Red kite travel cot. Not allowed matress??

[Angeleyezx]

Hi all.
.Little one been using travel cot from 4 mo as put grew swinging crib. Have the sleep n play. Bought a mattress and use newborn insert.

Bought another for weekly stays at grandparents home.

Redkite sleep tight travel cot (smaller than my current one)

I emailed redkite for the dimensions of the inside to buy a mattress.

This was the response..

"The travel cot does come supplied with a mattress and that should be the only one you should use. There are warnings on the back of the mattress and instructions not to use a different or additional mattress. These warnings have to be on the item to pass BS EN testing procedures, otherwise it would be illegal. I would strongly advise against purchasing a different mattress.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
D B Service Manager"

Now I'm unsure. Should I return this one (still boxed) and get some as my other or ignore. The mattress it comes with isn't what I would call a mattress.
Thanks,
H x

I think that’s fairly common advice to use the ‘mattress’ supplied. We have a Graco travel cot but have used other brands when staying with family they’re all the same and the mattress supplied is basically a padded board. Babies are usually fine to sleep on them though; they don’t have quite the same comfort standards as adults and a firm surface is important to stay safe. My DD’s daycare have the kids sleep on what are essentially giant plastic trays with no padding and she still manages a 2 hour nap every day!

Many years ago I bought a Graco travel cot which also stated that you should only use the mattress that comes with the travel cot. That mattress was about as comfortable as a plank of wood. So I measured the internal size of the base of the travel cot and added on a centimetre or 2 each way. I went to a local foam furnishing shop, explained I wanted the foam for a travel cot, they cut the foam to the size I wanted and used a type of foam that was suitable for a new born to sleep on.

Because the foam was slightly bigger than the cot, it was a very tight fit around the base. That meant that my son couldn't in any way get trapped down the sides, which I think is the main reason they tell you not to use another mattress.

I made a cover for the foam out of a double bed sheet, I also used another sheet tucked under the foam. My son used that mattress a lot and we never had any problems with it.

You need to get foam suitable for a baby to sleep on, and get it cut a little bit bigger than the base. It was a tight squeeze to fit the mattress in, but it my opinion it was perfectly safe. I would never have used it if I thought it wasn't.

Thank you both.
It's put my mind at rest and helped loads.
H x

I had a separate travel cot mattress to use for overnight, it felt almost like a thick piece of duvet, maybe a little more firm. Mine was from Mothercare, but I would imagine other baby shops would sell them, I always took it if we went away & there was a travel cot provided, I also got travel cot fitted sheets that fitted the mattress.

I got a mattress for the same travel cot. It fit snuggly and was a lot more comfortable. It's not recommended but you can but they.

Search eBay for travel cot mattress then check the dimensions ⬆️