A portable bed can be a great investment for your child especially if your family are frequent travellers. Portable beds are not only good for holidays, but children's portable beds can also be useful for naptimes and day care beds. Portable beds are also beneficial in the transition process from crib to a regular bed. There is a vast range of choice of children’s portable beds, from toddler air mattresses, foldable toddler beds and portable toddler beds and cots. So, how do you decide which is the best portable bed for your child? Today, we’ll look at six key deciding points to help you choose the best bed for your needs.
1. Travel Needs
One of the deciding factors for choosing a portable bed is how mobile you will need the bed to be. Depending on your preferred travel methods you will need to decide what best is most practical for you and your child.
Flying – If your family is taking a portable bed on a vacation that involves flying you need a small and lightweight bed. For flights, an air mattress is the best option. Air mattresses can be deflated, folded and packed away neatly, that’s one of the major fortes parents share in their online reviews of the products. For car journeys and travel when you have more luggage space, foldable mattresses or travel cot may be more suitable, particularly if you are travelling or camping and a pump for the air mattress may not be practical.
2.Budget
Depending on how much you plan to use the portable bed, is likely to dictate how much you are willing to spend on it. If you are looking for a travel bed to use for just one trip, the canvas portable cots are very cheap and are perfect for minimal use. With portable beds, you may need to purchase an extra blanket or foam top to make the bed more comfortable.
Inflatable mattresses are relatively inexpensive. However, it is worth spending more money on an air mattress to get a good quality bed that does not deflate and leave your child to sink to a hard and uncomfortable. Foldable toddler beds are the most expensive option in portable kid’s beds. For the extra cost, you do get a much more comfortable night’s sleep, and they can last much longer than an airbed, that’s prone to punctures and leaks.
3.Accidents
If your child is still prone to bedwetting, this could be a critical point in choosing a portable bed. Folding mattresses are very difficult to clean and will retain stain and smell. Canvas portable cots are relatively easy to clean. However, it will impact the layers you have added to the bed for extra comfort. Toddler PVC inflatable mattresses are easy to clean and will not retain any smell. Perfect for children who may still have accidents in the night.
4.Comfort
To have an enjoyable holiday, it is vital that your child has a good night’s sleep. Foldable travel beds are very comfortable, with lots of foam and padding that means you are unlikely to need any extra mattress toppers. Good quality air mattresses are also surprisingly comfortable, provided they stay fully inflated. Air mattresses will often have a fabric top, such as velvet or flocked finish which means they can be just as comfortable as foldable beds. Plain PVC air beds will need an extra blanket to make sure they are comfortable for a restful night.
Canvas cots are the most uncomfortable choice, are there is very little to them other than a metal frame and canvas top. However, with added blankets and toppers they can become comfortable, it will just depend on how much luggage space you have for extra blankets and foam toppers.
5.Restless Sleepers
If your child is a restless sleeper and ends up in unfathomable positions, you may want to consider a portable bed that has raised edges. Inflatable toddler mattresses often have raised edges, to keep your little one snug and secure. Canvas cots are also good at keeping children in a comfortable position for the whole night. Foldable mattresses have no sides, which is better for older children who have grown out of cots and want to feel grown-up by having a traditional bed.
6.Go with quality brands that stood the test of time
When it comes to cost it goes: kids cot, airbed and then foldable foam bed – that’s from least to most expensive. Having said that, with the product types, there is no big difference in price so you should stick with quality.
How do you know quality?
Read user reviews of the portable beds, and it’ll soon become clear which product the stood the test of time and will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Let’s be specific and mention a few products that have been dominating their niches for a long time now.
Kings of the hill in their respective categories:
Blow-up beds – the most reliable products here come from Intex, Shrunks and Aerobed (Intex Kidz and Shrunks Tuckaire in particular).
Kids cots – there’s no much competition here and one inexpensive product has been dominating for a long time – the Regalo my Cot.
Foldable foam beds – similar to the cots, there’s a single product that’s pretty much the choice of any parent that goes with a foam bed, and it’s the LeachCo BumpZZZ.
Chances are, as a parent you probably need one of these products in the past and if not, you’re likely to need them in the future and in today’s jungle of a market, it’s all about being a cautious educated buyer and smart with your money. After all, making sure your kid sleeps well is a priority, we can’t stress that enough.
If you even glanced over this guide, you are better equipped to make this decision than 98% of parents will ever be.
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