Trying to decide between the Bugaboo Stardust or Nuna Sena Aire?
I purchased both of these popular pack and plays / travel cribs to put them to the test, and to determine what are the key differences between the Nuna Sena Aire and Bugaboo Stardust, and which is best for each type of family.
Key Takeaways
I compared the Bugaboo Stardust vs Nuna Sena Aire across 13 different evaluation criteria. The Nuna Sena Aire was the winner in 8 out of 13 categories, and the Bugaboo Stardust outperformed in 7 out of 13 categories.
Overall, the Nuna Sena Aire is more spacious, and may last longer for your child. It’s also the most breathable, suitable to hot climates or use during summer or a heat wave. The Sena Aire also uses non toxic construction, and is Greenguard Gold certified as low VOC and free from PFAS chemicals, fire retardant chemicals, and PVC (phthalates). The Sena Aire is of an average height, making it a good choice for parents and caregivers of all heights.
The Bugaboo Stardust has a much slimmer profile, making it a better choice as a bedside sleeper, in small spaces, or in small hotel rooms. It stands much taller than the Nuna Sena Aire, and neither the height of the top bar nor the carry bag design make it a good choice for shorter parents and caregivers. The Stardust has a higher quality carry bag, making it a better choice if you need to check it into a flight as checked luggage. Bugaboo also has a strong sustainability program, but the Stardust lacks many of the non-toxic credentials Nuna has.
Shop for the Nuna Sena Aire on Nordstrom or Pottery Barn Kids
Shop for the Bugaboo Stardust on Amazon, Nordstrom, or Target
Bugaboo Stardust vs Nuna Sena Aire
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Best Overall
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Best for Small Spaces
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5.0
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5.0
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Pros:
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Pros:
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- Spacious design, will likely last longer for your child
- Excellent breathability
- Greenguard Gold certified and low VOC
- Free from PFAS chemicals, fire retardant chemicals, and PVC (phthalates)
- Machine washable mattress cover
- Average height, making it suitable for parents of all heights
- 360 degree visibility due to mesh design
- Narrow footprint makes it excellent as a bedside sleeper and in small hotels
- Sturdy carry bag more likely to stand up to abuse if you check it as luggage when flying
- Tall design, great for taller parents but less suitable for short parents
- Bugaboo has a strong environmental sustainability program
Play Yard Weight
Winner: Bugaboo Stardust
The Nuna Sena Aire weighs 20.8 pounds, when it’s not it bassinet mode, and the Bugaboo Stardust weighs 17.2 pounds.
Both the Sena Aire and the Bugaboo Stardust are considered fairly lightweight as far as traditional pack and plays go, although both are considerably heavier than the lightest lightweight travel cribs, such as the Phil & Teds Traveller (7.5 pounds), BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light (13 pounds) and the Guava Lotus Travel Cot (15 pounds).
Both products are lightweight enough to move around the house and throw in your car for a picnic in the park or a trip to a grandparent’s house.
Size and Dimensions
The Nuna Sena Aire is considerably bigger than the Bugaboo Stardust, but the Stardust is a much taller pack and play.
The Sena Aire measures 41.3″ long x 30″ wide x 29″ tall. Compare that to the Stardust, which measures 38.8″ long x 25″ wide x 33.5″ tall.
While the Stardust has a smaller footprint overall, it’s also considerably narrower than the Nuna Sena Aire. The Stardust is only 25″ wide, whereas the Sena Aire is 30″ wide. This makes the Stardust a better choice in small spaces, as well as narrow spaces, such as using it as a bedside sleeper instead of a crib, or in a small hotel room. Nuna also offers a narrower play yard suitable as a bedside sleeper: the Nuna Cove Aire Go.
- Best for Small Spaces: Bugaboo Stardust
- Most Spacious for Baby: Nuna Sena Aire
- Best for Shorter Parents and Caregivers: Nuna Sena Aire
Upper Weight Limit and Age Limitation
Winner: Nuna Sena Aire
The Sena Aire is good from birth until 15 pounds in the bassinet mode, or from birth until 30 pounds / 35 inches in height for the play yard mode.
