Was the first year of motherhood the loneliest of your life? Vote now!

Win a fantastic prize when you recommend the babyworld shop to 6 friends click here

Product Reviews

Samsonite Pop Up Bubble

Number of reviews: 12
Overall score:

Lightweight travel cot
Available from Babyworld Shop, price Ł49.99

See our tests of similar products

Fantastic lightweight, portable cot!

Parent Panel review by Laura Johnson - review date 28 October 2005

Ease of Use/Construction and Fold: This pop-up tent is incredibly easy to set up. You remove the coiled 'bubble' from between the folded mattress, throw it gently on the floor and stand back. Instantly, you have the basic shape of the cot. The next job is to insert two thin poles at the top to ensure it is sturdy and place the mattress inside. The whole thing is incredibly quick and simple. Packing it away however, is not as straightforward and usually ends up in a wrestling match, for us at least.

There is a knack to twisting the frame of the bubble the right way so that it ends up in the tiny coiled circular shape. Unfortunately, we don't seem to have it. If you've ever tried to pack away a pop-up play tent, I'm sure you can sympathise. Sometimes we can get it right straightaway, other times it takes us a while before we manage it. I think if we were using this regularly, we wouldn't have a problem, but because there are gaps of a few weeks in between, we usually forget how to do it and end up most frustrated.

Portability: This travel cot is incredibly light and portable. It weighs around 3kg and you could definitely fit it in your suitcase if you needed to. It comes with its own carry bag that you can easily sling over your shoulder. It is about a quarter of the size of a regular carry cot and this frees up a lot of space in the car boot. You could also take this on a train or coach with no bother.

Versatility: This is really meant for occasional use, but you could use it as a play tent and it has a mosquito net attached, so you could use it abroad.

Comfort/Quality: The quality and 'build' are excellent. The mattress however, is a little hard and may need extra padding, although the manufacturers do not recommend you do this. It should last your baby until s/he is 18 months.

Value for money: A little on the expensive side for what is essentially a pop up tent with a mattress, but if light weight and small size are important, then this is the one for you. If not, you might be better off getting a traditional style cot and getting extra use out of it as a playpen.

Best Feature: So quick to put up.

Worst Feature: Not so easy to put down.

Verdict: Fantastic if weight and size are important to you. Be prepared to flex your muscles though!

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

About the reviewer:

Mum to Beth, 5 months

Member reviews

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"Absolutely Fantastic!!"
I first saw the Samsonite pop up bubble travel cot at my sons childminders house and was very intrigued by it. She had great pleasure in telling me all about it and I was completely amazed at how easy it was to pop it up! I was equally impressed with how it went into its own little bag- so light and easy to carry.

She'd had a child who brought one with him a couple of years ago and she has since bought another for her to keep there.

To put it up you just open the bag, take out the mattress which is cleverly folded up and take out the cot which is in a flat little circle. It literally pops up! You then just have to lie the mattress in and put 2 rods in the top and that's it! A friend of mine had a travel cot before that was so much hassle to put up and down and was quite heavy and bulky to carry around so she just never used it.

I must admit it took me a few attempts to put it back down but once I had the hang of it that too now takes seconds. Its the same as the pop up tents and things you can get. You hold it at each end and twist the top right hand over and it actually folds itself into 3 little circles.

I did loose one of these rods (I loose a lot of things though to be fair!) but I was able to buy another set another from their office. The lady I spoke to was really friendly & helpful and I received the replacement set the next day!

We use our cot all of the time because my son now recognises it as his little place where he goes for his naps. He uses it there and its easy to keep in the car so I can take it to friends and my moms so I never have to worry about where to put him down for a nap.

We are also going abroad for the first time this year and I know that it will be an absolute godsend to have it with us. Its ideal to travel with & I know he will have no trouble sleeping in it as it's familiar to him. The net will also protect him from any little mosquitoes and things.

