BabyBjörn Travel Crib Light, Silver

Like many other out there, I could decide between the BabyBjorn and the Guava. I did A LOT of research, so this is going to be a lengthy review. :) Let me start by saying, you really can't go wrong either way. Personally, I was looking for a travel crib not for travel as much as just to replace my old pack n play that I no longer wanted to keep due to wanting to get rid of all of my baby gear that contained flame retardants. From my research, the only pack n play replacements currently on the market that do not contain flame retardants are: BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light, Guava Lotus, and the Nuna Sena. The Nuna Sena has the perk of being more like a traditional pack n play because it has two levels (one for a newborn), and it does not sit on the floor like the travel cribs. It also is bulky like a normal pack n play and isn't as easy to haul around. The Sena is also the most expensive choice at $250. It also is bulky like a normal pack n play and isn't as easy to haul around. You can find the Guava for $189 on their website, and the Bjorn averages in the $219-250 here on Amazon. First I bought the Bjorn because I couldn't resist the thicker mattress that everyone raved about. I will say that this is a VERY good travel crib. It is very nicely made, super easy to set up and take down, and the mattress is super comfy as others have stated. The footprint is slightly smaller on the Bjorn (see photo. The legs don't stick out quite as far as the Guava). The mattress is slightly wider than the Guava (see photo). The mesh of travel crib gets narrower as it gets to the top of the crib, making the top opening smaller than the Guava (see photo), so this makes the Bjorn not as good of a play space in my opinion, because it feels a little more closed in than the Guava does. To clarify to anyone out there that is wondering, the Bjorn mattress is made of polyurethane, not polyethylene (same is the case for Guava). I had seen a couple of reviews saying that it was polyethylene, but it is not. Also, the Bjorn is not completely made in Sweden. It says that the textile is made in China, and that the crib is "finished" in Sweden. The textiles are Oeko Tex Certified, which means that the materials used have been tested and certified to meet certain parameters. The tests for harmful substances cover: legally banned and controlled substances, chemicals known to be harmful to the health (but not yet legally controlled),  parameters for health protection. The Guava is not currently Oeko Tex Certified, but is Green Guard Gold Certified. The Bjorn is the clear winner for you if: 1. Your baby will be doing a lot of sleeping in the crib, as the mattress is definitely thicker and more plush than the Guava. I would also say that it does have a slight edge over Guava as far as quality, but not by a far stretch. There are currently no accessories to go with the Bjorn. It folds up compactly into a suitcase, whereas the Guava folds into a backpack. The Guava Lotus is another great choice for a non-toxic travel crib. I emailed the company, and they told me they are looking into Oeko-Tex certification, but are currently instead Green Guard Gold Certified. I was told "GreenGuard Gold standard that tests the actual product in a sealed chamber for 7 days to make sure there is no un-healthy offgassing occurring." The Guava mattress is about half as a thick as the Bjorn, and a bit firmer. Some people may actually prefer a firmer mattress for their baby, so this isn't a "con." I would still say the mattress is better than a standard pack n play mattress. The Guava is made in China, which is a bummer...but what isn't anymore?! I do appreciate that Guava is a small company out of California, and I have been happy with the customer service I have received from them thus far. Things that make the Guava a clear winner for you: 1. You travel a lot and want to be SURE that your crib can be carried as a carry on (in my experience airlines have always shipped my giant pack n play for free, but according to other reviewers this is not always the case. I guess I have been lucky ;)). 2. You want to use it as a play space (The Bjorn has a narrower top, making it a more claustrophobic feeling space for playing. Guava also makes a "Fun shade" that turns the crib into a fun play space to be used outside or inside as a fort of sorts. 3. Your baby wakes up when trying to lay them down (it's a long way down to the mattress on these travel mattresses, and sensitive babies are sure to wake up on the way down!). The Guava has a zipper opening that you can use to gently lay them down. 4. Your baby nurses to sleep. The zipper opening allows mom to lay down with baby if needed. 5. You have a bad back, you're short, or you are using the crib for the grandparent's house. Leaning down to pick up a baby that cannot yet stand up gets old really quick. My mom is 69 and about 5'1 and hated the Bjorn because she could barely lean in to pick my son up or lay him down. The Guava zipper solves this problem once again. Did you make it through this review?! I hope this helps someone, as I tried to cover some areas that other reviewers did not. I ended up returning the Bjorn, as I wanted the crib primarily as a safe play space at home that I could put baby when I needed to do something around the house. One last note: The American Baby Pack n Play sheet fits both of these mattresses, and is a lot cheaper than the ones made specifically for each crib. :) Feel free to ask me any questions, and I will try my best to answer.

I love this travel crib. It’s totally worth the price. It is super easy to assemble, takes only 2-3 minutes. I love that it comes with a comfy mattress (usually you have to buy and carry a mattress separately with other travel cribs or pack‘n‘play). It folds really small and fits perfectly in its travel bag, it’s super light weight and can be even carried as carry-on luggage on a plane if needed. The first and only travel crib I know which is really light weight but still very durable, stable and of great quality. The size of the assembled crib however is on the smaller side compared to a pack‘n‘play but it will still easily fit even a toddler. Also this crib can be used from birth, you won’t need an extra inlay as you do with other cribs. A little extra tipp: you can easily fit a small blanket and even some toys or other stuff inside the folded crib and it will still fit in the travel bag. That’s so practical... I carried a wearable blanket, baby blanket, muslin, snuggle toy and PJ with the crib on the go. I would definitely buy this again. I wished I bought this from the beginning and didn’t bother with a pack‘n‘play.

