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Pregnancy

cot or cotbed? and drop-sided or not? arrrrgh

33 replies

emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 09:59

help! Am trying to decide between what feels like about a million different options and my head is in a spin...

First off, would you get a cot or a cotbed? We are a little limited on space AND I have just had an hour's opinion-sharing from my mum about how she thinks cotbeds are a waste of money and a trad cot is a better option. I guess if we do have another child it is likely to be within 2 years of this first one so if we bought a cotbed we would still end up having to carry on using it as a cot and move the older child into a child's bed at that point anyway. Plus I quite like the smaller, neater-looking cots over the cotbeds. But is it a false economy and is it better just to get a cotbed? Any thoughts??

Secondly, in either case, what is the point of the drop side option and is it a good/bad thing? I assume is something to do with ease of lifting the baby out? Or is there more to it...? I have a bad back so anything that eased the difficulty of hoiking a baby up and down would be good. But are the safe? Having visions of super-active baby eventually working out how to drop the side by themselves and setting out for freedom...

Oh, and teething rails?! What are these?

We of course plan to have the baby in Moses basket at first but I do want to try to get the cot lined up and there are some good deals in sales still on at the moment... So I feel I need to make a decision!

Going a bit mad here...

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DeathMetalMum · 04/02/2013 10:46

Yes to drop sided great up until about 6 months or whenever they start to pull themselvs up.

Do you have space for a cotbed in your room? Dd was in a cot in our room until about 7 months when we moved her into her own room. We were given the cot by family. But if we were buying and also had the space in our room for a cotbed I would have gone for that option. With the sides coming off etc just gives more flexibility, its bigger so can last longer than standard cot if needed.

We are lucky dd has never though about trying to escape the cot so with dc2 due we are getting a second cot this one with removable sides. (So we can hopefully skip a single bed and just go to bunkbeds.) Keeping them both in cots for a bit. Saving space also etc.

I thinl it just depends on space really. You can also get bedside cots which allthough I havnt used one also appeal to me. Dd was in the cot at 8 weeks iirc, so I would have it lined up if you can.

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Missingthemincepies · 04/02/2013 11:03

Cotbed was easy decision for us as we have the space. They grow into cotbed size amazingly fast and it's very useful as a transition to just be able to take the sides off to get a toddler used to a bed, rather than the massive jump from cot to single bed (now toddler beds are a true waste of money!).

Transition to bed bit of cotbed is usually at about 2 years. My DS went from that into full single at 2 yrs 4 months, but he's 98th centile and the cotbed was just too small by that stage. Lots of friends used cotbed til 3+.

You're space limited but what will you do regarding single bed? If there is room for that there is room for a cotbed. Even if you end up with 2 under 2 and need to reuse the cot, there's no reason not to do this with a cotbed. You really need baby out of cot/cotbed at least 3 months before new DC arrives to prevent jealousy and give settling time, so need to add that to your calculations.

Teething rail is usually a plastic strip on top of the cot side for when baby is having a munch! We didn't have one and do have a few teeth marks in the wood but didn't bother me. We're still going to use for dc2 due in 10 weeks.

Drop sides can be controversial, some have had problems with caught fingers and so removed from sale in many European countries. You just need to be careful with the type you get. We have a boori sunshine cot which has the mechanism hidden. Was great for lifting in and out but not essential. Don't worry, there's no way a child could do it, my DH still can't!

What is v important is that there are different levels, at least 2 for small baby and dropping later when able to sit. Otherwise it'll just be low and v hard on your back.

Baby matresses online are very good and much cheaper than in the shops if you don't get a matress with the cot.

I remember first time around how hard it was to choose this and the buggy. Good luck!

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emsyj · 04/02/2013 11:06

I would get a bedside cot every time - the lazy way to cope with night waking! We have a cot bed sized bedside cot (the Mamas & Papas Close and Cosy one) but you can get smaller ones - I think the NCT will hire out the Bednest style one.

DD would never sleep in a moses basket, she liked to stretch her arms out and would get frustrated hitting the sides, so she used the pram carrycot (confirmed safe for overnight sleep - not all are) as it was bigger and had fabric sides - but this time around I'm using the bedside cot from day one so I can just reach over to the baby in the night without getting out of bed to reach down to a carrycot/moses on the floor.

