Best portable cribs for grandparents' homes

Guava Family Lotus Travel Crib

An aluminum-framed travel crib that folds into a backpack, so one person can carry it upstairs and stow it in a closet between visits. The side wall unzips into a lockable door, which means a crawling baby can go in and out without being lifted over a rail and an adult can reach in without leaning over the top. Guava says the mattress is supported by the floor rather than by a raised frame, which is why it is so light, and also why laying a sleeping newborn down means bending all the way down. It is GreenGuard Gold certified and one of the more expensive cribs in this table.

BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light

A plain travel crib whose whole pitch is how little there is to it: BabyBjorn says it sets up and folds down in one move, the mesh sides are open enough to see through, and the fabric comes off to be machine washed. There is no bassinet insert, no changing table and no toy bar, which is part of why it packs into a bag about five inches thick. The listing states the crib is for newborns up to about three years and that the mattress is included. It is priced near the top of this table for a crib that does one job well.

Newton Baby Compact Travel Crib & Play Yard

The lightest and smallest-packing crib here: it collapses into a carry-on-sized bag with backpack straps, which matters if the crib has to live in a closet and come out a few times a year. Newton's selling point is the Wovenaire mattress, which is designed to breathe through its core and to be washable cover and all. It sets up in seconds and has a zip door in one side, and like the other travel cribs the mattress lies on the floor, so it is easier to carry than it is to lift a baby into.

Hiccapop Portable Travel Crib

The budget travel crib in this table: an aluminum frame, a waterproof base, and a mattress that zips into the floor so there is no gap around the edge for a baby to wedge into. Set-up instructions are printed in large type on the underside of the crib, which is a real kindness if you only put it up a few times a year, and it folds flat into a backpack-style bag. Two washable sheets are included. Its listing gives the weight only in kilograms, so the weight column here is left blank rather than converted.

Graco Pack 'n Play On the Go Playard

The cheapest option here and the familiar answer to "we need somewhere for the baby to sleep when they visit". It includes a full-size infant bassinet that sits high in the frame, so a newborn can be laid down near waist height instead of at floor level, and Graco's push-button fold and carry bag mean it can go back in a cupboard the same afternoon. The bassinet is outgrown long before the playard is, and it is a fabric playard, not a piece of furniture you would leave standing in a guest room.

Graco Pack 'n Play Day2Dream Travel Bassinet Playard

A playard whose bassinet lifts out and works on its own beside a bed, with a diaper changer on top and its own carry bag. Graco says the raised bassinet puts the baby at your eye level on the playard, which is the least demanding arrangement in this table for anyone who does not want to bend to the floor. The price of all that is bulk: it is the heaviest fabric option here, and there are two bags to keep track of instead of one.

UPPAbaby Remi 3-in-1 Portable Playard

A bedside bassinet, travel crib and playard in one frame that UPPAbaby says opens and closes in seconds with one hand, which is the part that matters if your hands or wrists are not what they were. The zip-on bassinet suits a newborn and the playard takes over to about 35 inches tall; an organic cotton mattress cover and a storage bag are included, and it is GreenGuard Gold certified. It is the most expensive crib in this table, and most of that money buys the fold and the finish rather than extra features.

Baby Trend Lil' Snooze Deluxe II Nursery Center

A full nursery centre rather than a plain playard, at the same price as the basic Graco: a removable full-size bassinet, a flip-away changing table, a canopy with hanging toys, mesh storage pockets and two large wheels with brakes. It closes with a one-hand locking mechanism and travels in a tote bag. All that structure makes it the bulkiest fabric option to put up, so it suits a room where it can stay standing between visits more than a closet it has to fold into.

Delta Children Folding Portable Mini Baby Crib

A wooden mini crib on casters that folds flat with its mattress stored inside, which is the practical difference between a crib you keep standing and one you put away. The mattress support has two positions, so it starts high for a newborn and drops once the baby can sit or stand, and the 1.5-inch mattress is included rather than sold separately. It is JPMA certified and the least expensive wooden crib here; it does have to be assembled first, and like every wooden crib in this table it is a lift rather than a carry.

Dream On Me Mini Folding 3-in-1 Portable Baby Crib

A birch mini crib with three mattress positions and four wheels, two of which lock, so it can be rolled between rooms and folded flat when the visit is over. Dream On Me sells it as a crib, playpen and changing station in one and names grandparents' homes among the places it is meant for. A one-inch mattress pad and the assembly tools are in the box, and it is GreenGuard Gold certified. As with the other wooden cribs here, the trade against a fabric playard is weight: this is furniture that folds, not gear you sling over a shoulder.

DaVinci Dylan 3-in-1 Convertible Portable Mini Crib

DaVinci's own listing puts this crib forward for small spaces "or to store at grandparents' house", which is exactly the job this table is about. It has four mattress heights, folds up for storage, rolls on casters, and converts to a twin bed later with a separate kit; a one-inch waterproof pad is included and any standard mini crib mattress fits. It is GreenGuard Gold certified and the heaviest of the mini cribs here.

Simmons Kids Aria Full Size Portable Folding Crib

A full-size crib that folds down to under six inches deep, so a visiting grandchild gets a proper crib and it still slides behind a door or under a bed afterwards. It runs on two locking and two non-locking wheels, can be used with or without them, and the mattress support has two positions. It takes a standard full-size crib mattress, which is sold separately, and it is GreenGuard Gold and JPMA certified. It is by some way the heaviest thing in this table: think folding furniture, not luggage.

Dream On Me Full Size 2-in-1 Folding Baby Crib

The other full-size folding crib here, and the one Dream On Me points at daycares, hotels and guest rooms as much as at homes. It unfolds in one motion, has two adjustable mattress heights and four smooth-rolling casters, two of them locking, and it is GreenGuard Gold certified. It takes a full-size crib mattress that is not included in the box. The trade is the same as the Simmons: the most crib-like sleep for a visiting baby, and the most weight to move when the visit is over.