Graco Contour Electra Travel Cot Review

Our parent tester Hollie Bond put the Graco Contour Electra Travel Cot through its paces to find out if it would send her 10-month-old daughter Margot to sleep.

If you’re after an all-singing, all-dancing travel cot, the Graco Contour Electra may be the one for you. In our travel cots buying guide, it's our pick of the best buy vibration and musical features. So as you'd expect, it comes with lots of extras, such as a changing mat, newborn insert and even an integrated nightlight with music. It’s also one of the biggest cots on the market in terms of size.

Unfortunately, this also means it’s a bit bulky. ‘It's definitely the sort of travel cot you'd use if you were travelling by car, rather than lugging it around on public transport,’ said Hollie. ‘You'd also need a fairly large boot as otherwise, you'd have no room for this and your luggage/pushchair too.’ Considering its size, Hollie was surprised how easy it was to assemble. ‘I was so impressed that such a large and sturdy travel cot had such a clever and stress-free folding design,’ she said. This travel cot is mid-priced and would suit parents who want good quality and lots of newborn extras.

VIEW NOW - AMAZON | £114.99

Weighs: 12.9kg | Age: Birth to 15kg

Design

‘My first impression when it arrived in its box was that it was extremely heavy,’ said our tester Hollie. ‘I could barely lift it off the floor, so I was a bit apprehensive that it would be difficult to move and assemble.’ In fact, the box not only had the cot in, but loads of extras that she hadn’t expected from a travel cot at this price point.

‘I've had some really stressful situations when travelling trying to put up a cot or fold it down when the baby is crying, so I always dread this part,’ said Hollie. However, this cot is so easy to put up. ‘I didn't need to read the instruction manual - I just followed the simple pictures on the outside of the mattress and it all clicked into place in seconds.’ Folding down was just as easy and there are four buttons, one on each side of the cot, and you just press them and each side folds down.

The Graco Contour Electra is a full-sized cot and babies have loads of room to roll and move around – Hollie even found her 10-month-old daughter Margot could sleep in it widthways. The sides are made of mesh, so Margot could see out easily, and they were also really nice and high, so Hollie wasn’t worried she’d climb out. The only problem with the large size is if you're travelling somewhere with limited space such as a small hotel room or have a car with a small boot as you won’t be able to fit much else.

Comfort and features

The Graco Contour Electra comes with oodles of extras which are especially useful if you have a newborn. As well as the cot itself, you get a newborn bassinet, a removable changing table, a toy bar with toys and a nightlight with music that vibrates, helping the baby to sleep.

'As Margot is 10-months-old I didn't need to use the extras like the bassinet and changing table, but I assembled them and they would be ideal for a younger baby,’ said Hollie. ‘The only problem when it comes to travelling with a small baby is that all the extra bits don't fit in the one carry bag, so you'd have to pack these separately.’

That said, with the bassinet and the cot itself being so large, you will only need one travel cot from birth to toddler. It’s one of the widest travel cots on sale and can be used as a playpen with lots of space for toys. ‘I had no concerns that it might topple over when Margot was holding onto the sides,’ added Hollie. The mattress is raised from the ground which Hollie liked because it meant that Margot wouldn’t feel the draughts or any cold coming up through the floor. ‘The fold up mattress is one of the softer versions I've used, but like a lot of travel cots it's still pretty firm. The underside of the mattress is also really solid when it is folded up around the cot, so I'd have no worries that any parts would get damaged while travelling.’

Value for money

This is a mid-range travel cot that, considering its price, comes with a surprising number of extras. ‘The price isn't particularly budget and, although you get a lot for your money, I'd say there are many much cheaper travel cots out there,’ says Hollie. The fact that it is a large size and doubles as a playpen is a bonus though. It's a brilliant investment for new parents as it'll last you from newborn (the bassinet takes babies up to 6.5kg) until your little one is at least three years old (depending on their height and weight!). ‘This travel cot would suit parents who look for easy-to-use products that are all about functionality rather than looking particularly stylish,’ added Hollie.

You might also like to read our Joie Kubbie Sleep Travel Cot review – it’s our pick of the best travel cot overall, according to our parent reviews. And don’t forget to check out the rest of our baby product reviews.