The Stardust is good from birth until 19.8 pounds in the bassinet mode, or from birth until 33 pounds / 35 inches in height for the play yard mode.
While the Stardust has a slightly higher upper weight range for both the bassinet and the playard mode, Bugaboo lists the upper age limit for the Stardust as 2 years old. Because of the smaller footprint of the Stardust, I think 2 years old is realistic for this product, and can’t imagine older toddlers would be happy in here.
Nuna Baby doesn’t list a specific age range, but many pack and play manufacturers indicate their upper age range as up to three years old. Because it is slightly roomier, I can see some families would be able to use this up to three years old. However, you should discontinue using a pack and play as soon as the child reaches the height, weight and behavioral limits (whichever comes first).
For all play yards, you should also stop using bassinet mode when your baby can push themselves up on their hands or knees, and should stop using play yard mode once your child starts trying to climb out.
Ease of Folding and Unfolding / Setup
Winner: Bugaboo Stardust
On my first try, it took me 32 seconds to setup the Bugaboo Stardust, including getting it out of the storage bag and getting it setup and safe for sleep. On my first try folding it away, and putting it back in the travel bag, it took me 1 minute and 12 seconds to get the Bugaboo Stardust completely disassembled and put away.
In the same test for the Nuna Sena Aire, it took me 1 minute and 34 seconds to set it up, and 1 minute and 16 seconds for a full tear down and put away.
To be clear, both of these products are extremely easy to setup and tear down. However, in a head to head test, the Bugaboo is considerably faster in my testing and experience, and is one of the few true pop up travel cots on the market.
Mattress Quality
Winner: Nuna Sena Aire
The Nuna Sena Aire mattress is the hands down winner here. While both have a padded mattress that’s about 1″ thick, the Nuna Sena Aire’s mattress is one of the best quality pack and play mattresses I’ve seen in my testing.
What makes it unique is the removable, ventilated mattress panels. The panels themselves are rigid, with holes throughout for ventilation. Their rigidity ensures the mattress is firm enough for an infant, and it’s probably one of the firmest pack and play mattresses I’ve tested, without being uncomfortable (it has padding covering these rigid layers for comfort).
However, the panels are also removable. Once removed, the rest of the mattress can be thrown in the washing machine.
The Sena Aire’s mattress cover has ventilated mesh, and looks quite similar to Newton Baby’s 3D mesh structure on their mattress covers, designed for breathability.
While the Bugaboo Stardust mattress is also fine, it’s fairly standard as far as pack and play mattresses go, with nothing that stood out to me in testing.
Washability and Cleaning
Winner: Sena Aire
At first glance, the Stardust seems like the more washable of the two.
With the Stardust, you can remove the fabric from the frame and throw it in the washing machine, which is great for giving the whole thing a bit of a refresh after trips, illness or diaper leaks.
Unfortunately, however, there’s no removable mattress cover for the Stardust. And let’s be honest: when it comes to babies and young toddlers, it’s usually the mattress that bears the brunt of accidents, such as spit up or diaper leaks. As Bugaboo doesn’t make a waterproof mattress protector for the Stardust, it means you’re either stuck looking for a third party solution (which is against manufacturer’s safety recommendations, and is also hard to find given it doesn’t use standard sized sheets), or you’ll simply have to deal with some mattress stains left over after spot cleaning.
Compare this to the Sena Aire. With this pack and play, you can’t remove the fabric from the frame, and it’s spot clean only.
However, the mattress itself is machine washable, and to me, this is gold. You simply remove the ventilated mattress panels, zip up the cover, and throw it in a delicate wash on cold. You don’t need to get a third party mattress protector, because the bulk of the mattress itself can be washed. And you don’t need to worry too much about stains, since the mattress cover is a deep black color.
To me, the washability of the mattress cover trumps washability of the outer fabric given the fact that mattresses are where messes happen the most often.
