When traveling overnight with a child you need a travel crib of some sort. The most popular and common of these cribs is the Pack and Play. These are cribs that can be set up easily and fold down into a rectangle shape. However, there are times when these become too heavy or large to easily use for travel so companies have made new cribs, designed to be smaller and lighter.
The Valco Baby Zephyr Travel Crib and the Fisher-Price Ultra-Lite Day & Night Play Yard are travel cribs. They are both significantly lighter, and fold much smaller than other pack and play cribs. As with the usual Pack and Play travel cribs, these include a frame, a mattress and a travel bag.
Zephyr Travel Crib
Color Options: Mistral (blue) and Breeze (black)
Weight: 14 lb
Extras: Insect netting, Sheet, Mesh pocket
Price: $120
Ease of Set up and Close: B
The Zephyr closed up ok but the locking and folding mechanism on the legs works by pushing the leg up or down and it took a bit of wiggling and shoving to get it work as desired.
Instructions: On the bottom
Sturdiness: C-
The Zephyr felt a little flimsy. When shaken it freely moved back and forth and I was concerned about how it would stand up to the baby shaking it while inside.
Other: The mattress comes covered in a white sheet. But it does not lie flat by itself.
Overall: B-
VS.
Ultra-Lite Day & Night Play Yard
Manufacturer: Fisher-Price
Color Options: Gray and Silver
Weight: 15 lb
Extras: Inclined sleeper insert, Mesh pocket, Diaper changing clutch
Price: $124 – $130
(This crib goes on sale often, I bought it for $56 around Black Friday and it is currently on sale for $80)
Ease of Set up and Close: A
The Ultra Lite was a breeze to open and close. When opening, the legs lock into place as the crib is opened. When closing, there is a big blue button that unlocks the legs so they can be folded.
Instructions: On the bottom
Sturdiness: A
When shaken the Ultra Lite is quite sturdy and solid feeling.
Other: There is no sheet included but the mattress is patterned in a bright and pleasing design and it fits a standard pack and play sheet.
Overall: A
Size Comparison:
When opened side by side it is easy to see that the Zephyr has a larger opening and is bigger overall when opened. The mattresses are the same size, the extra Zephyr size is in the frame and the opening. When folded, the Zephyr is smaller. Both of these size differences are due mostly to the fact that the Zephyr is a rectangle and the Ultra Lite is an oval.
