We have a traditional pack and play and a PeaPod.  Love the portability of the PeaPod, but the darn thing is so NOISY.  I wish they would have coated the zippers in rubber to prevent the jingling.  It’s ridiculous to lower a sleeping baby into it and try to zip it.  And as for older kids, they often disturb themselves if they thrash around too much at night. 

But, all the same, I do prefer it to the Pack and Play for sleep purposes.

Oh, and I was going to mention that as cool as this seems, there’s no way we’d pay that much for a travel bed to be used for a limited number of years.  Sad, being as how it’s better than what’s out there.  But alas, that’s the plight of many products today.

I have to agree with Jen… as cool as this is, there is no way I would ever pay $280 for it, nor would I add it to a registry in hopes someone would pick it up for us; it just seems excessive.

there is simply no way I’d pay this much, hands down.  Could you not buy another crib for that price almost?  Sure it may not be the prettiest ever, but for that much - my goodness!

Yeah, I have to agree with everyone that this price point is insane...no way would I put that kind of money into something we use 2-3 times a year at best. With the light materials, you’d think that they could afford to lower the price point. Maybe they’ll see this post and do something about it.

I would have been very tempted to get that instead of the Pack & Play. The price would have been the deciding factor making me get the P&P;.
I’m with you on the price of strollers. Hope all baby gear doesn’t end up like them price wise.

I would love to have this, but there is not a chance I would pay that price.  Unfortunately there will always be people out there who are willing to spend extra money on something because of the perception that it is the “best”.  I doubt the price will come down, but they could prove me wrong.

I agree that the cost would be very prohibitive. I couldn’t justify it. I love the compact design when it’s folded. We could have used that on our recent trip. The pack ‘n play took up quite a bit of space in our trunk and was carried back and forth into three different hotels and two homes.

At a lower price point, I would have considered it.

It looks easy to use which would have been a plus when I took my little guy into work with me.

How is the structure to it? The pack ‘n play seems very sturdy with it’s rigid padded liner/mattress. Does this one have a lot of give? What about breathability as far as toddlers putting their faces against the sides while sleeping? It looked like the mesh started further up.

Also, most new pack ‘n plays have the bassinet insert which gives even more function. We used ours bedside when our child was an infant.

I would definitely give this one a try given the chance, but I don’t think I could justify buying it or even asking for it as a gift at that price.

(I appreciate the video demo!)

It seems way to pricey for an portable crib - an item that is incredibly ubiquitous. We travel a lot and in my son’s 10 months has has been to 6 different states (6 separate trips) and has spent the night away from home several other times. We have never had to travel with a portable crib because everyone already has one. Even my mom was given one when she became a grandma so our rarely leaves the closet. We paid $40 for ours so it would be difficult to shell out $280.

I agree, the price is practically the same amount we paid for our son’s wooden crib here at home.

But I will admit, after trying to decide between this and the phil & ted’s traveller earlier this year, we opted for the latter.  We have used it more than I could ever imagine (almost ever week and when we travel out of town, which has been a LOT), it’s light weight, a little more cumbersome to put together compared to the Baby Bjorn one above, but quite sturdy and our son loves it.

Now that he is approaching a year, and is definitely exerting his strength (pulling up, rocking, testing limits, etc), on this last trip over xmas we opted for the graco pack-in-play just for reassurance.  But, I imagine in the next couple of months we will go back to the traveller, as the weight, space, portability, and all-around ease of use is just too much to pass up.

As an industrial designer, mother, and purveyor of all things modern and functional, I would ask that you consider that perhaps the higher price is related to the cost of employing the expertise of designers and engineers who took design of this travel crib to the next level. The other companies likely “redesign” the graphics, color schemes, and add a new simple function to an existing design. Whereas Baby Bjorn chose to employ more than the three hours needed to do the above and reconceptualize the entire make of a travel crib.

You get what you pay for. If you can not afford it now, keep in mind that the Graco’s out there will have to keep up with the new trends and demand for better design by making (copying) something to fit into their pricepoint.

Remember that is always better to see innovation that is without of reach at the present than to see none at all.

Lisa, point well made.  Hopefully the industry will keep up.

I think that the price is high, but it was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought it. I live about 6 blocks away from my parents in the city… neither of our apartments are very big, so we could not both store a large Pack n Play.  However, this Baby Bjorn travel crib is perfect. It sets up in less than 30 seconds, it takes much less space to store, and for us, most importantly, it is light enough to carry back and forth from my apartment to my parent’s apartment.  So becuase I find myslef using it every week, and need to carry it while walking, this was the only product that make sense.  All other travel cribs were to heavy or the ligter options (like the PeaPo) were not very functional.  So I decided to pay the price and could not be happier.  A great product for me, but too expensive if you only use a few times a year.

How does it compare to phil & ted’s travel crib? The Phil & Ted crib is only $150. . .

Lisa made a good point… I do have to admit that we bought a rather expensive stroller, but we bought it because it had the small footprint of a single in a double stroller, in addition to other features we were seeking (a Phil and Ted’s Dash).  That being said, sometimes there is room to spend more to get a well designed product.  I have a bit of trouble in the issue of Bjorn, though.. Their products are good, no doubt.  But I never have found them innovative enough to warrant paying an arm and a leg.  However, perhaps in this instance, the innovations made are worth the extra for those who will use it frequently.

