Lotus Travel Crib Review

The Guava Family company motto is that “life should be spent together.” Guava is a small family company that strives to help make parents' lives simpler and more efficient. The company designers work to create products that are safe and not cumbersome. Guava believes that if a product isn't safe enough for their children, it isn't safe enough for others. They put their product through third-party testing when possible and work with high-quality materials when possible. Guava makes a travel crib and bassinet with additional accessories.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

The Lotus isn't the most straightforward option you can choose. Ease of use entails setup and closing of the crib along with any included accessories.

The Lotus took just over 5 minutes to put together on our first try. This time is one of the fastest in the group. Over repeated attempts, we got our average time down to 2:13 minutes. Setting up the Lotus is easier than closing it to put in the travel bag, and it is a little difficult to get it in the bag. The crib opens by holding two sides, shaking it loose, and locking it into place.

Closing is harder, and sometimes the fold was too large to fit in the bag, and we aren't sure what we did wrong or what we did right when it fit without a problem. Later, when testing was complete, we did find a video online showing how to close the crib to easily fit it inside the bag. While this worked well, we think it is disappointing that the process requires a video tutorial and isn't more intuitive.

This crib is one of the only products with machine-washable fabric, but there are a lot of crevices where the legs connect that gunk could accumulate.

Portability

The Lotus provides excellent portability, making the Lotus one of the best options if you're traveling with your baby or smaller spaces.

With a weight of 13.9 lbs in the bag, the Lotus is one of the lightest options in the review. The product measures 12.6"H x 24.8"L x 9.3"W when folded, which makes it one of the smallest products as well.

The bag can stand on end with the crib inside, and it has backpack-style straps that allow you to carry it hands-free. While probably not necessary given the lighter weight, the straps are comfortable and handy so that you can hold other things including your baby.

Comfort

The Lotus has more features for comfort than the average crib in this lineup.

The mattress is soft without being too soft, and it doesn't depress down to the hard bottom making it cozier than most of the competition. Guava doesn't list the mattress's contents.

The side of the crib zips down and lets parents comfortably snuggle and nap with the baby or extend the play area outside the confines of the crib. This side-access can also be used to more comfortably place the baby inside instead of bending over the top of the crib.

Quality

The Lotus is only just above average for quality, but it is pretty good for the price.

The fabric and mesh on the crib feel durable, and we didn't see any loose stitching or potential problems. The travel bag handles stitching stretches from little use, which could lead to issues down the road. The frame does wiggle a little when pushed, but it holds its ground when you press on the top rails.

While we didn't have any issues with the product, we purchased at least one reviewer reports the zipper breaking after only six months. The zippers hold the fabric to the frame and function to open the side of the crib.

Eco-health

The Lotus offers impressive eco-health metric results. It has a high score for the group where most failed to score higher than a 1.

This product has earned the GREENGUARD GOLD standard certification for chemical emissions and is the only travel crib to receive this certification. This product does not contain Lead, PVC, Phthalates, Formaldehyde, or heavy metals. It has low VOC and meets all flame retardant standards without chemicals. Guava offers more detailed information on the materials used in their travel crib than any of the other brands we tested.

Manufacturer Video