Travel cot alternative

[INeedNewShoes]

We have a hand-me-down travel cot of the standard type, which we used last night for the first time. Both DD (8 months) and I hated it!

I'm not sure why she hated it, but I don't like it because:

A) It's bulky and heavy in both its folded and assembled format

B) I'm 5ft3" tall and reaching into the cot was a strain on my back, especially because her being unsettled meant numerous occasions of taking her out, putting her back in, leaning over patting her etc.

C) The integral mattress isn't sufficient so I had to cart along a separate mattress for it.

C) because DD is usually a very settled sleeper I've got it into my head that she probably has just reason not to like it, which mean I don't either!

Can anyone suggest any alternatives?

I've had a look at the LittleLife Arc and the Koodee tents but I'm not sure if these will tip if she puts her weight against them?

The Phil & Teds looks good because one of the sides zips down so I wouldn't have to lean over the top to get her in.

Does anyone have any experiences of these, or can anyone make another suggestion?

Hopeful bump!

I've always just folded a duvet on the floor for tiny ones Then a readybed for toddler years.

Easy to lie next to them to settle them then no faffing trying extricate yourself and get back in bed.

It won't be long before she can stand making it easier to lift her up. I'd hazard a guess that wherever she had slept different to usual she would have been unsettled.

Dc3 has used an arc since we started travelling when she was just over 1. It went to over a dozen countries, and was brilliant. Also safe as they are zipped in. We've now stopped travelling (18 months later) and she still uses it as her main bed. We have added a 2nd mattress because she's heavier, but mainly because we have very cold floors and I wanted insulation. Until then I usually put a towel under it if it was on a hard floor. On carpet I didn't bother.

Thanks for your responses.

She's actually been pretty chilled out about sleeping away from home on numerous occasions (. The thing that has changed is that she was sleeping in her carrycot which I now don't feel is safe because she could sit up and pull herself over the side.

I don't feel that having her sleep on the floor without any enclosure will work for us because I want to put her to bed at 7ish and leave her in a bedroom to go and join friends/family for dinner and have an evening!

Thanks for the info on the Arc sentence.

No problem . I've heard good things about one that I think was Phil and teds; it kind of hangs off the floor and was quite light. Didn't suit for us but might work for you. If I remember rightly, the Koodoo was a lot smaller than the arc and was thinner mattress too. Less suitable for a moving toddler; more aimed at a baby.

We had the Phil and Teds - a bit of a faff to put up sometimes but so lovely and light and easy. Really long good, so it was good for us with tall kids.