How do I check a used travel cot for locks, mesh and mattress gap?

How do I check the locks on a used travel cot?

A folded travel cot in a car-boot photo hides the only check that matters on the frame: you put it up. The Lullaby Trust second-hand checklist starts with instructions, the relevant British Standard, a recall search, and "all in one piece". MadeForMums' used-travel-cot note is thinner — assemble and fold, keep it structurally sound — so treat that as a prompt, not the official sleep-space page.

1. 1
   Get the instructions first Download the maker PDF if the seller has lost the booklet. The Lullaby Trust holiday page says always follow the manufacturer's advice that comes with the travel cot you use.
2. 2
   Open every lock yourself Stand the cot, pull the sides taut, and listen for each corner lock and the centre-base lock. If a lock will not click, or clicks and then slips, stop. Do not "help" it with tape or a spare bungy.
3. 3
   Fold it down and put it up a second time A one-off click in a car park can hide a worn catch. The second assemble is the one that shows a lock that only holds once.
4. 4
   Photograph the BS mark and the model Lullaby Trust lists BS EN 716-1:2017 for cots and travel cots. Search that model on the GOV.UK recall list. No listing means no recall on file.

If the seller has already assembled it "to save you time" and will not let you collapse it, you have not done this check. Walk away or come back with the PDF and do the fold yourself.

What should the mesh and the base look like?

Hold the cot up to daylight. The Lullaby Trust second-hand page wants the product in good condition with no broken or missing parts. On a travel cot that usually means:

• Mesh not torn, not melted, not pinned. A hole large enough for a button or a finger is a missing-part problem, not a sewing job.
• No loose lining that can bag away from the mesh and make a pocket.
• Rigid frame and a firm, flat base. The Lullaby Trust mattresses FAQ says a travel cot used as a main sleep space should have a rigid frame and base and a firm, flat mattress with a waterproof cover.
• No extra wedges or rolled towels under or around the mattress — their clear-cot page lists those as items to keep out of the sleep space.

Why does Lullaby Trust warn about a second mattress or folded blankets?

Their safer sleep on holiday page is the one that names the gap. Travel-cot mattresses "tend to be a lot thinner" than a home cot mattress. They still treat that thin mattress as suitable if it is firm, flat, in good condition and meets British Standards. Then they say:

• Do not place folded blankets or a quilt under the baby to try to make them "more comfortable".
• If you plan to use a replacement mattress, "it is very important to check the manufacturer's guidance as some can create a gap between the mesh sides and the base of the cot so is not recommended".
• Always follow the manufacturer's advice for that travel cot.

A British Standard on the frame — Lullaby Trust lists BS EN 716-1:2017 for travel cots — "tells us that the product has passed certain safety tests". The same page says there is no SIDS standard. A clicked lock plus a 716 mark is not an all-clear on the mattress gap.

Which standard and which recall list apply to a travel cot?

Lullaby Trust groups cots and travel cots under BS EN 716-1:2017. MadeForMums still prints an older "BSEN716:1 2008" line on its second-hand cot guide — use the Lullaby Trust number when you compare a 2026 listing, and copy whatever string is actually on the frame.

Then search the model, not the words "travel cot", on GOV.UK Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls. A used marketplace unit can sit outside any notice and still fail a lock or mesh check you can see with your hands.

Does a travel cot change safer-sleep advice?

The Lullaby Trust mattresses FAQ says if you use a travel cot because the room is small, follow the same safer-sleep advice as for regular cots. Their holiday page wants a firm, flat, waterproof mattress, a well-fitting mattress with no gaps, no cot bumpers or soft items, a rigid firm base, and no damage — and the cot placed away from radiators, windows and air conditioning.

This page does not write a sleep-in-the-pram or holiday-co-sleeping verdict. Those are separate Lullaby Trust sections with their own conditions.

What does "checked" mean before money changes hands?

1. You assembled it. Every lock clicked twice.
2. Mesh is intact. Base is flat. No missing corner mouldings.
3. The mattress is the one this model's instructions name — not a thicker spare from a home cot.
4. The frame shows a BS EN 716 string; the model has been searched on GOV.UK. Not found ≠ all-clear.

In shortIn short: locks, mesh and gap are three different checks. Lullaby Trust's holiday page is the source for "do not pad it out". Their second-hand page is the source for instructions, BS EN 716-1:2017, recalls and condition. A seller who will not let you fold the cot has skipped the lock test.