Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot Review

Quick Summary: I love the Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot. It is simple to use and of excellent quality. The quilted mattress is deep and comfortable for the child. The additional bassinet included in the price makes it ideal as a from birth option whether using it for travelling or within your home. The mesh sides give you 360 degrees of visibility whilst your little one sleeps or plays. There are, however, bigger travel cots on the market. This is suitable from birth to 22lbs (average 2 year old) so if you have a particularly chunky baby and want to use a travel cot for an extended period, this may not be the best option for you.

Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot Review

Bugaboo are known for their pushchairs and have a respected heritage within the UK market as a brand being synonymous with quality, style and design. In 2020, they launched their first piece of ‘home equipment’, a travel cot called The Stardust. We take a look to see whether this travel cot lives up to the Bugaboo reputation.

As with many of the more expensive travel cots, the Stardust comes with its own travel bag. It is easy to access the travel cot and there is no fighting to get the cot either in or out of its bag. The inclusion of the bag is a real must-have for me, to keep everything clean, not only when travelling but also when storing as let’s face it few people are going to use this all the time.

Baby Zip-In Bed (or bassinet)

Also included is the Baby zip-in bed which will lift the sleeping position for a newborn, meaning you do not have to reach all the way down to the base to remove your baby. This is designed to last for the first 6 months or until your little one can pull themselves up. It is safety tested to 9kg but your baby is likely to outgrow this mode before they reach 9kg! At this point it is a safety concern and you must remove the baby zip-in bed. When using the bassinet, you simply first remove the mattress from the base of the travel cot by unbuttoning it. The easiest way to do this I found was to lay the Stardust on its side. There are 8 connectors, one in each corner and then two in the middle of the sides on both sides. Although conceptually simple, it is a little fiddly.

You then need to attach the baby zip-in bed. Locate the red tab on the material - this is where you are going to start. This is the end of your zipper. Find the zipper connection on the travel cot itself which can be found in one of the corners and thread into position. The red tab will Velcro on to the main cot to keep it secure. Zip around all the 4 sides of the travel cot and hey presto you are almost there! Pop the mattress back in place making sure that you tuck the connecting tabs under the mattress.

As I mentioned, removing the mattress is a little bit of a faff but the great thing is that you can still fold the Stardust with the baby zip-in bed in place (see below)

How to unfold and fold the Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot

To unfold the Bugaboo Stardust, firstly release the two snaps on the side and then pull the ends apart. If the base does not snap into position (which it did almost every time for me), then just push down on the centre of the mattress. It really is as easy and as quick as that. I LOVE this feature, having fought with travel cots in the past whilst trying to put a grumpy baby to bed. Dare I say it, but even Grandparents are going to manage this!

To fold it back up again, simply lift the leavers on the interior of the sides, pop your foot underneath and gently kick upwards to release the lock. The Stardust folds in on itself easily and you can attach the snap locks to secure it in place. Again, this really is very simple!

To fold with the baby zip-in bed in position, just remove the mattress, pull the support board to one end and follow the steps as detailed above. You do then need to remember to pop the mattress in your travel bag of course. I love the fact that you can still fold the Stardust with the new born baby zip-in bed in place.

Our verdict

I love the Bugaboo Stardust Travel Cot. It is simple to use and of excellent quality. The quilted mattress is deep and comfortable for the child. The additional bassinet included in the price makes it ideal as a from birth option whether using it for travelling or within your home. The mesh sides give you 360 degrees of visibility whilst your little one sleeps or plays. The Stardust is suitable from birth to 15kg, your average 3 year old.