Travel cot... can baby sleep in it every night?

[LilacWine7]

We're planning to get a travel-cot to have next to our bed (a full-size one as I've heard babies grow out of moses baskets and cribs within a few months).

Is there any reason why baby can't sleep in travel-cot every night from birth? Eg are they designed for occasional use only? And can you get safety mattresses for them like you would with a normal cot?

[Lagoonablue]

Not that comfy I expect. The mattresses are thin.

[GinAndSonic]

My cot mattress fit my travel cot perfectly. Stick a mattress in it.

[chocolatedonut]

I think if you buy a proper mattress then it would be ok

[BigFluffyHair]

As long As it's one with a bassinet with it. Otherwise you'll be struggling to get the baby in and out. We have one from John Lewis with a bassinet and change table, invaluable for daytime lounge use!

[tilder]

Yes they have thin mattresses but no thinner than the ones in a Moses basket. Babies don't weigh much so dont 'sink' into a mattress like an adult would.

Just make sure the sheets etc fit properly as some cot sheets are a different size to travel cots.

[Notso]

Yes we had one for DC4 as the cot was still occupied by DC3.
It had a bassinet and we put a proper cot mattress in it. It had a changing table attached which was useful too.
I wouldn't just use the mattress that comes with the travel cot as they tend not to be washable and have a hard base so not airflow.
One thing I'd look out for in a travel cot which our first one had but the second one didn't have is completely removable covers. Our second one can only be sponged clean which is a pain if you have a sicky baby.

[Impatientwino]

We ordered a full thickness mattress for our travel cot online - we just googled with the dimensions.

[quesadillas]

We used one for a few weeks when DS was a bit big for his crib but his cotbed didn't fit in our room, and he was still under six months. Agree with getting a mattress, that'll make it comfier.

[Spillette]

Similar story here: DD slept in a travel cot with bassinet next to our bed from 10 weeks to six months, we just bought a thicket mattress for it. Advantage of having a Moses basket instead/as well is that it's way more portable!

[sleeplessbunny]

DS has used a travel cot every night for his whole life (16m). We have put a proper thick mattress in it though.

[sleepyhead]

You can buy decent mattresses to fit travel cots from Kiddicare and the like.

Ds2 slept in one from about 6weeks to 8 months and was perfectly happy.

[starlight2007]

I did the same for my Ds...Be aware I am a childminder and have 3 travel cots which are all different sizes.

[starlight2007]

oh just to add my Ds could climb out onto my bed by about 15 months.. I think he would of been in a cot longer