After going on a few trips with a Graco Pack ‘n Play travel crib that we got as a hand-me-down, I was a feeling a bit let down by the stress of it. After all, the ubiquitous Pack ‘n Play crib is heavy, bulky, hard to carry and not outrageously attractive.

I learned that there were other better travel cribs out there, and I was excited to try the BabyBjorn Travel Crib as one that we’d be excited to use during trips. Even someone like me can fold it up and unfold it again, without much of an instructional manual.

In this review, I’ll detail how BabyBjorn’s travel crib is working out for us, from folding it up into its carrying case to how we even used it as a play pen for several months. Read on, to see my experience with this lightweight crib.

Women setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

BabyBjorn generously gifted us the Travel Crib Light; however, this review is not sponsored and all photos and opinions are authentically my own.

Summary of the Travel Crib Light

The BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light is one of two BabyBjorn baby products for sleep. It’s specifically for travel, as it folds up to the size of a “large briefcase,” as I’ve described it. Having a travel crib that your child is used to may be a safer alternative to a hotel crib, if you’re looking for tips for staying in a hotel with a baby.

What’s nice about how it folds up is that it’s slim, so you could put it flat on top of luggage in a trunk. I’d actually say that’s why it’s a great pick for road trips with a child who is past the “bassinet stage” and up to age 3 (if they fit).

The travel crib is different from the traditional Pack ‘n Play because the mattress is much closer to the floor, suspended by a mesh enclosure. You’re able to see the child from all angles, with no blocked areas.

Overall, it’s a minimalist design, with angles toward the bottom, and slim poles. There is soft padding over the top edges, so there’s nothing sharp or hard for toddlers who are able to stand up in the crib. Also, there’s no upper weight limit! The “able to climb out of it” is the designated time to stop using this travel crib.

Remember: the Travel Crib Light is NOT suitable for toddlers or children who are able to climb out of it on their own, and should also not be used in place of a bassinet for newborns.

Women carrying the Baby Bjorn travel crib inside

Features of the Travel Crib Light

I’ll name a few of the features of the Travel Crib Light that we’ve enjoyed while our daughter has been in it.

Weight and dimensions

When assembled, the Travel Crib Light measures 32 x 44 x 24 in. It’s not an overbearing size, and I think that’s something worth noting. We kept ours in our living room for months, as a play pen.

As for weight, the entire travel crib weighs 13 pounds including the carrying case. As it’s the lightest travel crib we own, it’s what made me feel comfortable asking my mom to carry it by herself to the car from my apartment (which is a bit of a walk to the parking lot).

The fact that the travel crib folds down so slimly overall makes it a less overwhelming item to bring over to a family member or friend’s house, for a child’s nap time or night sleep. Showing up at the door with the hefty Pack ‘n Play feels more burdensome to me.

An infant in the Baby Bjorn travel crib playing with toys

Foldability and packability

To fold up the Travel Crib Light, I first remove the mattress, and fold it in half. This is what gives the Travel Crib Light its shape when it’s in its carrying case.

Then, I unhook and fold each pole using the arrow symbol as the way in which it should fold down. With the four poles folded toward the center, it’s then possible to fold the entire crib frame in half. With the frame nestled in the center of the mattress fold in the carrying case, all you have to do is zip it up for taking on the go.

Women setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel CribWomen setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib
Women setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Included items

What’s included in buying the Travel Crib Light is the carrying case, mattress and entire crib frame, as well as a fitted sheet. You can also get an extra sheet as an add-on.

Women setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel CribWomen setting up the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Machine washable

The crib fabric is removable and able to be washed in a regular washing machine. This is great because especially when being used as a play pen, like we’ve used ours, you never know what can happen.

Baby Bjorn travel crib top cushion

Safety standards

The Travel Crib Light upholds both the EN 716 (standard child sleep safety in domestic environments) safety standard as well as requirements for national fire safety.

Comparing the Travel Crib Light to the Graco Pack ‘n Play

The biggest comparable factor between the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light and the Graco Pack ‘n Play is the weight and shape. When we were packing and getting ready to take a road trip the Upstate NY, Dan told me to not even try to lift our Pack ‘n Play, because it was going to be too heavy for me.

He was right! That thing is like a rock.

Dan carried the Pack ‘n Play down to the car so that I didn’t have to (this was before we had the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light). That is because it weighs almost 19 lbs, and folds down to a bulky size.

The BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light folds down to 6 pounds less, and you can feel that difference. The shape into which the Travel Crib Light folds is manageable and carry-able. I have no problem lifting it with one hand.

The Pack ‘n Play is also pretty long and awkward when it goes into our trunk. The BabyBjorn crib is a much more manageable size when folded.

(Here’s a photo of our Pack ‘n Play, assembled at an Airbnb, before we got the BabyBjorn Crib)

Graco Pack n Play assembled on a hard wood floor

Comparing the Travel Crib Light to the Guava Travel Crib

More interestingly, the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light and the Guava Lotus Travel Crib are worth comparing because they are both mesh travel cribs that have the mattresses on the ground. The designs are similar. The BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light happens to weigh slightly less than the Guava Crib, which weighs 15 lbs.

