"Up and over" bedside cots (Brio, Troll...?)

[Breeble]

Hey folks,

Does anyone have one of the bedside cots with the up-and-over rail? If so is there one brand over another that you would recommend? I'm expecting my first baby and I'm a bit lost in all the options for cots (and everything else!), but this type seems to have all the features I am interested in. The ability to use as a 'sidecar' cot, ability to have it as a normal dropside cot when the baby is bigger, and the fact that you can change from railed cot to sidecar without moving the cot away from the bed if you leave the room. But are these features really that are worth it? Are they actually useful? I don't really have anyone with experience to advise me, so I'm just basing it off reviews and what I imagine might be useful, so any real life experience would be great!

Is there a good source for second hand ones that anyone knows of? I have looked on eBay but I'm in the north west and there doesn't seem to be much up here! I found a Brio one in Sussex, but it seems a little crazy to have it shipped all the way up here with all the cost if the features are not really that useful, plus it ends up basically negating the point of saving money by going second hand in the first place! Are they worth it? Which one is best?

Thanks for any help!

[53rdAndBird]

I have the Troll one and it's great, although we've almost never used it with the fourth side down yet (baby is now 15 months).

Biggest advantage for us was having a cot that adjusted to multiple heights and was definitely stable when sidecarred.