Travel cot or Buggy bassinet? - Taking 4month old on a month holiday

[BurntShopping]

Hi,

This is my first post so apologies if I format this incorrectly or post in the wrong place. I can repost if necessary.

I currently have a 9 week old baby and I'm on mat leave. I am a FTM. My husband's family live in Dorset and I am planning on taking our baby down to stay for a month so her family get lots of time with her while she is so little.

My question is: Should I purchase a travel cot for her to sleep in while we are there or would the bassinet on our buggy (which is like a Moses basket) suffice?
I understand in future we'll need a travel cot but for this trip, would the bassinet be ok?

The weight limit is 9kg and our baby is in the 90th percentile but I've checked online and by 4 months she won't have hit the limit (hopefully)

For context this is the bassinet:
Joie Ramble XL carry cot
https://ukbabycentre.com//products/joie-ramble-xl-carrycot-laurel?variant=39497828073608&currency=GBP&utmsource=google&utmmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=google%2Bshopping&gaddsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwLOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAfNx-VRjH4cND50QsLlW-hb3B8aDGLeazKDjxHkh6lW2MXzZQmo7exoCiQMQAvDD_BwE

Maybe wait and see closer to the time? My DD grew out of her Moses basket (same size as the pram bassinet) at around 8 weeks and would constantly wake herself up touching the sides. We still used the pram bassinet for naps on the go but I don’t think it would have worked for overnight despite being within weight limits. We used the Maxi Cosi Iris travel cot which is bigger than a Moses basket but has a bassinet setting so it’s easy to lower a sleeping baby in without waking them. It was quite expensive though and grown out of before a standard travel cot so would probably have gone with a standard travel cot if purchasing again. There are a few with a raised setting smaller babies.

Not all bassinets are safe for over night sleeping. My children were long and had out grown their bassinet at 4 months old.

If it doesn’t state that the bassinet is safe for overnight sleeping, I wouldn’t use it for that. What does your little one currently sleep in at night at home? If you have a next to me crib, they often fold down in such a way that they’re great for travelling with. Otherwise it probably makes sense to purchase a travel cot, especially since you mentioned you will need to in future anyway and you can get them brand new very inexpensively.

My bassinet was safe for overnights, but both DDs were out of it by about 3 months despite being fairly small. They’re only really bug enough for long sleeps when they’re tiny.

We recently went away with our baby (4.5 months at the time) and took his next to me in the end. We have a travel cot but it was so big and wouldn’t fit in the bedroom and we’re trying our best to follow the SIDS guidance. The bassinet would have been too small although supposedly safe for overnight sleeping.

The next to me worked very well. It packed down small and was familiar for DS which meant he actually slept well despite all the other changes to environment/routine. Plus it meant I could still reach over and comfort him if he needed it in the night which wouldn’t have been possible with the travel cot or bassinet. If you have a next to me it might be worth taking that instead if you can.

Check if your buggy bassinet is approved for overnight sleep. Mine was (Uppababy Cruz) but surprisingly Bugaboo wasn't (at least back in 2021).

In any case, it will depend on the size of your baby at the time and also if you foresee more such trips going forward (in which case buying a travel cot would make more sense).

You’ll have to wait and see how your wee one fits into it nearer the time. Out of my 6 only 2 would have fitted comfortably still at 4 months.

Given baby is on the 90th centile I think it unlikely she’ll fit in it at 4 months.

I'm not sure Joie carrycots are approved for overnight sleeping, so if that's correct, then travel cot. If it is approved for overnights, I'd see nearer the time how baby is with it. Both of mine loved the carrycot for sleeps even though they touched the sides, but they seem to be the exception.

Those buggy bassinets weren't comfortable for us, so we ended up buying a travel cot. Both our kids felt safe sleeping there, especially when we were traveling.

Thank you for the replies. There have been a lot of good points made.

Mine supposedly slept in the bassinet until 6 months, well half the time were in with me

My ds is 90th percentile, he wouldn’t sleep or be happy lying in the carrycot after 3.5/4 months old, he cried if we put him in it. That could just be my ds though. You could wait until closer to the time and see if he still tolerates and sleeps in it by then? He still fit in it until 5.5 month old but we stopped using it completely by 4 months old.
I think he didn’t like being enclosed by then, vs next2me and travelcot which are more spacious.

I would definitely get a travel cot. They are relatively cheap or you can buy used.

I think it's better for a baby to have a night cot to sleep rather than the buggy basinet.

If you are going for a month, I'd be inclined to either dismantle and bring whatever you use at home or hire a proper cot (or buy secondhand on marketplace). Neither of those options are ideal or comfortable for long-term sleeping. 4 months is a particularly tricky time for sleep and you will want the best possible sleep surface so you actually get some sleep while you're there.

Thank you to everyone who replied. DD is now 3 months and it's unlikely she will still fit in the bassinet by the time we go on holiday. Travel cot it is!