I have read on a review about an older child pushing the cot over but to be honest I was surprised. It is quite clear to me what it is, it wouldn't be so light if it had huge solid weights in it! I place mine on the floor (on top of a quilt to make it extra comfy) and I'm never too far away while he sleeps. It's probably not ideal for a play pen or to use all night every night, especially when your child is crawling around but then I don't think that's what it's meant to be! To me it does exactly what it says on the tin so to speak.

I would recommend this 100% and have found it excellent value for money too as it's so practical I use it frequently.
Member review by JESS - mother of one - review date 23 June 2009

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"Couldn't live without mine"
My sister (who has two children before me) bought me one of these. My husband goes away a lot on business, so I am always going to see friends and family and staying away when he is away.

So, I really needed something quick and small to pack away for me to use with my baby. As I was constantly unloading and loading the car and was trying to carry a heavy clumsy travel cot everywhere.

Anyway my sis got me one of these (I think she took pity on me unloading the car all the time!) and I think its briliant.

It takes up no room in your car / luggage, and is so fast to put up and down. Even though the mattress as some has said is not very thick, when you are using it on carpeted floor it is totally fine. I have read somewhere samsonite are selling a blow up mattress that fits inside the cots which could be a good addition if you are using it on really hard flooring.

My baby has always slept really well in the cot and we have not had any problems. when he went through a phase of being a wriggler I used to leave the front zipped open and that created no problems with it tipping over.

I honestly could not have lived without mine. And made my life sooo much easier!!
Member review by fiona - Mum of one (1yr old boy) - review date 22 June 2009

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"Disappointed"
Initially a great buy, until my son was 3 months old and rolling over. He managed to roll out of the bubble a number of times and toppled it also. We had to buy a travel cot in the end. I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL FOR ANY BABY OVER 3 MONTHS. Product says that it can be used up to 18 months. NOT A HOPE! We wasted Euro's 75 on this.
Member review by Fiona - Mother of 1 - 14 months - review date 23 July 2008

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"essential travelling companion!"
We recently travelled to California with our 6 month old daughter. Our pink bubble tent was invaluable - light to carry, easy to assemble and most importantly our baby loved it and slept really well.
Member review by Caroline - new mother of one - review date 1 October 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"Great - until they get active!"
Fantastic, lightweight product, really easy to put up and take down.

However the mattress is really thin. Unless you are traveling abroad and need mosquito protection you may as well just place baby on a blanket on the floor. Because as soon as your little one can roll/move they can escape! My little girl learnt to roll at 9 weeks and has rolled out of this in the night more than once and we dare not do the door up in case she topples the whole thing over!
Member review by Helen - mother of one - review date 13 September 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"Not as good as I'd hoped."
Having hunted high and low for something that I could safely put my son in to have tummy time or just to roll about, that would ensure that he didn't get two interested cats coming up and disturbing him, I stumbled across the "Samsonite Pop Up Bubble".

It appeared at first to tick all the boxes as it is lightweight, portable & it zips up, meaning that nothing could get in and pay unwanted attention to Oscar (even MIL's dogs or wasps in the garden).

Our initial reaction to it was "WoW!, fantastic" as it popped up easily & created a that all important "safe haven" for Oscar to rest/play in. It was incredibly easy to put up & didn't take up too much space (actually, it looked quite cool I thought and our friends all said the same).

We bought the Bubble when Oscar was just 8 weeks old as he needed to be watched constantly following surgery & it seemed the safest way of having him nap in the living room with me.

At first I didn't object to paying the £50 for it as I could see it being used all the time and for at least 18 months. HOWEVER.... it soon became apparent that although it ticked the boxes of carrying weight, size, cat safety, it was seriously lacking elsewhere...

The matress:-

(if that is what it can be called) is thin, very thin... and upon a hard floor it was not enough for Oscar to sleep on. He woke after 5 minutes every time he was put in the bubble and cried. I had to put extra padding - lots of it - on the base until it was suitably comfortable for a young baby. In fact, in the end I resorted to putting his moses basket in there.

Folding it up:-

Almost impossible. Two of us had a go and now we have a bent & out of shape Bubble that doesn't fit well into it's carrier bag.

