Guava Family Travel Crib includes Lightweight Backpack Design | Certified Baby Safe Portable Crib | Folding Play Yard, Comfy Mattress for Babies, Toddlers | Compact Baby Travel Bed

We have done a lot of different beds for my little one. When she was small 0-5 months she slept in a baby hammock made in Hawaii. We LOVED it and it was the best thing for her age. We tried a few nights in a cosleeper (both in bed and one attached to the bed) both were not good for my heavy-sleeping husband and neither provided much safety. If you really want a cosleeping bed, get a crib that can go level with your mattress.When she transitioned to a crib, she had no problem sleeping but we had problems with using bumpers. We were concerned for the breathability of it, so we tried the mesh liner that is popular and available everywhere. She would toss and turn and whack her head on the crib rails. So we put the bumper on. We never saw a problem with breathability or suffocation risk (although i was super panicked and check in on her at night numerous times) but eventually she learned to climb so off went the bumper again. This time we saw her little limbs stuck through the rails. Horribly upsetting. So we put her in a traditional pack-n-play by Graco. The bottom is off the ground and for whatever reason, she could not/would not sleep in it. Then we tried the Pea in the Pod travel bed we used on a few trips. Although there are many perks, she eventually got freaked out to be in a confined area that wouldn't allow her to stand up. ...So here we are on bed number 100 and the minute she got into this she was fine and slept like a dream. Back to her early days of 12 hours a night. Yes, seriously that long.So in a nutshell...1. Set up took under 3 minutes2. It really is lightweight (good for older parents, grandparents, going to/fro upstairs or outside and back)3. Montessori friendly with the zipper that means eventually we can leave it open and have our lil one crawl in and out at will.4. on the ground (sturdy, no walking problems, also she won't be climbing over, just walk out of it)5. the conversion to future bassinet for my next one is a great option6. large bed area7. mesh sides- no suffocation risk and no limbs caught in slots between crib bars.8. fits in her travel luggage on a plane and also can work as a backpack carry-on if we want to not check it in.9. the set up is easy with the moon star images that squeeze together. I gave away a packnplay this morning and tried showing them how to set it up. it took over 10 minutes. i seriously hate those things. i wanted a 4moms but i could justify the extra $ at the time.My only eh part is that yet again i have to accommodate the mattress crib linens. I don't want a standard sheet so I am going to retrofit an existing one and create button hole enclosures to go around the velcro tabs that secure the mattress to the crib mesh bottom. Also, one velcro tab came off within seconds of me pulling lightly on it.****Update:: do NOT put this in the main luggage compartment on an airplane. Our bag ripped and cut through the netting of the bed. I sewed it up and on the return flight we just carried it on(along with way too many baby things. :)Update three years later: here we are using this on baby number three as the main bed. NO2 had horrible sleep issues from her crib from 0-16 months and I was so sleep deprived I somehow forgot to just put her in this. Within 1 night she went from waking 10plus times a night to sleeping through the night. Within a week she was at 11 hours straight. We moved it out to the nursery for our baby No3 and thought we could have No2 just adjust to her toddler bed...nope. So we bought a second one of these with the bassinet attachment. this is by far the best baby item purchase we have made in 4 years. I still wish the bedding was normal size as I resort to custom made ones from etsy. I don't think the standards work as well as I'd like but I probably should have tried those sheet clips that can stretch and clip on under a mattress. Anyhow... Definitely still love this crib.

We were using a relative’s Baby Bjorn crib, but we had to give it back. We almost bought one for ourselves until we discovered the Guava Family Lotus, and we’re so happy we did! After having used both, here’s why…Size/Weight: At the time, the Baby Bjorn seemed to be the smallest size (when packed) that we could find. However, the Lotus is much smaller, and we really like that it can be carried like a backpack. There are some straps on the back of the bag that are hidden in a pocket, and you can take them out and clip them to the bag to turn it into a backpack. I would say that the Lotus is about ½ the size of the Bjorn when it’s in its bag (although it does weight about the same as the Bjorn). Also, we found out the hard way that the Baby Bjorn doesn’t work as a carryon (we ended up having to pay baggage fees for it because we had already checked the carseat and stroller). But, the Lotus is allowed as a carryon which is a huge plus.Using it: This is where the Lotus really shines. When the Lotus is setup, they are pretty much the same size. The mattress on the Lotus seems a tiny bit thinner than the BabyBjorn, but its still very comfortable, and our daughter sleeps great in it, right from the very start, so we’re very happy.The main difference is the Lotus has the side door, which is amazing. She thinks it’s her play area and loves crawling in and out. Any crib that can actually make my daughter giggle and want to be in it is a huge winner in my book. And, we can lay in it with her to play or help her to sleep too. Ingenious. Also, the zipper door has a little clip to lock it from the outside so she can’t undo the zipper herself, which is a nice feature. This door really makes the Lotus a fantastic product.Setup: The thing I always loved about the BabyBjorn is how quickly and easily it sets up. It beats the Lotus for setup time. But the Lotus is only a matter of an extra step that takes a second or two (opening the legs). The Lotus has some Velcro tabs that hold the mattress down that also takes more time because the Baby Bjorn doesn’t have these. But, we have the sheet for the Lotus also, and these tabs go through the sheet to hold it onto the mattress which we like. It makes it all seem very sturdy and secure.Overall, they are both great products. These have come a long way since the pack n play (what a pain!). But, the side door, and the backpack make the Lotus so much more useful. It’s by far our favorite baby purchase.