Travel cot mattress, needed or not?

[MrsSquirrelNutkin]

I'm going on a haven holiday with my 3 month old. I've hired a travel cot but it says mattress not provided. Looking on the Internet I've seen people say that with a travel cot the baby just sleeps on the base of the cot, and that it's hard but that they don't mind? Is that true? I'm looking at travel cot mattresses on amazon and they look quite thick which also concerns me?!?! I'm so confused. I would just take my bassinet but it won't fit in my little Golf with my other bags haha

That's... odd. Our travel cot definitely has a mattress. I've not heard of babies (especially ones that young!) sleeping in a travel cot with no mattress before.

I don’t think they were even a thing 18 years ago

The bottom of the travel cot is the mattress. It's pretty much Board covered in fabric ( about 2mm of padding). I've never known a child to not sleep properly in one. Small children don't weigh much so don't put any actual weight in the mattress in the same way we do so I don't think find it uncomfortable the way we might imagine.

I would be err on the side if caution and not add a mattress personally. I stayed in a hotel where one had been put in a few years ago and removed it opting just for the base bit. The mattress was far to do and squashy for a baby to sleep on safely.

If it's something like this, they sleep on the base (it's designed for it), it specifically tells you not to add another mattress https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5588699

Yes the base is the “mattress” but it is just slightly padded board. I always used to wrap it in any spare blankets (with sheet over) to soften it up a bit.

To clarify we have both the Babymore Air Motion travel crib which comes with a mattress and the BabyBjorn travel cot which has an inch thick firm foam mattress attached to the base so those are my reference points.

We took our own! My daughter was 3mths and we took the next to me when my son was 1 we took mattress for travel cot

We've always used a mattress before, but with a baby that young we would have folded down our next to me crib.....could you do a bit of tetras packing to get the bassinet in, or slim down your other packing so it fits! If not I'd ask for the make and model of the travel cot so that you can check whether a mattress is suitable and what dimensions to buy. Argos have a good selection of travel cot mattresses, but the sizes do vary .

I'd be too worried doing this for a baby so young due to SIDS risk, but maybe with an older baby/toddler

Ours didn't come with a mattress, just the base board that wraps round it when it's folded and is very thin padding.

We had to buy a mattress for it.

Higher end travel cots tend to have proper built in mattresses now, however hotels/holidays lets tend to you the playpen type which don't technically have a mattress in, (just a board covered in a very thin layer) this is because of the safe sleeping rules about babies not sleeping on second hand mattresses and insurance. We always took our own for baby to be comfy and at that age we either took a moses basket or baby slept in the bassinet of the pram (we had one they could sleep in for baby no.2)

We had a travel cot from 6 months when we went away once DS couldn’t fit in the next to me crib anymore. It was like other people say, a slightly padded piece of board. He wouldn’t sleep in it and woke up constantly throughout the night so we bought a mattress for it like this

https://amzn.eu/d/dBDv4qH

Its a lot thinner than a proper cot or bed mattress but he slept a lot better in the travel cot after that.

Both of mine hollered and didn’t sleep well without a mattress. It’s really hard!

The base is so hard!! Can you buy your own travel cot with mattress and take it with you

I think travel cots are dreadful. I’ve had 2 of the best quality and all 5 of grandchildren slipped under the thin board in their sleep. I gave up and bought a proper cot. I think unless they’re young babies they’re safer on a mattress on the floor - maybe a blow up one - or in bed with you. My daughter did that with lots of pillows on the floor as her babies didn’t like cots

A lot of prams/travel systems have a soft carry cot or nest/cocoon type add-on that you can purchase separately. I imagine they wouldn't take up much space - but I'd be cautious with some as they might not be suitable for overnight sleeping (I assume the associated risks are lower whilst actually in the pram as you are constantly supervising) but worth a look and perhaps a read to see if anything is specified regarding overnight?

Defo get a mattress for the travel
cot. The base is so hard!!

My oldest son is 25 and we had a travel cot, which came with its own mattress - a thin thing which I covered with a fitted sheet.
Travel cots have been around for a very long time.

I used travel cots a lot and never had this problem.
I only used one when I didn't have a cot i.e. travelling!
I also found them incredibly useful when staying on hotels as they acted as a playpen in an other not entirely toddler safe room.

I definitely don't think a pile of pillows on the floor is a safe place for a baby to sleep.

I think that is the mattress. Mine was thin, but padded and both my babies were fine with it. I did cover with a fitted sheet though.

Obviously, I meant the additional thicker mattresses not being much of a thing 18 years ago not that cots didn’t exist 🤷

Sorry.

Take the mattress out of your moses basket.

I would expect a mattress and it seems an unsuitable bed if not provided, unless it’s built in. Taking a mattress with you might mean it doesn’t fit.
Get a little life arc 2. Super easy to take with you.

But a folding travel cot mattress. Makes a huge difference. Happy Holidays 😊