Kinderkot or Phil & Ted T2 ???????

I am looking into purchasing a travel cot.
I really like the look of the kinderkot but then i cam across the T2, as far as i can tell the kinderkot retails for around $140 and T2 $210. I have been using my mums portacot but as we have a few weekends away coming up and a 2 week holiday in January and 2 weeks in easter i was wanting something a bit more compact as the porta cot takes up so much room.
My questions are
Are they worth the money?
Are either comfortable enough for a all night sleep or just a day sleep?
Are they suitable for 5 month old and how long will he be able to use it for (age)?

I have read a bit of info on them but just really wanted personal opinions and experiences with these products.

THANK YOU

Hi there!

we have a kinderkot and i cant recommend them highly enough! like you said i think they are pretty similar to the P&Ts...

we have used ours since DD was 6 weeks old. she has used it for both day and night sleeps without any worries. it is great because it has it's own carry bag and is light and tiny enough to fit into a suitcase when flying (can be good with some carriers that dont let you have baggage allowance for bubs). it doesnt need any assembly and i think the big ticket sell is because it is covered bubs doesnt freak out about being somewhere different. they know that is their bed and it is familiar to them.

One thing that we had to change on ours though (just until she is 18months) is the mattress tucked in the base. we dont put it in the base (there's a special zip compartment) we slip it inside and pop a fitted cot sheet over so she is not lying on the plastic. we couldnt work out why they would put the mattress under until we realised that once bubs is big enough you can use the sleeping bag...

works perfectly. highly recommend getting bubs to do a couple of day sleeps in it before the trip to get her used to it.

oh i forgot to add that it can be used well and truly beyond 3 yr olds...

and it (KK) has UV resistance...we take it to the beach!

Thanks Clare
I showed dp them last night and he was keen to get one also, so atleast i wont need to convince him..

i borrowed a friends kinder cot and didn't really like it. It was really noisy, every time she moved she woke herself up. Also the one i borrowed you could only get in from the side.

I ended up buying the T2 and love it. We went to QLD for 3 weeks and DD slept like a dream in it. You can open the top or the side in the T2 so as they get older they can get in and out themselves through the side, but when they are small it is more like a cot, IYKWIM!

That was one of my concerns the noise as it is smiliar to a tent i suppose. Is the T2 as compact when folded? and as quick to set up as the kinderkot?

No not AS quick, but still pretty quick. The first time i did it i was a little confused and it took a while, but now i can have it up in no time. The kinderkot basically puts itself up when you take it out of the bag! DH couldn't get it back in, but i managed ok. :lol:

It is pretty compact, a different shape, long rather than round, but the area would be smilar. It is slightly heavier as it has poles.

We camp alot and the T2 suited our needs better. It has a fly/UV screen that zips on the top. a little sturdier.

Can you borrow either one to try off anyone? Might help you decide.

Hi there, i have the phil & ted T2 and JUST LOVE IT! we used it for both our 2 year old and 6 month old baby in May whilst travelling round the UK & Malaysia for 1 month. It's very light, puts together easily (once you've done it a couple of times) and withstands my toddler standing up in it. i liked the mossie net zip cover which kept the flies off the girls too whilst they slept.

They both have used it overnight. The 2 year old slept in it for 3 nights on the run, very happy, didn't wake.

It was a little more difficult for me with the 6 month old as I had to bend down to the ground over the frame of the cot to put her down and i'm only short (5 foot) but I managed it ok.

It is fairly compact - fitted into our suitcase when we needed it to, but we also checked it in as fragile luggage and didn't have to pay extra (Malaysian Airlines).

Only takes about 3 mins or so to set up as you push together the bars. I also put a waterproof cover over the base and a cot sheet then slipped it inside the cot (don't think you're really supposed to but i needed to protect the base in case of accidents) which worked fine.

I highly recommend it as a lightweight travel cot.

Thanks girls..
I dont know anyone with either and need to purchase one in next few weeks so i will get dp to see what he thinks also.

We have a P and T T2 and think it's great. Takes a while to set up until your used to it, but I can put it up in the dark now in a couple od minutes (even with a toddler running around).

Our DD is 16 onths old and stil sleeps like a dream in it. It's quite small and we have friends who took theirs overseas.

I think the cost is worth it.....especially if your having more than one bub.

Hey Abb - did you end up getting either of them? I just got a kinderkot and will give it a go with DS for a few day sleeps this week. I'll let you know how it goes!

NaNa trying the T2 this weekend a friend sil has one so i will borrow it for a few days, haven't found anyone who has a Kinderkot as yet so will be interested to see how you go with Aadi. Will need to buy one soon..

How did you go with trialling the T2?

I decided against getting a T2/kinderkot but now we are going overseas and some places charge $25 canadian per night for the use of the cot. Plus I think DS will sleep better (yeah right, he doesnt sleep at home) having a familiar cot. What I like about both is that they can be enclosed and so it all becomes the same for them. In theory.

I have noticed there is a new Phil and teds port a cot, the traveller. It looks very cool, has silver poles and it looks like it has hard plastic 'feet' as opposed to the T2 which looks like it has fabric tags which the poles fit into.
HAs anyone seen/used the new style?

I am just concerned about the stability of the P&T as DS will be 12months old at the time of travel.

Sorry to hijack.

I think Abb's in Melbourne this weekend buying a KinderCot! I forgot to ask her how she went with the p&t one... (we're in the same baby-buddies group). So... FWIW I haven't seen the p&t ones IRL, but from what I can tell the kindercot is just as stable and possibly easier to use as it has no detachable parts or bits and pieces. It just pops up by itself, no need to fit poles or anything. The mattress self-inflates too, and it comes with a sleeping bag. There's even a video demo on the website. Because the kindercot is curved and has curved poles, it seems less likely to tip over, even with my DS kicking like crazy and rolling around in it like a maniac! I'm not sure how it would go with an older bub tho, who's more mobile. There are fabric loops for pegs (not supplied) so if you're using it outdoors you can secure it that way. Hopefully you aren't considering using one outdoors in Canada any time in the next few months?! It's sub-zero!
Anyway, HTH somehow...