In the days of increased class sizes and pressures on children to perform in SATs and other benchmark tests that start almost as soon as our children learn to pick up a pencil, there is really only one person responsible for making sure your child gets the best education they can each and every day, and that is YOU.

Mia Wenjen learnt this the hard way, only discovering that her child was below the national benchmark nearly a year after she started school. The next two and a half years were spent identifying the gaps in her daughters education and finding the resources to support her child achieve the level Mia knew she could, and this all started when her daughter was just in kindergarten.

Luckily Mia has now used her experience of the education system and what helps children to learn to develop Pragmatic Mom, a fun and engaging website dedicated to children’s literature, education and parenting to help you support your in their entire education process. Though the site is US based, the resources and advice that Mia collates is relevant to parents across the globe and covers children in all years of education from pre-school all the way through to college. The information and support you can find on the site covers everything from the very best books your children can read through to organisational and financial advice to help you ensure that your child reaches their full education potential and gets the very best out of their school years.

So if you are concerned about your child’s education or you want to inspire them with the best in children’s literature, activities or exercises, then take a look at Pragmatic Mom and find a new way to make sure your child enjoys learning and gets everything they can out of this most valuable time in their lives.

If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to introduce your baby to a daily routine which includes a quick sleep in the morning and a more significant sleep after lunch. Here at Travelling Cot, we would always recommend the Gina Ford Contented Baby routine. Though this routine has taken a lot of criticism over the past few years, if you take guidance from the book rather than taking every word literally, and then make a routine that suits you, you will have the best of both worlds in terms of knowledge and flexibility. All the mums here at Travelling Cot have used this book and we would swear by it as a great method to get your children quickly into a routine that not only suits them but the whole family.

By introducing an afternoon sleep for your baby now at the same time every day, you will find that your baby quickly becomes adjusted to sleeping at this time and should do so for between 1 1/2 and 2 hours every day. If you can carry this out every day that can between now and Christmas you have a high chance of getting this amount of time free, just as you should be sitting down to Christmas dinner. And what better way to enjoy the day with your family than with a contended sleeping baby who will not get too over excited on the big day.

If you are going to be away from home over Christmas then that shouldn’t stop you carrying out your routine. In fact, most friends and family would welcome you giving them a window in which they can enjoy your adult company without you being a distracted mum. Simply take your travel cot and black out blind with you and you have the makings of an incredible Christmas.

The certainty that comes with having a routine for your baby does not have to be restrictive, in fact it can be very liberating. By knowing what time your baby gets up, what time she needs feeding and what time she needs sleep, you can plan your day so that the key elements of Christmas don’t pass you by.

If you have other siblings, you can make sure that you have baby free time with each of them by planning significant events around your schedule. In our house, we have always dashed downstairs to open presents before we have done anything else. But by asking siblings to get dressed before they go down stairs you have  a few spare minutes to prepare your baby and the morning feed so that they can enjoy the unwrapping with their milk while the older siblings get to work. After unwrapping the children then have time to play together and enjoy their new presents while the parents get themselves ready for the day and start preparing the food.

By thinking about this day in advance and making preparations now you will find that Christmas will be the happy and contended time that you dreamt it would be.

The full size bassinet that comes with this travel cot is ideal for the first few months of a baby’s life. Not only does it give your baby a more cosy space to sleep in, but it also ensures that new mums are not straining to place their baby into their cot and take them out again while they are still recovering from the delivery.

As soon as your baby is able to get onto all fours independently, simply remove the bassinet and you have a fully functioning travel cot that will be suitable until your baby is ready to sleep in a proper bed.

This is a fantastic price for a simple travel cot that has everything you should need to travel with your baby. Decorated with fun sheep characters, and full mesh sides so that you can always see your baby from either side, this travel cot is exceptional value and really will work whether you are going on an extended holiday or simply visiting family for the day.

Easy to unlock, and compact and convenient in its own carry bag, this travel cot weighs only 11.5 kg making it easy to carry and transport wherever you go. And when you are at home, this travel cot is ideal for using in the lounge or a spare cot when people are staying or when you want to put your baby down for a day time sleep.

The benefit of a travel cot can only really be experienced when you have used one. When you have tried something such as this Counting Sheep Travel Cot with option bassinet, you will wonder how you ever survived without it. And at such a discounted price it is also an ideal bed to keep at the grandparents house for those overnight stays when you have a well earned night out, or more likely just catch up on some sleep.

Measuring 109 x 76 x 79cm, this is a full size travel cot which provides ample room for sleeping and for playing and this is a great opportunity to get a fantastic cot at an amazing price.

To order this Travel Cot simply click on the cot itself and you will be taken directly to the Toys R Us website to place your order and complete your transaction directly with Toys R Us. There are no voucher codes to use, simply click on the cot and the price you see will be the price you pay.

