Best travel cot mattresses
The thin mat in a travel cot is thin deliberately, and adding a softer mattress is the mistake this page exists to prevent.
I earn a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It never changes what I recommend, and I publish negative verdicts on brands I earn from. Editorial independence.
Read this before buying anything
UK safer sleep guidance is that a baby should sleep on a firm, flat, waterproof surface in a clear sleep space, and that you should only use the mattress designed for the travel cot, or one the manufacturer states is suitable for it.
Adding a thicker or softer mattress raises the sleeping surface relative to the cot sides and introduces a softer surface and potential gaps at the edges. Both are exactly what the guidance exists to avoid.
The Lullaby Trust is the authoritative UK source. Your health visitor can advise on your own situation.
The supplied mat feels thin because babies need a firm flat surface rather than a cushioned one, and because the cot was designed and tested with that mat in it.
So this page is mostly about what to do instead.
The picks
The pick, if you want one answer
Simba Hybrid Cot Bed Mattress, 7.8 / 10. A proper cot mattress for home, which is where the money belongs rather than in modifying a travel cot.
| Product | Best for | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simba Hybrid Cot Bed Mattress | Best cot mattress for home | Mid range | 7.8 / 10 |
| Panda Bamboo Cot Mattress | Best for washability | Mid range | 7.7 / 10 |
Simba Hybrid Cot Bed Mattress: Best cot mattress for home
Mid range · 7.8 / 10
Scores 7.8. The honest recommendation on a travel cot page is to spend on the cot mattress at home, which is used every night for years, and to use the travel cot as the manufacturer designed it.
Buy it if
You want a firm sprung cot mattress for the cot that gets daily use.
Do not buy it if
You are looking for something to put in a travel cot.
Read the full Simba Hybrid Cot Bed Mattress review
Panda Bamboo Cot Mattress: Best for washability
Mid range · 7.7 / 10
Scores 7.7. A removable cover washable at 60 degrees is worth more day to day than any fill claim, because 60 kills dust mites where 40 only removes allergen.
Buy it if
You want a removable cover you can wash often.
Do not buy it if
You want the cheapest option that meets the standards.
Read the full Panda Bamboo Cot Mattress review
Why the supplied mat is thin
Three reasons, and all of them are deliberate.
Safer sleep calls for a firm, flat surface. A soft or thick mattress is not what a baby should sleep on, and thickness in a cot mattress is not a comfort feature.
The cot was tested with that mat. Travel cots are designed and assessed as a complete product, and the side height is calculated from the sleeping surface the mat creates.
Thickness reduces the effective side height. Every centimetre you add to the floor of the cot is a centimetre off the height of the sides, which matters as soon as a baby can push up.
If you do buy a replacement, fit is the whole question
Only do this where the travel cot manufacturer states that a replacement is suitable, and then:
No gap you could fit two fingers into at any edge. Gaps between a mattress and the cot side are a trapping hazard, and travel cots have soft fabric sides that can pull away, which makes gaps easier to create than in a rigid cot.
The same thickness the cot was designed for, not thicker.
Firm and flat, and waterproof or used with a waterproof protector.
Measure the inside of the cot base at its longest and widest points. Travel cot dimensions vary considerably between models, so buying by brand name rather than by measurement frequently produces a mattress that nearly fits, which is the worst outcome.
Making a travel cot workable without changing the mattress
Most of the complaint about travel cots is that babies sleep badly in them, and very little of that is the mattress.
Familiar sheets. A fitted sheet from home, washed and used, smells right and is one fewer new thing.
Room temperature. Around 16 to 20 degrees is the usual guidance for a baby's room, and holiday accommodation is frequently much warmer. Bring a lower tog sleeping bag rather than adding bedding.
Darkness. A portable blackout blind does more for sleep in an unfamiliar room than anything you could put under the baby.
Set it up early. Letting a baby play in the travel cot during the day makes it a familiar place rather than an unfamiliar one at bedtime.
Travel cots as everyday cots
Some families use a travel cot at home for longer periods, which manufacturers generally support within stated limits.