For various reasons we recently bought this in addition to the Guava Family Lotus travel crib (which we have owned for the past 3+ years), so I'm able to compare them. They are actually fairly similar, and I think they're both very nice products. But, there are some notable differences. Thought I'd compare for those of you not sure which would better suit your needs. SETUP AND TAKEDOWN: The BabyBjorn is super easy to set up and takedown (15sec.). The Lotus isn't too bad, but it's not even close. It's the difference between just swinging open the frame and having it automatically lock into place, vs. having to do a bit more thinking to snap open and then individually manipulate each leg. Putting in the mattress and fitted sheet is a little easier on the BabyBjorn (though honestly it's a little annoying on both). Closing up the Lotus is definitely more complicated: you need match up the two moon symbols and the two star symbols to make sure you are folding it up the right way, etc... often I also feel like I need to force a leg beyond what it wants to do in order to get it to fold up all the way. WINNER: BABYBJORN SIZE WHEN OPEN: The overall footprint and the mattress sizes are both very similar. Lotus: external size 45" L x 32" W x 25" H; mattress 42" L x 24" W. BabyBjorn: external size 44" L x 32" W x 24" H; mattress 41" L x 23.5" W. The BabyBjorn legs slant at a bit more of an angle, which makes the top opening smaller and makes the interior area feel a bit more cramped. They are both fine for sleeping, but the Lotus feels a touch more suitable for playtime. WINNER: LOTUS SIZE/WEIGHT WHEN FOLDED UP: They both weigh 13 lbs, but the Lotus folds up much smaller, into a rectangle (23" L x 12" H x 8" W) that can be worn as a backpack. In comparison, the BabyBjorn only folds in half, and so must be carried more like a small suitcase or large briefcase (19" H x 23.5" W x 5.5 in" D). If you're going to be toting your crib around and/or flying with it a lot (as opposed to primarily using it at home and traveling with it just occasionally), that would be a really good reason to pick the Lotus. WINNER: LOTUS MATTRESS: The BabyBjorn has a slightly thicker & cushier mattress. Also, for me it lies more consistently flat on the floor. WINNER: BABYBJORN ACCESS TO BABY: The Lotus has a zip-up door that either the child or an adult can crawl through; the BabyBjorn doesn't. I found the door to be a killer feature for my first child, who often needed to be soothed/nursed to sleep. With my second child this was a non-issue, but if you have a kid like my first, then that is reason enough to choose to Lotus. WINNER: LOTUS BUILD QUALITY: It feels like the Bjorn is constructed of higher quality materials, and feels more durable. The legs on the Lotus sometimes bend a little funny & get in the way of folding up the crib. Also there is some padding on the Lotus legs (to prevent abrasions when folded up?) that is attached to the legs with some sort of adhesive that is starting to peel off on my crib. I haven't washed the Bjorn fabric yet, but when I washed the Lotus fabric for the first time, the little plastic pieces that connect to the legs and are sewn to the Lotus fabric ended up snagging the mesh fabric in a few places in the washer, which continues to irritate me every time I look at it. WINNER: BABYBJORN STABILITY: If you jiggle the two frames after the cribs have been set up, the BabyBjorn feels a little more stable (presumably because the legs are more angled). We never had a problem with our child knocking over the Lotus, but he's a pretty chill kid. Could possibly be a factor if you have a hellion. WINNER: BABYBJORN TOXICITY: The two cribs are constructed of similar materials: polyester top fabric & mesh, and flame retardant-free polyurethane foam mattress. The Lotus is free of flame retardants, PVC, lead, phthalates, formaldehyde, and heavy metals (e.g. Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury). The Bjorn is Oeko-Tex certified. Bottom line, they both sound pretty chemical-free (especially as compared to other manufacturers who use flame retardants in the foam), but I personally prefer the Oeko-Tex certification since there is third-party testing involved and they screen for a broader array of harmful substances. WINNER: BABYBJORN PRICE/VALUE: The BabyBjorn is a little more expensive. But it also includes a fitted sheet (and an organic, very soft one at that), which the Lotus doesn't. Even without the sheet difference, I would personally consider the price difference justified based on the Bjorn's superior build quality. WINNER: TIE BASSINET EXPANSION: The Lotus is convertible to a bassinet (with purchase of a separate bassinet conversion kit); the BabyBjorn is not. For the Lotus, you use the same frame, but replace the crib fabric and mattress with modified versions for the bassinet (the smaller bassinet mattress is suspended from the frame instead of resting on the ground). We used the bassinet with kid #2 for the first six months, and we loved it. It was light & easy to take on the go or travel with. WINNER: LOTUS BOTTOM LINE: They're both great cribs. I personally marginally prefer the BabyBjorn (at least for the way that we use it -- primarily within our home), due to its higher build quality, easier setup/takedown, thicker mattress, and Oeko-Tex certification. HOWEVER, the trade-off is a larger folded up size, a bit more cramped interior space, no zip-up door, a slightly higher price, and no bassinet option. If you are going to be traveling/flying with your crib a lot, you foresee yourself regularly being able to make use of the zip-up door (e.g. to soothe/nurse your baby to sleep), and/or you don't already have a separate bassinet for the newborn period, then the Lotus might be a better choice for you! Good luck with finding the best fit for your family!