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peanutMD · 04/02/2013 11:14
  1. We paid £100 for our cotbed in 2006, DS used it as a cot for 2 years and then moved onto the bed part until he was 4 so for us it worked out at £25 per year which is well worth it IMO.


I passed it onto a friend who has used it for 2 years and its still going strong :)

  1. I work in a daycare now where we use traditional cots and they are useless for even the smallest 18 month olds we have as they end up with arms and legs lodged in the bars because they are isn't much space to sprawl out.
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WingDefence · 04/02/2013 11:36

We went for a cotbed and it was definitely the right thing for us. DS slept in it as a cot from 12 weeks to about 2.5 and moved up to a full-size single bed just before his 4th birthday (in November).

I certainly didn't think it was a waste of money - I thought it saved us money as then we didn't have to get a low toddler bed which you'd have to change for some point for a proper single bed anyway.

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WingDefence · 04/02/2013 11:36

I meant to say he slept in the cotbed from 2.5 till just before 4.

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emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 11:38

This is all great advice, thank you so much everyone!!

I think the general gist is that a cotbed IS worth it... It's not so much that we don't have much room in the baby's room, it's more that we have limited space in our bedroom and obviously we will want to have the baby sleeping in with us for the first 6 months and don't think a Moses basket is going to cut it for that long (she is already a long baby according to my recent scan). So a tra cot would be better for having in our bedroom IYSWIM. But I think we probably have room for a cotbed, just a bit cramped.

Great advice on the drop sides issue Missingthemincepies - thank you.

Does anyone have any particularly good reccs for brands? We can probably afford up to £200 for a cotbed, spending less would be great but I want to get something we are happy with and that will last.

Is kiddicare a good place to look? The choice seems so overwhelming on there but my SIL likes it.

Thanks everyone!! :)

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emsyj · 04/02/2013 12:06

I've bought tons of stuff from Kiddicare and found them to be reliable with quick delivery.

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Camwombat · 04/02/2013 12:15

We started with a crib as DS never fitted a Moses basket, at about 4 months he moved into a cotbed, which he is still in at 19months. DS sleeps in a cot at my parents but has pretty much outgrown it.

A cotbed is no bigger than a single bed and I would personally go for that again, as it should last longer given the bed conversion.

The dropside has been very useful, although now he stands and (violently) shakes that side. We may be moving to a bed sooner than planned, which brings us a 'sleep crawler' issue....

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emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 12:19

Thanks emsy - I am browsing on Kiddicare at the mo and they look pretty good. The only thing is that I am not sure I want to get a whole 'roomset', I just want a cot(bed) and a dresser and it seems a bit hard to be sure the woods will tone in if you buy from different brands or from different models within a certain brand. I can't get to a showroom so I'd have to be choosing from online info only... wondering if John Lewis or Mothercare are a less risky bet. But kiddcare such good value it seems!

Camwombat - I think I am leaning towards the dropside function even though it sounds unnerving if a grown baby is shaking the side!! :) I think it will just save me a lot of potential pulled shoulders though...

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Camwombat · 04/02/2013 12:32

It will, I have a back problem which is why we got drop side. DS is a tall boy for his age, and very determined, BUT he hasn't damaged it by shaking it so it must be pretty robust.

We got ours from Babies R Us, as we couldn't find what we wanted (in our budget) at kiddicare.

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emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 12:50

Thanks Camwombat - hadn't even thought about Babies R Us... a whole new website for me to get sucked into while I should be working :)

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peanutMD · 04/02/2013 13:19

precious little one is fab too :)

we have just bought a.Kidtec sprung cotbed matress half price at £30 and they have cotbeds starting from £85.

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DeathMetalMum · 04/02/2013 13:23

Have a look at boots they also have some really good deals. We just bought a second mattress from them for just under £40 it is much better than the first matteress that we bought (and half the price) as I was pretty clueless. If you have joined the baby club you might have a voucher and can get lotd of points too.

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AmberLav · 04/02/2013 13:56

We already had a single bed in the room we use as the nursery that had to stay, so we got a cot, as it was going to have to sit in a funny position in the room and smaller was better. As a benefit, it meant that it also fit in our bedroom for the first 6 months. We bought a John Lewis one with a drop side, which DS has never managed to open, as the mechanism is a kick board just above floor level.