If you are doing that, check the manufacturer's guidance on continuous use and on mattresses rather than assuming, and check the weight and age limits, which are usually lower than for a full-size cot.
And if you find yourself wanting to make a travel cot more comfortable for long-term use, the honest answer is usually that a cot and a proper cot mattress is the right purchase.
What not to do
Add a thicker or softer mattress to a travel cot, unless the manufacturer states it is suitable.
Put a topper, quilt or folded blanket under the baby. The surface should be firm and flat.
Use a mattress that leaves a gap at any edge.
Add pillows, duvets, bumpers, pods or nests. The sleep space should be clear.
Assume dimensions from another model fit. Measure the inside of the base.
Also considered, and why they are not here
A roundup is only as useful as what it leaves out, so here is what was assessed and rejected for this list.
| Product | Why it is not on the list |
|---|---|
| Panda Baby Pillow | Not for a travel cot or any baby sleep space. Pillows are not recommended in a cot, and pillow use starts around 18 months at the earliest. |
| Simba Hybrid Kids | For a child in a full-size bed, years later. Named to mark where the next real mattress purchase comes. |
How this list is made, and who made it
Independence
No brand pays to appear on this site and no placement is sold. Some links earn a commission if you buy, which never changes a score, an order or a verdict. Several of the lowest scores here are on products that carry commission, and several recommendations carry none.
Who writes this. Kyle Klinkradt has worked in the mattress and bedding industry for over ten years across retail, distribution and brand partnerships, and has handled, sold or assessed products from every major UK bed-in-a-box brand. Every review on this site is written by one person, so the scores mean the same thing from page to page.
What the assessment is. Construction specifications against what they physically do: spring height and where in the mattress it sits, spring count for the size, gauge, whether the base is sprung or foam, foam density where it is published, comfort layer depth and material. Then the commercial terms that decide what you are actually buying: trial against returns policy, guarantee length against the company's UK trading history at Companies House, and the regulatory record.
What it is not. This is not a laboratory. I do not publish pressure-mapping data or claim to have slept eight years on every mattress here, because nobody has and pages that imply otherwise are not telling you the truth. Where a judgement rests on construction rather than long-term use, the review says so.
What gets a product removed. Leaving the UK market, a specification change that makes the review inaccurate, or a corrected fact. Brands that have withdrawn are kept on the site with the score removed rather than quietly deleted, because people still search for them.
See editorial independence, corrections and the author page.
How these were chosen
Every product here has its own review on this site with a score out of 10, and the score is a judgement rather than an average. Nothing appears in a list because it pays more.
A score is against the market, not against its own range. The cheapest mattress in a lineup is usually priced to make the model above it look reasonable, and the flagship of a budget range has risen into a bracket where better brands compete. Both are judged against what else you could buy for the money.
Everything listed can actually be bought in the UK. That is not a given: Casper withdrew in July 2020 and Leesa no longer sells here, and both still appear in current British roundups with affiliate links attached.
I do not pad the list. Where only three or four products genuinely qualify, there are three or four. A list of seven when the category contains four good ones is a list with three bad recommendations in it.
Prices move constantly. Judge the cash price on the day rather than any percentage beside it. See every review on this site or where the real savings are.
Questions people ask
Can I put a normal mattress in a travel cot?
Only if the travel cot manufacturer states that a replacement is suitable. Travel cots are designed and tested as a complete product, and adding a thicker or softer mattress raises the sleeping surface, reduces the effective side height and can create gaps at the edges.
Why is the travel cot mattress so thin?
Deliberately. Safer sleep guidance calls for a firm, flat surface rather than a cushioned one, and the cot's side height is calculated from the sleeping surface the supplied mat creates.
How do I help a baby sleep better in a travel cot?
A familiar fitted sheet from home, a room around 16 to 20 degrees with a lower tog sleeping bag rather than extra bedding, a portable blackout blind, and setting the cot up early so it becomes a familiar place.
Can a travel cot be used every day?
Manufacturers generally support it within stated limits, so check their guidance on continuous use, mattresses, and weight and age limits, which are usually lower than for a full-size cot.