To be really fucked off at crib regulations

[HannahsLife]

I'm in the US - I'm not sure if the same issue exists in the UK.

But it is currently illegal to sell/make a crib with a drop down side. I'm barely 5 feet tall and have a small crib, and yet today I am in tears because I'm so fed up with barely being able to reach my baby, my back is killing me from all of the excessive and unsafe bending and the baby wakes up often when putting her down because I have to lift her instead of the gentle way I could lay her in the bassinet or pack and play.

Who tf designed this? Was it men or really tall women? How about designing a crib which is SAFE and well made rather than just banning another thing with no regards to the consequences for women and mothers.

So. Fed. Up.

Also my husband is snoring and the baby is finally asleep but I can't sleep and I want to kill him too.

As drop side cots phased out in the UK a new design where you can raise the base of the cot came in. Have you got anything like that available to you?

I do understand. I'm 5ft4 and although our at home cot was fine with the base raised I basically had to plonk DD to get her into the travel cot as they're so blooming deep!

Oh OP, this is so frustrating. Do you mean like a Next2Me cosleeper type crib?

Could you try the Chicco 4 in 1? It has a foot pedal to make the height adjustable. It was a godsend with my DD.

P.s. Don't kill your husband... far too inconvenient to deal with the fallout in the morning

Agreed. Unless you were in the market for a new patio already.

Probably more a US thing. The size of the cribs there seem big enough to fit a school age child.

UK we have lots of options - I've seen fabric cots with zip side panels and most people I know start with low sided next to the bed cribs.

For myself our crib could be set on two levels, so it can be higher until the baby is at risk of climbing out and then moved down. Side can't be taken off, but in the down setting can be left off to make an early toddler bed.

Thanks all. I just need to vent I guess. It just makes no sense to me that this was okayed by people - I assume those with no children.

I mean the cot, sorry. We did have a bedside one which worked great but she started rolling and got too big for it to be comfortable so transitioned to the proper wood cot thing.

The mattress is on the highest setting so far as she can't stand or anything but it's the rail. It's just too high up. Though I imagine when we move the mattress down it will also then be even harder to reach.

Eughh. Trying not to cry.

Will yake the advice to not murder the train next to me my husband. Yet

My cot, UK, has a drop side and a base that could be set at 3 different heights.

Not banned here.

Ah ok! Now I understand. Cots are a pain in the arse if you're vertically challenged. I've always thought so, even when DD was on the "midpoint" setting. I will say I found the cot slightly lower than the cotbed and therefore not as much "over" bending.

If it is that cumbersome, maybe see if you can change it? Sell the one you have a buy another. One of these might suit?

www.littlebabygear.com/best-cribs-short-moms/

Standing on something (obviously make sure it's stable and has a grippy surface!) might make it easier OP.

I get you. This is why mine have always gone into beds around 1.
The height is determined by the height of a toddler, to theoretically stop them climbing out.
I think cribs can be better than cots because they're not designed for standing babies so don't need the side height. I don't know if the words mean the same in the us.

Please don't do this. You're already top heavy holding a baby, combined with your own head and projecting your arms forward it will take very little to propel you into the cot if standing even on a small height.

@HannahsLife

feel free to have a good cry! (& without worrying about waking the train!! Though don't wake your baby!!)

I haven't bought a cot in years, so I'm not sure what the regs are. But I'm not quite 5ft & I couldn't have managed without a drop side cot. I'd have located one (illegal or not) or adapted one.

FFS it's legal to carry a gun & illegal to have a drop side cot. WTAF?

Could you get some thick foam, like they use for furniture, cut to the size of the cot and then put the baby mattress on the top of that? Would that raise baby up enough?

Could you get a small portable step to put next to it?

www.amazon.co.uk/StrongTek-Non-Slip-Stepping-Portable-Capacity/dp/B097DHGLGH/ref=asc_df_B097DHGLGH/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=591045701970&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11853738597666299162&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045908&hvtargid=pla-1462800454520&psc=1

If her crib is like the ones I have seen, they have adjustable mattress heights. They mattress height has to be set for the size and age of the baby so they don’t fall out of they pull themselves up. Raising the mattress too high is a huge problem.

op, we never used a crib because dd was a difficult sleeper. We went with a mattress at ground level which make skating down next to baby easier and just child proofed the entire room. I know that is a bit out there for most people, but it worked for us.

Thanks all.

I did consider a step but I was worried about balance. I have a few around the house for various purposes but usually need my hands to steady myself. I'm not sure how that would work for a baby.

Yes, it is absolutely insane that guns are legal but drop sided cribs are not. I really needed that laugh today because it is just SO INSANE.

I'll figure something out. Thanks for the support and options ladies.

Take the side off or transition to a floor bed? More of a pain making sure the room is baby proofed etc but for some babies it works really well at that age!

I'm 39 weeks pregnant and wish we had taken the side off DS's cot, it's so bloody hard to get him in and out!

@HannahsLife they were phasing them out here in the UK years ago when I had DD who's now 12. Or maybe earlier because I remember struggling to find a good one when I had DD1 15 years ago. I made sure to keep that dropside cot (crib) and reused it for all my kids. And when the time comes, it'll still be sitting wrapped up in storage if my kids want it in the future. It's crazy they're banned in the US. They never came down too low to trap an arm or head, and if the issue was them being able to fall (can't see that happening either because they're well secured), then a redesign or upgrade of the catches would be in order surely.

They are legal in the UK because the design was updated and made safe, whereas the US just banned them.

I am under 5ft too and have one.

I don't agree with the current gun laws(which vary by state) in the U.S but drop side cots have been banned for good reason. 32 babies in a decade died because of them

www.verywellfamily.com/drop-side-crib-safety-issues-294016

Could you get an IKEA cot? I had one and I feel like it was lower than most cots. It had two level options for the mattress. And quite cheap!

On the back of this post I've just googled dropside cots and they're still widely available. I guess when my kids were born they were trying to get rid but obviously didn't manage to go ahead with that. I wonder if you could have one shipped to the US? It'd cost an arm and a leg but save you a back?

Same, although we never used the drop side in the end.

babymore.co.uk/shop/cots-cot-beds/eva-sleigh-drop-side-cot-bed-white/

Chop the feet off the bottom.