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Original poster

Which type of cot do i need

11 replies

LucaFritz · 23/09/2019 13:32

World's most boring thread alert:
Trying to pick out a cot for DC1 due in Jan but can't decide what will suit my needs best Confused
Option 1 is a sidecar cot that attaches to my bed so i can reach him easily for feeding during the night BUT it only comes with 3 sides so will be useless for me after the 1st year once he's in his nursery and in a cotbed
Option 2 is a travel cot that comes with a built in boucing chair and changing pad which i think will be useful to take into different rooms for naps etc but im not sure how easy it'll be getting up to get him out of it instead of just reaching across and feeding him. This cot can also be used as a playpen when he gets older so one less thing to buy
If you've made it this far without nodding off congrats Grin

OP posts:
Damntheman · 23/09/2019 14:04

I never bought a play pen :) Although I did have a travel cot (for sleeping at friends' houses), didn't use it as a play pen though. I think if you've got the money and space for both, then I'd do both. I had my babies in another room from a few days old but my friends who did room share have always been very vocally enthusiastic about those bed-side cots. Easy to reach baby AND safer than straight bed sharing. Total win!

Also congrats!

Spanneroo · 23/09/2019 14:17

We used a cot bed: one side taken off, drilled an extra hole to make sure the mattress was the same height as our bed, and used that as a sidecar cot. You can get specialised mattress gap fillers from easyfoam.co.uk (nursery grade) for around £10, which will fill the gap between your mattress and baby's mattress.

I honestly wouldn't ever do anything else now. It's sooooo much easier to not have to get up at night, and to be able to comfort a baby just by reaching an arm out!

Because it's a cotbed, there was no hurry to wean them off co-sleeping either. DD1 coslept until around 2, DD2 coslept until around 18 months. Got twins coming now, and I'm grateful I won't have to work out how to make them both fit in a regular sized co-sleeper!

CatFaceCats · 23/09/2019 14:21

We just had a regular cot in our room for a while. Then into his room. Then converted into a toddler bed. Lasted until he was about 3 or 4.
Slept in a Moses basket for naps. Had a separate bouncy chair etc.

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happyasasandboy · 23/09/2019 14:39

As described by someone above ....

Get a normal cot/cotbed and take one side off. Strap it to your bed so it won't move. I slid the cot mattress over so it met mine and stuffed a rolled blanket down the far side to keep everything in place.

Being able to reach baby in the night is invaluable. It sort of feels like you haven't really been up in the night as long as your feet haven't touched the ground Grin

horse4course · 23/09/2019 14:49

OP you don't really need to decide right now. Get something for the baby to sleep in as a newborn (side cot, Moses basket etc) then get a cot when the baby's here and you know the lie of the land.

My advice would be to remember you need a new mattress, the cot is basically just a wooden frame so they're all pretty much the same. Not worth going all that fancy. We used cot beds strapped to our bed as well.

notso · 23/09/2019 15:01

I managed fine with all my four just having a cot near my bed rather than attached to it.

Depending on your home I can't imagine lugging a travel cot around the house.
We had one for DC4 as DC3 was still occupying the cot bed. It was a travel cot as in it could fold up but it weighed an absolute tonne. It did however have a bassinet feature which lifted up the base so getting the baby in and out wasn't an issue.

wonkylegs · 23/09/2019 17:32

We used a heirloom standalone cot (new mattress) next to our bed for the first few months and then he went into a cot bed which we turned into a bed at about 11mths for DS1 because he climbed out head first 😳, DS lasted a little longer but by 18mths we turned it into a bed.

Both boys were fidgety and rolled early so I was happy with them in a separate cot.

Original poster
LucaFritz · 24/09/2019 10:54

Is it safe to modify a cot like that ? Would mean i could use his cot bed in my room then move it to his nursery but drilling extra holes and sticking things down the side of the mattress doesn't sound very sleepsafe Hmm i live in an apartment and the travel cot has wheels so easy to move from room to room

OP posts:
Windydaysuponus · 24/09/2019 11:01

One with a lid ime...

Spanneroo · 24/09/2019 13:19

Drilling one small hole in each leg of the cotbed won't affect its structural integrity (at least I'd blooming hope not!) They're built very sturdily. It's not like you're putting great big holes in it willy nilly!

I wouldn't recommend stuffing blankets down the gap, which is why we got a nursery grade foam filler. Don't see why this is any less safe than a co-sleeper tbh

happyasasandboy · 24/09/2019 20:30

A rolled blanket filling a one inch gap down the side of a cot, covered by the fitted sheet, won't make your cot unsafe. Flat, firm, no gaps.

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