For older children:-

Bearing in mind we planned to use this until our son was 18 months old we were very upset when a friends 12 month old son was put to sleep in it as he ended up injured. He had tried to stand up and leant on the side... it tipped & poor Noah landed on his forehead. Needless to say he was upset and we have not since put Oscar in it.

On the whole the concept is fabulous and it could work really well.

In reality, I am sad to say that I feel this is *the most pointless* piece of baby equipment I have and I feel I have wasted £50. It has been resigned to the cupboard & is unlikely to see the light of day again.... sadly I can't even sell it on ebay as it is bent. :(
Member review by Jeni - Mum to Oscar - review date 26 August 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"truly portable travel cot"
The Samsonite Pop Up Bubble really is a lightweight, compact travel cot. It sets up and folds away in just a few minutes, and comes with a zippered pouch for traveling. It opens to a full-sized cot, with an attached pop-up tent overhead. A zippered mosquito net can be folded away into a neat pocket in one corner.

Our 8-week old baby seemed perfectly content to play or sleep in it. Our 3-year old was excited to play in it as well, but we found that there were a few problems with this: She could zip herself in but not back out so called for help numerous times. It can also tip over easily with a heavier, mobile, child leaning on the sides. Also, the fabric used is quite lightweight, and it seems that an older child could easily stress the seams and cause tears.

I would feel comfortable using this for a young baby but would want to be close by as soon as they start to crawl. So this cot may not be useful for sleeping for as long as a more traditional folding cot that could be used safely until 2 or 3 years old (or until they start climbing out). The manufacturers suggest using it from birth to 18 months.

The mosquito net makes this a nice item to take outdoors, although the pop-up canopy doesn't provide much sun protection and it seems to get a bit warm inside when it's zipped.

This cot is great for getting around, whether for travel or for day outings, as it really is lightweight and compact. On the other hand, those same features make it less useful in the long-term as children get bigger, rougher, and more mobile. For toddlers and preschoolers, I'd keep it at home as a play tent, or at least leave the side open and not count on them to stay inside.
Member review by Joy - mother of two - review date 30 July 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"great for travelling with baby"
Light, comact, great for travelling with a baby, only draw back is it isn't the easiest to get back in the bag, but you have great fun trying!!!
Member review by michelle - Mother of a 2 1/2 year old boy - review date 21 June 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"At first Great, then Awful"
this is great, looked fantastic, lightweight, useful until baby stands. the second time we used it, we must have put the thing back in the wrong way (there's no warning) and it never folded out. That meant we were stuck in a strange place with a screaming baby who needed to go to sleep...and there was nowhere to put her. Used once, so 60 pounds well spent...not. needless to say, Samsonite customer service is diabolical. an expensive lesson, don't trust them.
Member review by glitter - mother of one - review date 30 April 2007

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"good until baby can stand"
I found the samsonite pop up travel cot really light and easy to pack. The only problem would be the age range that is recommended. I used it with my son of 12 months - he kept standing up and pushing the cot over. we ended up leaving the side open with a duvet on the floor so that he could wriggle around in the night rather than get stuck. i would recommend the cot for any babies who cannot yet stand
Member review by emma - review date 13 June 2006

Ease of Use:
Value for Money:
Quality:
Overall score:

"samsonite pop up bubble"
It's really lightweight and portable. Useful as we are away quite alot visiting friends and family.

We bought this after our boy had grown out of the smaller samsonite pop up cot which we also thought was excellent.

We find the bubble easy to put up and down. We seem to have the knack at coiling the wire frame - just twist like wringing out a cloth and continue twisting until it pops into three coils. It will then fit neatly in the bag.

We have found the mattress a little thin, but then all travel cots have thin mattresses. We have bought a made-to-measure fold-up travel matress which is about 5cm thick to put in the bottom (see Mattress Makers for Babies shop on ebay). This makes it much more comfortable for longer use and doesn't add much extra to carry.
Member review by Kristina - review date 3 May 2006

add your review | return to product tests