The price is outrageous and it is not aesthetically exciting either. We travel a lot as well, but we co-sleep and if you travel by air as we do, the baggage restrictions are tight.

I like the Pack ‘N Play with bassinet because you can use it for a downstairs changing table or toy storage. We did use it as a play pen a few times, but never brought it anywhere for traveling.

@Lisa, your point about the cost of good design is well-taken. In the end, though, the issue of knock-offs you allude to (trickle-down benefits for consumers who can’t afford a $280 price tag) could be a good argument for pricing this item lower, despite the initial R and D, to help keep this product competitive even when those products arrive. But different companies have different pricing philosophies when it comes to new design.

Also (to no one in particular) it’s worth noting that although this crib does take up less “packed” space than the Pack ‘n’ Play, I’m not sure it’s a lot. It’s distributed differently (flatter and taller versus more log-shaped) which may work better for some travel arrangements, and the total length of the packed package might be less. But it is still pretty large - the really obvious difference is the weight.

My wife and I got this from Amazon 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas for $180. We went on a cruise in September where our now 21 month old refused to sleep in the provided playpen, and we’ve had similar experiences in past travel. We travelled to CO for 2 weeks over the holiday, and prepared for it by letting our daughter sleep naps in this travel crib at home for a couple of weeks prior, so that she got used to it.

The result? From the first night, even getting in way past her bedtime and having her sleep in a room she had never been in, she went down with no problems, and that continued for the whole trip, even when we tried one nap at her grandpa’s.

In other words, we can’t recommend this enough. It instantly gave her something she was familiar with, it’s lightweight and fit in one of our suitcases, it’s super easy to setup and takedown, it’s a thick enough mattress (no uncomfortable bar under a thin mattress like our playpen), and it let us and her sleep. Very worth the money (though yes, full price would have been tougher).

I notice someone else asked about the stability, and that is my concern as well. My 18-month old still sleeps in the Pack-n-Play in our room when he wakes up in the middle of the night. He can kick his leg up on the top of the Pack-n-Play and climb out of it. Somehow this Bjorn travel crib doesn’t look as sturdy, like it may tip over if he tried that.

It looks and sounds great, however, the price makes it an imediate no for me.  Especially since I’d be replacing my pack n play.  I did like the idea that it would last longer, going up to three years, than the P&P;.  My daughter out grew it right before turning two.  Grandmom then got her a Regalo toddler cot for @ $30 at Walmart.  It’s about the size and weight of a P&P;folded, and works for a Toddler used to a bed.  I also like the changing table feature on the P&P;when we travel with my son.

Having just come home (literally) and checked in to Z recommends, have to say it is funny to find a review of baby’s favorite travel crib reviewed!  Have to say he loves it as much as we do!  It is awesome and totally worth the money.  Couldn’t imagine dragging a p&p;anywhere & seeing as I don’t camp we decided that the P&T;was something we needed and the difficulty (from what reviewers said about setting it up) made buying the BB an easy decision.  It was @$220 at a local box chain & with the 20% off coupon was totally worth it.  As was mentioned the legs at night in a small room or when trying to put baby down is a pain (yes, have walked into the more than once :).  The other comment I have is the fact that they don’t give you a sheet with it and I’m not sure where to buy one.  I’ve found that if you use a large towel and tuck it in really well it seems to work.  Besides these two draw backs, it is great, can be moved from one room to another and can be used for short periods of time as a place to keep baby when you need to do things (like pack the car).  Happy sleeping.....for all!

Yes, Melanie, the sales folks are writing in about are definitely a help in justifying the purchase of this well-designed product! You can buy sheets on Amazon.com for (wait for it) $40. Anyone seen a sale on those?

I LOVE IT… best purchase I’ve made. Got it at amazon.com for $169… YES, only $169… I don’t know why the price went that low, but it’s true, now it’s $199. I kept on looking on amazon and one day I saw it at $169 and got it immediately. Good luck!

What are the exact dimensions?  My twins are tall (but only 75th percentile, so not freakishly tall), so I can’t imagine they could have used this until anywhere close to age three. They outgrew the pack ‘n plays right around age two.

Twinsanity, the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib’s mattress measures 42” x 24”.

I saw a different review that said it was 4” longer than a P&P;. Also, several people have said a fitted crib sheet works on it just fine.

Because of the way the legs stick out it has added stability. I watched a video of an older baby trying to get out and he couldn’t- even though he tried hard.

To those of you who have the Baby Bjorn, how does it compare to the Pack n Play as a playpen?

The price is definitely due to quality of parts and Engineering.  This thing is made for function not fashion.  It gets the job done and at 11 lbs.  Travel with a Graco Pack in Play just once and you will gladly fork over the 100 dollar difference in price.  Trust me, thing is great!!

I have to say that the cost really depends on the overall value.  We have a larger family, my husband works as a writer - and money is up and down.

But - I’m glad we have the BB travel crib.  My sister has the Graco Pack n Play and it’s a real chore to watch her put it together, or to have it fall apart (weak velcro strap) while carrying it from the car to the house…

I love the BabyBjorn - it just really depends on what the budget is, I suppose (we’re not rich by any stretch, and we’re really frugal).

Good review - but I’d disagree with the closing statements (it just depends on budget).  We’re going to be done with kids soon - and will be able to sell our BB for 80% of the price, maybe 50% if we’re feeling like giving it away.  So the price isn’t really an issue in the long run.

With Graco...not so much.  The resale value is nowhere near the Baby Bjorn.