And while you are on the site, why not check out the full range of offers and discounts we have on a range of top branded nursery products and nursery merchants that will ensure you get everything for your baby while not paying more than you have to. And remember to keep coming back to Travelling Cot for more great offers and ideas on all your Travel Cot needs.

And right now, all Travelling Cot customers can qualify for 5% off everything until the end of October on the Baby Security site, including the full range of sale items which have already been massively reduced.

Within their range of Travel Cots, Baby Security have chosen some of the very best names in nursery products and given them some incredibly low prices. Take this Samsonite Sun & Sleep Pop Up Travel Cot a fantastic idea to keep your baby safe and happy when you are out and about.

Did you know that the most common reason for a baby to wake regularly around the 4am is because they are cold? This is the time of night when the temperature dips the most significantly which not only wakes the baby but also makes it very difficult for your baby to get back to sleep on his own.

By using a baby sleeping bag with the temperature guidelines provided you can ensure that your baby is consistently warm during the night whilst not being over heated and you can give everyone in the house a fuller and more satisfying nights sleep.

And one of the best parts of the baby sleeping bag is how portable they are. When you are travelling with your baby all you need is a travel cot and a baby sleeping bag and you have everything in terms of bed and bedding to keep your baby happy and safe while you are away.

And there is no better time to try a Baby Sleeping Bag as the original creators of the product, The Grobag Store, offer a range of offers to make sure you get the right sleeping bag for you.

With a variety of sizes from Newborn to 3-6 years and a great range of styles and colours to suit your style, Grobag have the baby sleeping bag for you.

Whether you want to claim 25% off 1.0 tog Grobags, 10% when you buy two or more Gro products or take advantage of the up to 70% sale, there are no voucher codes, simply click on the Gro Store advert to go directly to the Gro Store official website and place your order today.

This discount does not cover products already reduced in the Offers section, Gift Vouchers, Milk, Medicines, Bugaboo, TP, Plum, Axi, Selwood, Saber or Mix & Match Nursery but everything else on the site is covered including their fantastic range of Travel Cots.

We love the limited Edition Jane 2 Position Travel Cot. If you are one of the millions of people that have been impressed by the design and technology used in the exquisite range of Jane Pushchairs, then you are going to love the attention to detail in the Jane Travel Cot.

The Jane brand (pronounced hanay) has become synonymous with intelligently designed nursery equipment which suits both parents and children with style and sophistication. And the Jane Travel Cot is no different.

This is a web exclusive product on the Mothercare site and you will not find it in any of their stores. Suitable from birth, this travel cot has had two distinct base levels positions, which means you can tailor the height of your travel cot to suit you.

If you are concerned about lifting your child from a low position due to the strain that it can put on your back, or if you would simply like your travel cot lower to the ground to avoid a draughty window, then you can position the cot to suit your needs.

This easy to assemble cot is just as simple to fold and comes with a travel cot to make it simple to store and transport. The set comes complete with a soft padded mattress and a toy arch to keep your baby entertained when they are relaxing in their cot.

Not only is this a great looking travel cot but it is functional, easy to use and very well built and yet it still costs only £99.99 from Mothercare with a further 10% off if you buy it as part of this offer.

To claim your discount, simply click on the Mothercare banner below to go directly to the official Mothercare site and place your order of goods to the value of £120 or more. When you reach the checkout enter voucher code LTH6 and 10% will be deducted from the price of all qualifying products as long as you check out before midnight on Friday 16th September.

So take a look at Mothercare today and place your order. All goods in this offer also qualify for Free Delivery which means you can buy everything you need for you and your baby, saving money and not even having to leave the comfort of your own home.

This means you can take advantage of the amazing range of discounts on the site and simply by grouping together all your purchases and placing one order for over £150 you can qualify for a further 10% discount.

As we move into the Autumn it is more important than ever to keep your baby warm at night and ensure they are suitably comfortable when they go to sleep. More babies wake up in the night because they are cold than for almost any other reason, so as the nights are getting cooler, make sure you’re baby is suitably dressed for bed.

Here at Travelling Cot, we think the best way to ensure that your baby is comfortable in bed is to use Baby Sleeping Bags. This fantastic invention ensures that your baby does not kick its covers off during the night and wake up cold but it also uses a temperature gauge within the room to ensure you don’t overheat your baby and even gives you advice on how you should dress your baby to ensure that they are comfortable and safe all night long.

And baby sleeping bags are so portable that they can be used anywhere. Choose a travel sleeping bag and not only can you place your baby in her travel cot with ease, but if you need to travel through this night, the bag incorporates a five point harness so that your baby can use her car seat or pushchair without even waking up.

