On the topic of being out and about, where do you start when you’re travelling or staying with your folks perhaps? A travel cot is always useful to have at hand, whether for yourself or for any visitors you may have. They’re pretty bog standard to be honest, we’ve had a couple and they’re pretty much all the same.

We went for a cheapie from www.kiddicare.com which has done us well. The only annoying point on it is the mattress which is covered in a waterproof fabric. It’s great as it’s hard wearing, but every time your baby turns over the fabric rustles – even with a sheet on it the sound of the fabric rubbing is a little noisy. Just a minor complaint though.

If I was choosing again, I might also look for a lighter one – ours is a bit heavy. And our in-laws have one which has a carry handle integrated onto the mattress, which means that you don’t have to slide the cot back into it’s protective cover each time, which can be a little awkward.

I’ve also seen a teeny tiny samsonite pop up cot which is cute, but ultimately will only be useful for a short period of time, so not really worth bothering about.

And once your little one is too big for a travel cot, what then? Well you can buy an integrated ready bed which is basically a blow-up mattress, with an integral sheet, duvet and pillow. We’ve got a Spiderman one for Archie which he loves and so do his friends when they come to stay. However when we go camping later in the year, I’ll be investing in one of these: http://www.intertent.co.uk/product2_869-5-9-1532_Kampa-Airlock-Junior-Bed.htm

They’re great – the air ridge round the outside stops your pre-schooler falling out of bed and they can just sleep in their normal gro-bag or proper sleeping bag. And they’re cheaper than a ready bed too!

We’ll be testing these out later in the summer when we attend a few festivals…Larmer Tree Festival (www.larmertreefestival.co.uk) is the first one coming up. And how that will be with 3 kids is anyone’s guess – but I’ll keep you posted!