Would you use holiday home cot or take a travel cot?

[Papillion86]

My DS will be 5 months when we go away in a few weeks. We're going to France so will have the car but the holiday home provides a cot. We have to take own bedding. Would you use cot provided or take your own travel cot (which I'm yet to buy)? The one provided is a proper cot which my DS is used to. I know the risks of SIDS but can't find any explanation as to why a used cot increases the risk...opinions welcomed 😀

I'd use the cot provided.

It's a bit of a risk but usually the cots provided are fine, only time we had a problem (it had been a dusty garage) we complained and they bought a new one.

I always prefer to use our own travel cot. If you buy one you’ll find yourself using it again and again anyway, it’s a good investment. Ours doubles up as a play pen downstairs and is really useful when I need to answer the door/go to the loo/hang out some washing etc.

Personally I’d use the provided cot. I’ve also heard that a used mattress = increased SIDS risk (I’m unsure why too, maybe because a used mattress could be softer?) but the SIDS risk is extremely low for a 5 month old, I doubt the cot is slept in regularly and presumably the baby will be in with you which further lowers the risk.

We’ve always used provided travel cots on holiday with the board type mattress but thinking about it mine did sleep in a cot at the Scott Dunn ski crèche and obviously other babies would have also used the mattress. Didn’t even occur to me to worry about that. And at her daycare the part time babies, some as young as 6 weeks, share cots (obviously they get clean linen).

So personally I’d use it but of course it’s completely up to you, take the travel cot if it will make you more relaxed on holiday.

I have a foldable mattress which I use in my daughters travel cot. If you know the size of the cot they provide could you get one of those and put on the top if the other mattress if it worries you?

I prefer to take our travel cot than use ones provided just cos DD is used to being in there now.

Use the cot!! More room in the boot for duty free wine.

The issue isn’t the cot, it’s the 2nd hand mattress. The risk is very very small though. We used this:
www.pramworld.co.uk/hauck-sleeper-folding-mattress-playpark?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt8q4pqCO3QIVqrvtCh3m7wt5EAQYByABEgIiUPD_BwE#fo_c=743&fo_k=7a88e3427f3cc007c697f706ac5a06a2&fo_s=gplauk
If link doesn’t work it’s a hauk folding cot mattress.
To be honest we bought it because travel cot mattresses are horrible and hard and DD wouldn’t sleep in one, but having bought it I used it instead of a very old provided mattress in one place.

As I understand it, the evidence shows that 2nd hand mattresses result in higher levels of SIDS. But there isn't a proven reason why. There is a suggestion, but only a suggestion, that it is to do with release of gases after babies have vomited etc on a mattress - but AFAIK there is no solid evidence for this. There is also some apparent risk of too soft mattresses.

From memory, so I might be wrong, 4 months is the high point for SIDS. I can't find by month data quickly, so excuse me if I'm wrong.

I therefore would and did bring my own travel cot. I like the idea of bringing a mattress but would caution about size. A big gap could be dangerous.

Just re size the previous poster is correct. You don’t want an illfitting mattress. But there are only 3 sizes of cots to my knowledge:
Normal cot - 120x 60 (Some travel cots are also this size, ours is)
Travel cot - shorter and wider
Cot bed - 130x70

OP in your case if it’s a normal cot provided it’ll be a 120x60

We have our folding cot mattress and a travel cot mattress. I check which type of cot is being provided and bring the appropriate one. Never had a problem.

Thanks all, very helpful 😀 i think the folding travel mattress seems like the best idea for now x