Portable cots are designed for use by families that travel or are away from home over night and a regular cot is not available for the baby.  These portable cots have the ability to be easily folded up for storage and transport and are generally not designed for constant use like a regular cot.  Unlike cots designed for everyday use, portable cots are not made to the same standard as regular cots which is one of the reasons that they should not be used in place of a regular cot.  This does not mean that all potable cots are dangerous it just means that the standard does not address safety issues about these cots and the consumer need to be very selective when purchasing the right portable cot for their situation.

To help consumers to select the right portable cot it is necessary to consider the features that make up portable cots and decide which features you need for your specific circumstance.  They have the following features which need to be considered.

The ease at which a portable cot can be erected and folded up is one of the most important features of these types of cots.  When families are travelling long distances they do not want to be trying to build or put together complicated cots at the end of a long day.  Many have fold and unfold mechanisms which can be easy to use once you have practised a few times.

The size of the portable cot is also something that should be considered especially if you are relatively small in stature.  Some of the portable cots on the market have bags that incorporate wheels to make them easy to move around and load on transport such as trains, buses and aeroplanes.

The versatility of the portable cot is also important as many of the cots on the market include great extra features such as storage bags, playpens and changing stations.  This provides you with a few more luxuries that you may not have considered packing.

Portable cots need also to be comfortable both for the baby to sleep in and also comfortable for the parent to use.  Many of the portable cots have very comfortable inflatable mattresses or soft thinner mattresses which can be folded up with the cot.  Having a portable cot that folds up small and packs away easily is great but you need to make sure that your baby will find the cot comfortable and will sleep soundly and stay asleep when in the portable cot.