Why we do not rehome Portacots

We do not rehome portacots (also known as travel cots) and many people ask us why. 

Portacots are wonderful for families that travel, or spend weekends in the country. Portable cots are intended for temporary use and are not suitable for long term sleeping arrangements.

There have been several sleeping accidents with infants in portacots, primarily caused by the addition of an extra mattress or bedding. The mattress of a portacot is very thin and firm, and it is tempting for parents to want to make it more comfortable for their baby. This puts the infant at great risk.

Social workers ask us for cots - not portacots - as a cot is a safe place for a baby to sleep dream and play for the first 3 years of his or her life. We work hard to rehome preloved cots that meet the household standard (we do not rehome childcare centre cots) and we fundraise to purchase new cots from our supplier who sells us new household standard cots at below cost. 

For this reason we do not accept donations of portacots - there is simply no need for them, so we say no thank you to dozens of offers from generous families every week.

How you can reuse and recycle your portacot

People often ask us what they should do with the portacot they no longer need and here are three great ideas:

  1. Portacots are great for storage and we suggest using them for the back of the garage to throw in all the basket balls, skateboards, roller blades and other sporting equipment.
  2. Some shelters can use them for caring for animals
  3. Another option is Gumtree - if you offer it for free someone will pick it up from your front porch.

If you have any other ideas we would love to hear them. Thank you for your support - we could not do it without you. 

Resources

SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping

Kids Safe NSW Portable Cot Safety

Baby's death leads to warnings over portacot mattresses

Product Safety Recalls Australia

Choice Magazine Portacots fail mandatory and voluntary standards
Portacots and pose suffocation and injury risks.

Portacot Recall