Bassinet Insert
Winner: Nuna Sena Aire
The Bugaboo Stardust has a zip in bassinet. The Nuna Sena Aire uses a snap and clip system, without a zipper. Both feel very secure once installed correctly, and are easy to install and uninstall quickly when you need to make a change.
Both also allow you to fold the pack and play frame and store it in the storage bag with the bassinet attached. This is fairly unique among pack and plays – typically you need to remove the bassinet for proper tear down and storage.
The Nuna Sena Aire has a slight leg-up over the Stardust bassinet due to the mesh floor, offering better ventilation and breathability, especially when the Aire’s ventilated mattress is added.
Travel Bag / Storage Bag Quality
Winner: Bugaboo Stardust
In a direct comparison between the included storage bag for the Bugaboo Stardust vs Nuna Sena Aire, the Stardust travel bag is the hands-down winner.
The Stardust’s travel bag is made from a much thicker fabric, similar to the material on a good quality backpack. In contrast, the Aire’s travel bag uses fairly thin fabric, and I could see it ripping easily if put up to any level of abuse, such as checking it as checked luggage on an airline.
However, I find the closure system on both somewhat lacking for heavy duty use, such as sending as checked luggage. The Sena Aire has a drawstring enclosure to the carry case that I’m worried wouldn’t stand up well to airline transport. The Bugaboo Stardust’s velcro enclosure seems slightly more secure, but I’d prefer if both had a sturdy zipper enclosure.
Use as a Portable Travel Cot
Winner: Bugaboo Stardust
As a true travel crib, I think both are lacking compared to the lightest weight and best travel cots on the market: the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light and the Guava Lotus, as well as the Phil & Teds Traveller to a lesser extent.
Both the Sena Aire and the Stardust are considerably heavier than these other travel cots, and they’re both more awkward to carry.
I think both are a great choice for trips around town, or longer road trips where you have your own car.
However, neither are awesome for airplane travel (the dimensions of the Stardust carry bag are borderline for standard-size checked luggage, and the Sena Aire only has a drawstring enclosure to the bag).
I also wouldn’t want either with me if I was city hopping through Europe or going on a long trip through multiple destinations.
If I had to decide between these two as the best true travel crib, I think the Stardust wins by a hair, due to the thicker and more durable fabric of the carry bag, and the fact that it’s great in small spaces. I’d happily take the Stardust with my on a cross-country flight to see friends and family, if we didn’t plan on moving around locations too much. I also think it’d be suitable for a resort trip in the sun.
However, if I was planning a bigger trip that required more movement between locations or multiple flights, I’d choose either the BabyBjorn or the Guava travel cribs (and possibly the Phil & Teds, if weight was the most important factor, such as for a backpacking trip).
Additional Accessories
Winner: Nuna Sena Aire
The Bugaboo Stardust is fairly basic as far as pack and play accessories available, offering only the bassinet attachment (which is included).
The Sena Aire has an optional changing table attachment, putting it more in line with other premium play yards meant primarily for home use, such as the 4moms Breeze Plus, which comes standard with a changing station.
In terms of travel accessories, neither offers an insect net, which I’d love to see as an option in future iterations, assuming they’re able to do so safely.
Non Toxic
Winner: Nuna Sena Aire
Nuna Baby is a market leader in offering chemical free baby gear, and the Sena Aire is Greenguard Gold certified and free from fire retardant chemicals and PVC (a source of phthalates). It also comes with an Oekto-Tex certified sheet.
Finally, the Sena Aire is free from PFAS chemicals, which is another win for parents who want to keep harmful chemicals away from their little ones.
Final Thoughts
Both the Nuna Sena Aire and the Bugaboo Stardust are great choices for a pack and play, and which one your choose will depend on your specific needs and how you plan on using them.
Overall, I think the Nuna Sena Aire has a leg up over the Stardust due to being slightly bigger, easier to clean and with a better quality mattress, super breathable, and non-toxic.
However, the Stardust is a great option for families who need that narrow footprint for a small space, or if you plan on checking it in for a flight.
