Possibly a stupid question about cot top changers

[NellyE]

if you have one of these, and end up with a boy, do they ever end up peeing all over the cot bedding when you change their nappy? I have no experience with babies, and have heard that little boys can wee 'everywhere', but I'm not sure how far 'everywhere' is!

Are they worth the money?

And if you don't get one, is it safe just to put a changing mat on top of a chest of drawers? I'm worried about baby rolling off, but am reluctant to spend the extra £150 for a dressing table with sides! Seems a ridiculous amount of extra money.

I know the best thing (and the cheapest) is to use to floor, but am just thinking about the fact my back isn't great.

[moonstorm]

That's always been my worry! I never bothered.

[japhrimel]

Hehe, little boys pee can go a long way, but I'm not sure that having a changing unit solves this. My cousins little boy weed all over his changing unit, the walls and the cot next to the unit when he was very tiny! She was so annoyed as they hadn't varnished the unit and so the pee stained it!

I've seen people use mats on top of normal chest of drawers. If you do that I'd put some non-slip grippy mat down under the changing mat.

You shouldn't leave a baby alone on a changer whatever.

[yama]

My hv advised me to sit on the floor and use a changing mat on top of either the coffee table or the sofa.

At night I just changed dd on our bed.

Good idea to have mats and materials both upstairs and dowstairs (if you have stairs).

[PandaEis]

hi

i bought a cot-top changer when i bought the cot for DD and in the entire time i had it i used it once! it depends on how tall you are IMO. i suffered badly with my back during preg and afterwards it never went quite back the way it had been before i found it really difficult to lean up to change DDs nappy and the changer was heavy and hard to manage while holding a baby! waste of money if you ask me and i am selling mine! i am preg with number 2 and i will definitely not be using it so no point in keeping it really

[Threepeasmum]

I have used a cot top changer for all three of mine (two of which are boys). My DP has a bad back and uses it all the time still even tho DS2 is 11 months. I keep it under the cot when I don't need it. I thought it would be a real pain but it has been great. As for boys who wee, it is usually us that gets caught with the fire hose
Hope that helps.

[bubbakin]

When we had DS (3yr ago) we didn't want to fork out for a proper changing table with drawers under so thought we'd buy a standard chest of drawers & put the changing mat on top. However, we couldn't actually find a reasonably priced chest of drawers that was wide enough to accomodate a changing mat & allow a bit of a space either side of mat to attach little barrier. In the end we bought a mamas & papas changing unit with drawers under & it was fab especially as you can take the changing top part off & you're left with a nice chest of drawers.
My friend had a cot top changer & she found it heavy & it also scratched her cot which was annoying as she'd planned on selling cot after she'd finished with it!