pleasant to touch. The mesh also has a nice feel (Hannah would sometimes scratch her fingers along it as she settled for sleep, so I think she liked the feel), and is great for airflow.

The BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light’s clever design affords plenty of sleeping room, but minimises the amount of airspace taken up by the top. That was handy in some of our less-than-spacious Japan accommodation.

Maintenance – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

One of the most attractive things about the BabyBjorn Travel Cot light is the ease with which it can be cleaned and maintained. One of the big frustrations with a cheaper model that we had purchased was that it was impossible to keep clean. Fitted sheets could not safely be used and none of the fabric was removable. Needless to say the thing quickly became pretty grubby. It then became mouldy when in storage.

Before we went to Japan, I gave the BabyBjorn a thorough workout. I tested the machine-washability of it and both Emma and I were very happy with the result. It gave us confidence that we could deal with any unfortunate accidents that may happen while we were in Japan. Taking the fabric off was very easy, as was putting it back on.

Thankfully, the BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light survived the entire holiday bodily-fluid free. We will, however, give it a thorough clean before packing it away. That way we can be confident that it will be good to go whenever we have our next adventure.

Price – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

Now we get to the tricky bit. The BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light sits at the upper end of the travel cot price range, and I’m a well-known penny pincher. So the real question is: would I buy one?

The answer is… it depends.

I wouldn’t buy one if the extent of my travel plans was an occasional drive up the coast, once a year. The budget ones handle that kind of safe holidaying just fine.

However, for anyone planning more extensive travel, I can wholeheartedly recommend spending that little bit more and getting the premium product. The extra really isn’t that much, when you consider the extensive benefits that come from having a BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light. I am confident that ours will last through plenty more adventures, given its quality build and the ease with which it can be kept clean.

The BabyBjorn travel Cot Light well-and-truly fits with my definition of value, because the quality of the product absolutely offsets the extra money spent. In fact, in my opinion it more than offsets it.

Conclusion – BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light

The BabyBjorn Travel Cot Light is an impressive, premium travel cot. It played a major part in the enjoyment of our extended Japanese holiday by providing our toddler with a safe and comfortable place to sleep each night (and most naps). It also saved me a great deal of pain and stress, by being light and small enough to pack into suitcase.

I couldn’t ask for more than that from a portable cot, and I highly recommend you give it a serious look if planning and kind of serious travel with a toddler. Don’t be put off by the slightly higher price – the benefits are worth the extra money.

Disclosure – BabyBjorn provided Blog Of Dad with this travel cot free of charge, for the purpose of review during our Japan adventure. The views expressed in this post are entirely my own views, based on my experiences with the BabyBjorn Travel Cot. For further information, please visit my disclosure page.