So when you are looking at the amazing range of products on the Kiddicare site, why not consider investing in some baby sleeping bags for the winter, starting at £12.95 each and available in a range of colours and sizes, a baby sleeping bag is probably cheaper than all the alternative bedding you would have to buy and is a lot safer for your child.

To claim your Kiddicare discount, simply add products over the value of £150 to your basket and enter voucher code kidd150 at the checkout for a further 10% to be deducted from the value of your basket. All orders over £29.99 qualify for free delivery which means you will not pay a penny to have all your products delivered directly to your door. But remember this offer will expire at midnight on Sunday 11th September 2011 so ensure you have completed your order by then and sit back and enjoy receiving everything you need for your baby without even having to leave the house.

With our voucher code, you can claim 15% off across Mothercare in all departments excluding Gift Vouchers, Milk, Medicines, Bugaboo, TP, Plum, Axi, Selwood, Saber, 3 for 2 Items, Mix & Match Nursery Offer and ELC Toys. And though this offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer on the site, it provides you with a fantastic discount whether you are kitting out your nursery or looking for those added bits for your summer holiday.

This offer also includes all full price travel cots from Mothercare including the Mothercare Travel Cot which is a great standard travel cot for anyone who is looking for a standard travel cot with a great design and a great price.

At only £39.99 this travel cot is sturdy in construction, well designed and comes with both a removable mattress and compact carry bag to ensure that you can take your travel cot wherever you go.

Suitable from birth until your baby weighs 30lbs and weighing just 11lbs itself, this travel cot is quick and easy to assemble and can even be used as a playpen to keep your baby safe and secure day or night.

And if you are travelling soon and need your travel cot in a hurry, then don’t worry. Mothercare normally dispatch all travel cots within one working day and delivery on all orders over £50 is free which means you don’t have to pay a penny for delivery.

To claim your 15% discount on this and other products throughout the store simply click on the banner below to go directly to the official Mothercare site and place your order now. When you have added all your items to the basket enter voucher code ‘S4PN‘ at the checkout and your discount will be applied.

And this discount doesn’t just cover travel cots but every department across the store, so you can enjoy discount whatever you are buying from Mothercare right now.

Remember all orders have to be completed by Midnight on Thursday 11th August to qualify for your discounts so make sure you finalise your order before time runs out and enjoy yet another fantastic discount from Travelling Cot.

Contour Electra

Contour Electra Storage

We have voted the Graco Contour Electra the best travel cot with added features as it provides everything you could want from a travel cot to make travelling with a baby so much more enjoyable and more relaxing. Not only do you get a sturdy, reliable travel cot with easy lock sides to put up and down very quickly, you also get a number of added features including a bassinet, vibration place, toy bar, light and music facility as well as a changing table that makes this one of the most versatile and practical travel cots on the market. And when you buy the Graco Storage, you also get storage compartments that make use of the space under the bassinet giving you a place to keep all the bits and bobs that come with a baby tucked away nice and neatly.

This is such a useful travel cot, you won’t want to use it just for travelling, but why not use it in the home as a second cot downstairs when you want to let your baby sleep during the day or instead of a moses basket when your baby is first born. Suitable from birth until approximately three years of age, we highly recommend this travel cot for anyone who is going to use their travel cot more often and wants something a bit special for their child.

Whatever you choose to do with your Graco Electra, we think that it is one of the most practical and most useful travel cots you can buy, so get yours from Boots this week and enjoy 20% off.

This is a ludicrous amount of money to pay for car seat hire, especially when you have no guarantee that the car seat you have hired will be suitable when you get it. We have heard disastrous tales of parents who have arrived at the car hire kiosk to find their 7 month old baby has been allocated a stage 2 car seat or another mother who arrived to find a dangerous crack in the side of the car seat. There have also been tales of parents arriving out of office hours at the airport only to find that the car seat has not been left for them, and when you do receive it, there is no guarantee that the seat you have been provided with has not been in a crash with a previous user.

Most parents insist that they don’t want to take their car seats with them when they travel as putting the car seat in the hold may damage the seat that they need to use when they return. However, we would suggest that if you don’t want to risk your usual car seat, why not use the money you would have spent on hiring a seat and buying one before you leave, saving you money and giving you peace of mind. A lot of the same merchants that bring you great travel cot offers also provide car seats with the same discounts and promotions, so take a look at our offers page and see how simple it is.

With airlines now being discovered to be charging a baby on your lap more than an adult ticket price, and with confusion over what you can and can’t carry on the plane for your baby, the rule of thumb is always to make sure you have fully investigated the rules and regulations of your specific airline and find out what you are and are not entitled to when travelling with a baby. These rules are changing all the time, so even if you travelled with the same airline last year, don’t assume the guidelines will be the same, talk to a customer services representative and get the low down before you travel to make sure you have a happy and safe trip with your child.