I'm looking for a travel crib that will easily come on the airplane with us... either in our checked bag or as a carry on. Has anyone used either the baby bjorn or lotus? Did you like it? At what age did your LO grow out of it?
Lotus: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKDSNG/ref=pd_luc_sbs_02_03_t_lh?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I have the Bjorn and it is light, easy to set up, comes in a case, has a nice mattress and my 2.5 year old still fits but probably for not much longer!
It is too big as a carryon and the floor level mattress was kinda annoying when I first bought it. My inlaws and parents hate it because it was hard for them to lean in to get LO out...before she could stand up!
eggplant / 11716 posts
@sarah.clarisse: I know several Bees have the baby Bjorn, so hopefully they will post here. I have the Lotus and we like it enough---we have taken it as a carry on. It's pretty small and light weight for a crib and has the backpack straps.
Like all travel cribs, there are annoyances, like the fact that my arms aren't long enough to drop my baby in from the top without waking her. The lotus has the side door, which my husband uses by sloooooowwwwwwwlllllyyyy zipping it after LO is asleep. But that makes me paranoid about waking her, so I take my chances with dropping her in from the top (she free falls the last inch or so, haha).
It's a breeze to set up and fold down. And I've heard the Bjorn mattress is thicker and better, but our LO has had no problems sleeping on the Lotus, especially if you set it up on carpet or a rug.
She's 13 months and still fits. I think she'll probably fit till she's 2 or so.
apricot / 360 posts
@autumnlove: @Anagram: Thanks ladies! I might just order both on amazon today and decide once I receive them 
pomelo / 5228 posts
We have the lotus and I like it so far! But it's only been a week and a half and we haven't tried taking it anywhere
kiwi / 524 posts
We have both (long story). They're both great.
I like the Bjorn better in general (mainly because it's easier to change the sheets), but the zipper on the Lotus is nice. Plus, the Lotus is small enough to carry on the plane and it has backpack straps. The Bjorn is a little taller, so that might make it last longer.
pineapple / 12053 posts
get the lotus! i can't recommend it enough! LO has slept in closets, tents, an rv, multiple homes, the beach, etc. and we love that thing! the zip is awesome.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
@sarah.clarisse: We have the Bjorn. Traveled to the Bahamas, CA and FL with it. DS slept extremely well and it's light and SO easy to put together and take apart.
We used it last this past July. DS was 19 months old, 33 inches tall. We're gonna use it again next month when he's 21 months old.
I'm thinking we'll probably have to retire it before he's 3.
pineapple / 12566 posts
I like the easy set up of the Bjorn. It can't usually be carried on a plane though. We carried it on once on a 747 or 777 for an international flight and it fit, but it won't fit on most planes.
ETA as for fit, my son is 3.5 and about 42 inches and he can still fit in the Bjorn, but he always sleeps curled up.
pear / 1961 posts
We got the Lotus instead of the Bjorn because we wanted something that can definitely be a carry-on when travelling. It's been great, and we are going to get the new(ish) bassinet kit so that we can use it right away for Baby #2 due this fall.
We didn't get it until LO was 18 months old, so I can see how some would not like the low mattress for young babies. However, I think the bassinet kit would take care of that.
LO is 27 months now, and has actually been sleeping in it for the last 6 weeks while we are in some short-term housing. She STTN, so apparently it's comfortable We did get the plush sheet, which we turn inside out when it's warm. It gives a bit of extra padding. She still has room to grow in it length-wise; I think it's a bit longer (and a bit narrower?) than the standard pack-n-play.
Now that she's older, she loves the zipper side entry so that she can play in it (putting her "babies" to sleep, etc). I also love the fact that when she wakes up, it's light enough to move around (place on top of a bed if there is one in the room, etc) to get it out of the way for the day without having to deconstruct it.
nectarine / 2054 posts
We have the Lotus and love it. It's easy to carry through the airport as a backpack, and I like the flexibility of being able to carry it on, especially when you need to pay to check bags. It's light but sturdy, and easy to set up. I think the Bjorn crib (which my parents have in their house, so we have tried it) is a little cushier (in the regular version, not the light), but heavier and larger.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
Have the bjorn and really like it. We moved cross country and planned to do a lot of traveling so I got it when T was about 16 months. Have checked it with our luggage no problem and it's pretty slim so doesnt take up a lot of space on car trips. 't definitely got our money's worth with it. It's so light and easy to fold up and also easy to clean. The fact that the mattress is on the floor is a little annoying but I never had to deal with a newborn in it. If I had known about the bjorn I never would have gotten a pack n play.
cherry / 185 posts
I love our Lotus! I don't own the Bjorn so I can't compare the two, but I wholeheartedly recommend the Lotus to friends
pomegranate / 3401 posts
We have the Lotus and love it! Fits into an airplane overhead compartment and such a breeze to set up. The only thing I don't like about it is the sheet situation. You have to thread these little Velcro tabs thru the sheet to fasten it to the mattress. It's quite annoying. I think I'm just going to get a different sheet for it.
We have traveled extensively with it though. Even overseas! It's been great.
apple seed / 2 posts
@sarah.clarisse: I know this post is a year old, but can you tell me which crib you decided on? I am trying to decide between the two for my 10 month old!
kiwi / 603 posts
I have the lotus but have used a borrowed bjorn. Prefer the lotus but both are so low to the ground it's a pain to get them in gently until they are at least 6 months. But love how it's lightweight and easy to setup and take down. We've used ours tons over the last 18 months.
apricot / 360 posts
@cglewis: we ended up with the lotus and have been very happy with it. LO is almost 2 and we are still using it when we travel.
We ordered both from amazon since they do free returns on baby items so we could compare. I honestly don't remember why we picked it over the born but I do remembwr it being an obvious choice
One thing we do since LO is older and I feel bad about the hard floor under the think mattress is we fold a small blanket and put it between his sheet and the matress pad. I think it helps take the chill off of the cold plastic pad cover and gives extra padding. We just use a regular crib mattress and tuck the extra fabric under.
nectarine / 2433 posts
@cglewis: I know you weren't asking me but we ended up getting a Lotus on the recommendation of lots of bees when I posted a similar question a couple of weeks ago
http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/infant-travel-crib#post-2271775
We are currently on our trip with the crib and our DD has been sleeping well in it and it is just super easy to set up and take down
apple seed / 2 posts
Thank you for all your responses!! I really like the Lotus, but I haven't been able to commit because I keep being drawn to the thicker mattress with the BB. 
Maybe I will be able to commit now!
nectarine / 2210 posts
We have the lotus. We actually inherited ours from a friend and I had no idea who made it until a few weeks ago. We haven't had any issues with it, especially when you factor in that it was free and like new.
bananas / 9229 posts
We have the Baby Bjorn travel crib and love it. It's super light - about 10 lbs I think? I've had no issues transporting it, setting it up, nothing.
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