Cot for newborn or a next to me?

[Anneka17]

Hi all,

I'm 33 weeks pregnant now and trying to figure out whether to get a bedside crib to make the nights easier or if alternatively I can get a cot with a drop down side that can be put next to my bed giving easy access to my little one. This way it would avoid me having to buy a 'next to me' type crib that can only be used up to 6 months and then finding somewhere to store it.

However I can't seem to find any cots online with a drop down side and ability to change the mattress level (apart from on amazon that has some mixed reviews regarding noise of the drop down). I'm short so think having a drop down
would be easier as my little one gets heavier.

Has anyone please got any advice on any cots they may suggest that can be used easily in a 'next to me fashion' or alternatively a bedside crib they feel is worth getting?

I did purchase the tutti bambini cozee but did not like the fold down as it fel fiddley and the wooden bar was chunky and drops down - wouldn't want to hit the baby with it!

Thanks!

We had the IKEA Gulliver which we attached to the base of the bed using cable ties. You could have the mattress either halfway up when co-sleeping or at the bottom when you wanted it as a deeper cot.

I thought it was great, the only problem i had was having to scoot all the way down the bed to get out when you needed a night time wee!

Meant to say it's not a drop down side but you obvs just leave one side off if using as a co-sleeper

I'm pretty sure there are health and safety reasons for cots not having drop down sides anymore. We have little storage but the next to me we got folds up quite small and comes with a protective storage bag which we found useful. We bought a cot than can later change to a toddler bed. Our baby was so tiny I can't imagine her having slept in a big cot from day 1. She even looked tiny in the next to me 😅

The US has banned dropped side cots but that ban doesn’t extend to the UK as we have more rigorous standards for cots and their components generally. However drop sides are hard to come by, and if the only drop side one where you can make the mattresses different heights is from Amazon I would assume that there’s a safety reason why this isn’t a feature that UK-based manufacturers use. It’s possible that as the adjustable mattress height became a more popular feature the drop side fell out of favour as you’re never having to drop a newborn right to the bottom of a standard cot. There’s also the risk of nipped fingers or whatever which I’m sure a lot of parents just don’t want to risk, and so fixed sides are more attractive. I am 5ft 2” with short arms and the upper body strength of a newborn kitten, and getting the kids in and out of the cot has never really been an issue regardless of mattress height.

In your shoes I would get a bedside cot secondhand. Buy a new mattress, but then sell it on after your baby grows out of it. You’ll make your money back on it plus you won’t need to store it. FWIW I have the Cozee and it’s a lovely cot, but I have never dropped the side of it. You would only lower the side to use it as a co-sleeper but you don’t mention wanting the cot for that purpose.

Not what you've asked, I know, but I got a next to me and it virtually saved my life.
Mine were both in it til over 9 months and it folds down into the box quite thin (just a few inches deep) - could be put behind a wardrobe or airing cupboard.
Also they are useful as a travel cot.

Alternatively you can get them on marketplace very cheaply (just buy a new mattress) and then resell it and buy another when you need it for the future.

Good luck x