Which travel crib?

[edurnemk]

I'm torn between the Baby Bjorn travel crib and the Phil & Teds traveller crib for DD (we have the Peapod plus for DS).

I love how quickly the Baby Bjorn is setup, but I've read the Phil & Teds is a smaller package and can fit inside a suitcase. The Baby Bjorn is practically a separate piece of luggage, right? is it carry-on size or can it fit inside a large suitcase?

We'd be using them for some car trips, but mostly for places we'll be flying to. So which do you think is the better option? How do they compare in terms of quality and longevity? If it matters we also have a PnP for use at home.

ETA: I am now considering the Guava Family Gocrib as well, thanks to kaharris83's suggestion (Thanks!)

[arivecchi]

Baby Bjorn. The P&T one gets mixed reviews and the BJ one has great resale value.

[kaharris83]

This isn't exactly an answer to your question, but we love, love, love our Guava Family GoCrib. We tried both the P&Ts(felt cheap and like it wouldn't last) and the Bjorn(HUGE and had to be checked when flying) and weren't as impressed with either. The GoCrib packs into a backpack and can be carried onto the plane(so you don't have to pay to check it). It sets up and packs up quickly. We have had it since Nov '10 and used it monthly and it still looks brand new. DS loves it and sleeps great in it. I highly recommend it.

[edurnemk]

This isn't exactly an answer to your question, but we love, love, love our Guava Family GoCrib. We tried both the P&Ts(felt cheap and like it wouldn't last) and the Bjorn(HUGE and had to be checked when flying) and weren't as impressed with either. The GoCrib packs into a backpack and can be carried onto the plane(so you don't have to pay to check it). It sets up and packs up quickly. We have had it since Nov '10 and used it monthly and it still looks brand new. DS loves it and sleeps great in it. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the suggestion! I hadn't looked at it, it actually seems safer than the other 2 since the sides are completely made of mesh. It's a bit pricey, though but not much more than the Baby Bjorn.

ETA: Do the regular PnP sheets fit the Gocrib mattress?

[Beth24]

I pack our Baby Bjorn crib inside a duffle bag, it fits easily with room to spare...it seems small to me but all I had to compare it to was a PnP. We love ours, FWIW.

[kaharris83]

Thanks for the suggestion! I hadn't looked at it, it actually seems safer than the other 2 since the sides are completely made of mesh. It's a bit pricey, though but not much more than the Baby Bjorn.

ETA: Do the regular PnP sheets fit the Gocrib mattress?

Yes we use the Graco PnP sheets. We realized that the difference in cost would be made up by checking the Bjorn every time we flew anyway. After checking it 2x for $25 each time we would have spent as much on the Bjorm as we did on the GoCrib. We've flown 18 flights with it so we saved a bunch by going with the GoCrib.

[edurnemk]

. We realized that the difference in cost would be made up by checking the Bjorn every time we flew anyway. .

My thoughts exactly. Also I can get it now at Albee Baby with 20%, so it comes down to $199, so less than the Baby Bjorn (220 on Amazon). The P&T is 144 at Albee with 20% off, so I need to make up my mind by Friday!

Does anyone know if the fabric on the sides of the Bjorn and the P&T is breathable? I don't want to use the Peapod for a small baby because of that (and frankly after reading about a couple of babies that suffocated in a peapod, I know I'm not just paranoid), so now I'm wondering how "safe" these are in that regard.