Baby Bjorn travel crib feet on a hard wood floor

In comparing price, the Guava Lotus is less expensive and sometimes, it goes on sale. The Lotus folds down into a different shape, though, which is interesting. While the BabyBjorn Travel Crib folds down into the taller and flatter shape, the Lotus folds down into a compact long cube, and becomes a backpack for wearing while walking through the airport.

Both have that minimalist design through the slanted poles and the mesh crib body. Both fold down simply and are quite unassuming as pieces of luggage to take while you’re traveling with your baby.

I think the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light is better for road trips if you often have a full trunk, due to how it’s a pretty flat item. The Guava Lotus may be better for how to fly with a baby.

Here’s a photo of our Guava travel crib in its case. To see our thoughts on the Guava crib, check out my Guava Lotus Travel Crib review.

Is it worth the price?

I think that for a lightweight machine-washable travel crib, what you’re paying for with the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light is that it’s a thoughtful manageable shape and size for so many parents. The price reflects the lengths that BabyBjorn has gone through to get this crib down to 13 lbs. and into a slim carrying case with a simple fold-out method.

If you plan to have several children and use this crib for lots of travel, I’d say the decision is quite simple. Of course, if you don’t travel too often and the crib will get limited use, maybe try to borrow one from friends or family.

Also, if you’d like to do what we did, and use the Travel Crib Light as a “play pen” at home, try that! It’s easily foldable to remove from your living room or family room when you have company, so it’s like a temporary solution for containing a baby who’s sitting, but not yet crawling.

Where to buy the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light

While this crib is not carried everywhere, I’ve found it at these 4 retailers, including BabyBjorn.com (recommended).

  • BabyBjorn.com: Buying on BabyBjorn’s website will get you free shipping. The item will ship in 1-2 days! Buying here also lets you bundle with the sheet, which may not be possible at other retailers below. (Also, all 3 colors are available!)
  • Amazon (only black and silver colors are available)
  • Target (only silver color is available)
  • PotteryBarn Kids (only black and silver colors are available)

Tips for getting the most out of your BabyBjorn Travel Crib

Here are a few more nice-to-know things about this baby product for travel.

Flying with the BabyBjorn Crib

Due to the size when folded up in the case, the BabyBjorn Travel Crib (typically) can’t be carried on as a carry-on item for a flight. It’ll have to be checked as luggage upon check-in at baggage drop. The good news is that the mattress itself creates protection around the poles, so that acts as padding in-flight.

Update: some parents reported having success in getting the Travel Crib Light into an overhead compartment, but unless you’re traveling on a large plane with very spacious overhead bins, I wouldn’t bank on this.

Take it around a room or through the house

Something that’s different is that the Graco Pack ‘n Play is much bulkier to move around once it’s folded up. Because the BabyBjorn Crib is so light, you can easily pick it up and move it around the house without collapsing it.

This is less possible and more of a chore with a Pack ‘n Play. Just ask my mom, who has had to move the one at her house from room to room when my niece and our child are visiting at the same time!

Figuring out the fold-up process

Many parents find that the entire crib is pretty snug when you put it into the transport case. After packing it a few times, we got more comfortable with the process. To be fair, we’ve needed a few times of practice with both the Pack ‘n Play and the Guava Lotus Crib as well, before getting the hang of it.

Cleaning the BabyBjorn Travel Crib

Accidents happen, so is this crib washable? The mesh siding and mattress cover are removable and machine washable for cleaning, which helps. The poles could be wiped clean with child-safe cleaning products.

The mattress cover can be washed on a hot setting. Remember to wash the sheet (on “warm”) before use!

Getting replacement parts

If you lose or damage the main parts of the Travel Crib Light, you can buy replacement parts at BabyBjorn.com like the mattress, an extra fitted sheet and the entire transport bag.

What is the BabyBjorn brand?

BabyBjorn is a brand I was first introduced to with my use of the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Mini, which Dan and I both used when our baby was a newborn. We liked the relative ease of use of the carrier, and versatility that it was a product for both moms and dads, and everyone in between. It let us tote our infant around Litchfield, Connecticut, and the Catskill Mountains, during weekends away.

From months 1-6, we also made great use of our BabyBjorn baby bouncer, which seemed to be a #1 pick among all our “parent friends.” This bouncer is so well-made and popular, it became a great product to plop our baby into when we’d visit friends’ houses. We’ve even considered taking it on road trips with a baby (but didn’t quite have the trunk space for it).

As we learned more about the brand, we saw BabyBjorn’s other baby carriers, products for sleep, kitchen items like feeding sets and potties for the bathroom. We’re about to read BabyBjorn’s blog about travel with a baby and see that other couples just like us are learning the ropes about how to leave home with a little one.

What we like about BabyBjorn products is that there aren’t too many of them. That’s right: the brand focuses on bestsellers and parent favorites in a few categories, and doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of products to make you second-guess your choices when checking out your cart.