To buy a cot bed for a newborn and not a cot,crib or mosses basket?

[itsnicetobeniceto]

I want to get value for money as haven't much money to spare and this is my first baby. But I don't know if a cot bed suits a new born. They seem very big to put a newborn in. Has anyone experience of using a cot bed for newborn?

Already have this in parenting but not got many replies so hoping will get more here.
Thanks

Your newborn will look teeny in it, but so what? It is a comfortable, safe bed!!!

Mine both went straight into cot beds at birth. A cot or crib is outgrown within a few months anyway.

They went into bunk beds when they were 2.5 and 1.5 respectively, as we needed them to share a room then and DS had outgrown his cotbed really. And DD had destroyed hers from within.

But that did mean, of course, that I had to have two cotbeds... but no cots or cribs and then straight to beds that will last until early teens so, seeing as the age gap is so small, I think we did ok with it TBH.

We have a cotbed and DS is fine in it, and looked very cute and tiny at first. What we also have which has had a huge amount of use is the carrycot that fits in the Graco pushchair. On bad nights DH sat downstairs with him until he fell asleep and then popped the whole carrycot in the cotbed. It also means he sleeps very well in the pram, enough for us to go out to dinner with him in there!

I never see the point of cotbeds really, as you'll need a single bed at some point anyway.

Often by the time DC1 is ready to come out of the cot, DC2 is on the way, so they go straight into a bed anyway as you'll need the cot for DC2.

But your plan sounds perfectly workable if you'd rather have a cotbed, and you can fit a cotbed into your bedroom, as the baby needs to be in with you for the first 6 months.

If you are planning on having another baby before the first has outgrown the cot bed (as a toddler size bed) then it might be better just to buy a cot then a normal single bed later. Otherwise you will end up having to buy 2 cot beds (or a cot bed and a cot) then buy 2 single beds when they are older. In the long run it would be cheaper to buy just 1 cot and 2 single beds. My children have all been fine moving from cot to full size single bed at about 2 and half.

Love the cot bed. Ds is is 3 now, has been in it since he was 3 months old and will be in it until we have another one and will get him a single bed. If you are anywhere near South London I have a Moses basket you can have. And have a fantastic red castle pram.

Thanks all for your offers of cots and mosses baskets. However I live in NI so the postage would be huge and baby not due til March so really just throwing ideas around instead of throwing money around. Thanks again for your kindness and voices of experience.

YANBU, I had cot for DS which I ended up using with rolled up towels down the side. We lived in Tenerife and he was born in August so didn't need covers etc. I had a moses basket someone gave me but he didn't like it.

I would certainly get a cot bed if I had any more.

Congratulations btw.

DS went into a single at 14 months after he freefell head fist trying to climb out of the cot in the middle of a hurricane and power cut.

You can buy sides if you need.

I found a moses basket great for downstairs, I got given it as a present (maybe you could ask for people to chip in for one or get one 2nd hand). Otherwise it was the cot bed for me, lasted till ds was 4 or 5, definetly recommend that. Just put them at the bottom so they can't wriggle down under the covers and just swaddle them.
Mind you if your on one level and not upstairs downstairs then I wouldn't see the point of a moses basket.

I think its perfectly fine whatever you choose to buy, just that moses baskets and cribs really don't last that long and you'll find you have to switch to cot or cot bed anyway.

They say babies feel cosier in moses baskets but my DS hated it. He hated his crib and his cot too, and the only place he would sleep was right next to me (even to this day, and he's 2).

We had a crib for ds1 but he was a big baby and had to go in his cotbed from 5 weeks so total waste of money for us. Downstairs ds1 just used to sleep in a buggy that was suitable from birth.

We used a cot for DD. Never bought a cot bed as anyway DS needed the cot when DD was 2.5 years.

Unless you are planning only one child or a very big age gap (like 4-5 years) cheaper to buy a cot. DS2 now in cot.

But yes newborns don't mind the size of their beds.

The feet at bottom only applies if using sheets and blankets, not if swaddling or grobags. We initally used sheets and blankets and DD managed as newborn to crawl up cot on her back and woke up freezing (it was December). Once she was in a grobag much better.