Forget tricky folds, the pop-up style mechanism of the Bugaboo Stardust takes just seconds: simply pull the cot open from flat by pulling both sides. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. Although this cot doesn't have an all-in-one pop-up assembly, it's still easy to put up and down, so much so that some of our home tester parents didn’t need the instructions. With a travel cot disassembly is usually a matter of a few minutes (or even seconds) and some of the travel cots on our list fold small enough to fit in a suitcase or overhead locker alongside the stroller.

Our testers also found that fitting everything in the carry case and zipping it back up again could be difficult. It folds up to an easily transportable, small travel bag and has lovely extras such as the hanging toy bar and night light which are well thought out. For holidays in hot climates, a breathable mattress and all-around mesh panel are factors to consider. Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power.The parts all quickly slot into place and the foldable mattress included fits snugly in the base of the cot. They’re lightweight, have collapsible sides and fold into a portable format with a carry handle, making them great for holidays, breaks and overnight stays.

If you're looking for longevity beyond that, the Venture TravelPod and the Micralite Sleep 'n' Go have a slightly longer lifespan, but will cost you a little more. For ease of moving about, it also has two wheels when folded up that means you can pull it along like a suitcase – genius! Regular cots are often made of wood and to disassemble and put in a car or suitcase would be quite a task!

It can be constructed in minutes and folds up to a suitcase size, although it's sadly not quite small enough to take as hand luggage on a plane. You can also use the Slumber as a secure play pen, and there's a zip-open door your toddler can crawl in and out when they are older. This design means there's no weight limit, a real plus point for parents with heavier-than-average toddler. Ruth scored each product based on each criteria below, with the highest scoring coming out on top as the overall winner. But remember, a firm mattress is important for safe sleep for your baby, and doesn’t mean your child won’t be comfortable.

Whether you're looking for something safe for a newborn, or a roomy cot for an older toddler, you'll find it here.Coming in at only 6kg, this is one of the lightest travel cots on our list, and also one of the most affordable. For eco-conscious parents, Slumber features quilted material crafted using a yarn made from recycled plastic bottles that would have otherwise been sent to landfill. However, at 10kg, the PopUp (along with the Graco Contour Electa) is the heaviest option on our list and is quite bulky when folded.