DS is now 22 months and is 90-98th percentile on length and he has a bit of room for growth still (he completely fills travel cots!). DC2 is due in April, so we'll move DS to the "Study" (once we've cleared it of junk!) and are buying a cotbed, so that the cot is again free for DC2. I think DS will be in the Cotbed for a good few months still before we turn it into a bed. Wouldn't plan DC3 for another couple of years at least, so they should all have time to move on to the next level by then.

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emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 14:03

Thank you AmberLav - that's really helpful info!!! I had been worrying that a cot would be too short after a few months, but it sounds like this is not neccesarily the case.

Which just complicates my decision even more...

but I hugely appreciate all the replies, it's good to have an informed decision rather than just floundering! :)

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Eletheomel · 04/02/2013 14:10

We went for a cot, rather than a cotbed as at the time I wanted the drop down option.

However, after having the cot, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I used the drop side, so for me I probably should have discounted that as something I wanted as it transpired I didn't need it.

I think cotbeds do give you flexibility if you don't have much room as you don't know when you'll little one will outgrow their cot (e.g. when they can climb out of it by themselves) some do this at 14 months, others are over 2) and it means you can just take the sides off and make it a bed when this happens rather than having to immediately go out and get a bed.

I share your pain though - it's a nightmare trying to make decisions about this stuff, and you never really know the best option for you until you've committed to something (and just cross your fingers you've made the right decision!)

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Patchouli · 04/02/2013 14:11

I've never understood why people spend the extra money on a cotbed - yes you use it longer, but you still end up in a single bed in the end, so you're buying 2 items anyway over the years.
It makes sense to me to go from a cot to a bed. DD went from a cot to a single bed at 2.
Does a cot bed need a load of additional size bedding too?

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shouldIbecrossaboutthis · 04/02/2013 14:42

I bought mine from ikea with a 6 cube expedit to use as a dresser :)

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forevergreek · 04/02/2013 14:53

Yes ikea is good for reasonable prices .

Personally I would just get a cot bed to use night and only get a Moses basket if you want to use downstairs. Our cotbeds raise up different levels anyway so will a small nanny the mattress is high up anyway so prevents leaning in etc. just drop down the levels as they can sit/ stand.

Our cotbeds say recommended until 6 years which I think is good. 3 year old has loads of space in his still.

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emeraldgirl1 · 04/02/2013 15:09

We're being given the Moses basket by SIL so it's not an additional purchase IYSWIM.

Will add Ikea to the ever-growing list... I could spend all day on this!

Just tried to ask DH's opinion as thought that might help stop me floundering and he looked v bored by even 1 min discussing it! Think I'm alone in this one... tbf to him, I get why he doesn't think it really matters or is that important, the main thing we are both concerned about right now is just getting the baby home safe!! Still, am a bit cheesed off he's leaving ALL these decisions to me...

Wish I had a fairy godmother to make the decision for me...

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KFFOREVER · 04/02/2013 18:45

We went for a cotbed with dropside. Like you there is no room in our bedroom so we've planned for baby to sleep in a crib in our room. Health visitor did say by 4months the baby may outgrow the crib but as our place is small the baby could be in its room in the cotbed earlier than 6months. I decided to go for a cotbed as i wanted to make use of it longer than i would if i had a cot. Have a look at babies r us there prices are not too bad and i think they have a sale on.

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CrackleMauve · 04/02/2013 18:52

Ikea cotbeds are excellent and very cheap. Would definitely recommend.

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DaveMccave · 04/02/2013 19:27

Have you looked at bedside cots? (One side tucks underneath so you can pull it right up to your bed and co-sleep without compromising safety or space) mothercare do one.

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cupcake78 · 04/02/2013 19:40

If your planning on another in 2 years then cot will be just fine. Cotbeds tend to be larger than just a cot. When it comes to getting beds, bunk beds maybe best for space and for any siblings. Toddler can sleep on bottom bunk till it gets used to not falling out.

Same applies to teething rail, if you want cot to be used again get one!

Definitely drop side, save your back when you can.

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