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Over half of the portable cots tested by CHOICE fail safety standards

Our testing reveals portable cots from brands including Kmart, Childcare and Baby Bunting (Jengo) pose serious safety risks. 

three of the portacots that failed safety tests
Pru Engel
Last updated: 06 March 2025
Fact-checked

Fact-checked

Checked for accuracy by our qualified verifiers and subject experts. Find out more about fact-checking at CHOICE.

Need to know

  • 16 out of 27 currently available portable cots reviewed by our experts failed to meet key safety standards, including one cot that has six serious safety failures
  • Most of the safety failures relate to soft or poorly fitting mattresses, which can increase the risk of sudden unexpected infant death
  • CHOICE experts say the new mandatory safety standard for infant sleeping surfaces could see better products on shelves, but there's still a way to go

A portable cot (also known as a travel cot or portacot) is a handy item to have in the first few years of your child's life. It's great for holidays and sleepovers, and a convenient option if you want a second, collapsible cot at the grandparents' or another carer's house. 

But CHOICE experts recommend taking great caution when you're buying this product, as many popular brands pose serious safety risks to babies. 

In our lab tests, over half of these products failed key safety requirements

Kim Gilmour, CHOICE testing expert

"In our expert labs, we regularly test a selection of portable cots currently available on the Australian market," says CHOICE testing expert Kim Gilmour. 

"In our lab tests, over half of these products failed key safety requirements, which is a really disappointing result. Unfortunately, this is something we are used to seeing with this particular baby product.

"We assess all models in our labs against the most current Australian safety standard for portable cots, and are seeing models that fail crucial safety tests, such as mattress firmness."

Gilmour says the new mandatory standard for portable cots, to come into law from January 2026, means that portable cots will need to comply with the most current Australian safety standard (the one CHOICE tests to) or other similar European or US standard.

On this page:

The problems with unsafe portable cots

"One portable cot scored 0% for performance, and several others received performance scores as low as 20%, simply because they had so many failures," says Gilmour. 

In fact, 16 of the 27 models in our current review failed to pass CHOICE's key safety requirements – that's more than half, a worryingly high proportion.

baby_sitting_in_portable_cot_with_netting_sides

It's important that you not only buy a safe portacot, but that you also use it safely.

Products that failed did so for a number of reasons, including major head and limb entrapment risks and suffocation risks. 

Less serious hazards include finger entrapment risks, or the possibility a child may be able to open a zipper or combination of zippers and get out of the cot.

"Most of the safety failures we see relate to the portacot mattress either being not firm enough or not fitting snugly inside the portacot base," says Gilmour.

"Soft or poorly fitting mattresses can increase the risk of sudden unexpected infant death if an infant rolls face-first into it. 

Soft or poorly fitting mattresses can increase the risk of sudden unexpected infant death

Kim Gilmour, CHOICE baby and kids expert

"The good news is there are still plenty of safe portable cots that do pass our safety tests, and which we can recommend to parents. Others have only minor safety issues.

"However, when choosing a portacot for your baby, you want to make sure you're making the safest choice possible, so we strongly recommend checking our reviews before you buy.

"And if you've already purchased one of these unsafe cots, CHOICE recommends you return it to the retailer or manufacturer and ask for a full refund. You should note however that they may not oblige unless the cot has been officially recalled."

The cot with six serious safety failures

In our mind, a cot with even one serious safety failure is one failure too many. But a cot with six serious failures is one that goes straight to the blacklist. 

Vevor is a home improvement retailer that says it sells "a selection of affordable and reliable products to customers around the world" on its own website as well as Amazon, eBay and other online marketplaces. In addition to products like tools, garden essentials, outdoor equipment and automotive supplies, Vevor also sells baby products. 

CHOICE expert testers found six serious safety failures with the Vevor Baby Bassinet P9070, a convertible cot/bassinet/bedside sleeper/change table mash-up. 

"Safety has taken a back seat with this cot, especially as it's trying to be so many things at the same time," says Gilmour.

"Our accredited labs test to current Australian standards and with the Vevor we found so many failures that our experts had no hesitation giving it a performance score of zero.

"The failures include multiple fall risks including with the attached change table, as well as head, neck and limb entrapment hazards. The mattress isn't firm enough, and there are areas where the material is not breathable and could pose a suffocation risk." 

The Vevor portable cot's serious safety failures

  • Fall risk: The height between the mattress and the top of the cot when it was in both the cot and bassinet adjustable positions (and with the cot side down) is too shallow.
  • Suffocation risk: Problems with non-breathable material and zones near where a child would sleep.
  • Suffocation risk: Mattress is not firm enough, creating a possible suffocation risk if a child rolls onto their side or front.
  • Neck entrapment risks: At the top rails at the ends of the cot if the locking mechanism fails and the cot collapses inwards. 
  • Fall risk: Due to insufficient barriers on the supplied change table.
  • Head and limb entrapment risks: At various areas of the cot.

The portable cots that failed our key safety tests

Our full portable cot reviews include information on why these models failed safety tests (and responses from the manufacturers), plus portable cots that we do recommend as safe options.

Responses from manufacturers

In response to our tests, manufacturers disagreed with our results, showing us reports from third-party labs that indicate that their products pass safety standards. At CHOICE, we operate our own in-house accredited lab, and we stand by our results.

Tips for buying a portacot and how to use it safely

"Price or brand is not an indicator of how safe these products are," says Gilmour.

"We find that even some of the leading brands of portacots have issues that pose safety risks for babies. 

"Our advice is to always check our reviews and do some research before you settle on which one to purchase." 

Here are some tips on how to buy and use a portacot safely:

  • Travel cots are designed to be used temporarily only – they are not suitable to use as a permanent sleep option. 
  • Before you buy, check the government's product safety website to see if there have been any product recalls or safety issues with particular brands or models. 
  • Only use the mattress or padded base supplied by the manufacturer – don't use other mattresses, as they can pose a suffocation risk or make the cot too shallow, allowing a child to climb out too easily. 
  • The mattress should be firm and snug-fitting all around to avoid trapping the baby's head. 
  • Make sure there is breathable mesh material all around where it meets the top of the mattress area.
  • Make sure there's nothing sticking out that could snag the baby's clothes or act as a foothold for the baby to climb out. 
  • Don't position the cot beside blind cords, power points, windows or other hazards. 
  • Never put pillows, cot bumpers or soft toys in the portacot – not only because they're a suffocation risk, but because they can also be used to climb out. 
  • Once the baby weighs more than 15kg, or can undo the folding latches, stop using the portacot.

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Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.

With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.

You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.

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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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