Cot and then a bed or a cotbed?

[NoTeaForMe]

Hi,

The title says it all really!

I'm wondering what the benefits are to having a cotbed over having a cot and then a bed!! Cotbeds tend to be more money but I know they are obviously in them longer, then you can get some cheapish cots and beds that probably add up to the same cost. So whats the difference and what would you recommend.

Also if you had a cotbed when would you move your child out of it into a normal bed?

Sorry for the rambling!!

I never bothered with the expense of a cotbed.
DD went from cot to bed at 2.
They do last longer I guess - but you're still going to need to get a single bed at the end of it, so may as well just skip it.

Never understood the whole moses basket then cot then toddler bed thing. From what I can tell a cotbed costs just the same as a cot. Our little one has slept in a cotbed right from the start (he's 21 months now). He's a terrible shuffler in his sleep so no plans to remove railings, not sure what we would do if he had a cot which would be far too small for him now.... go for a cotbed right from the start is what I advise.

i couldn't see the point of a cotbed tbh

we had a cot and then a normal bed which they went into around 2ish

DS was in a cotbed until he was 3 and then he was moved as we were expecting DC2 and needed it back

all in all we have used it for 4 years so far, and when DD is older we will take the bars off and she can use it as a bed

i reckon we will get 8 - 10 years out of it

also, it is bigger than a cot and i think DS was more comfortable in it as he had room to move around more

Imagine this: At 3 a.m your DC has woken and come into your bed for a cuddle. An hour later s/he has fallen asleep but is still wriggling and kicking you, so you cannot sleep. You could take DC back to his/her own bed, but DC may wake up, and anyway at 3.5 years old is pretty heavy as a dead weight. So, you creep out of your bed and hop into DC's. At this point, which bed do you hope you've bought?

BTW - If you do go cotbed, a normal size single duvet and duvet cover works quite well used width-ways, so at least you don't have to buy completely new bedding when you trade-up.

I have 2 years apart between my dc and got about 8 years use out of a cot bed. A proper cotbed should see them through until about 6 or 7 years old.
DS slept in the carrycot that came with the pram for quite a long time, then the cot bed then changed it to the bed.
When DD came along she actually slept in the cot I had as a baby until she was about 2 then inherited the cotbed from DS which she had until she was about 6.
We have just given it to my cousin for her baby and still in really good condition.

but a cotbed isn't that much bigger than a cot anyway, so not sur eabout the "extra space" argument

mine all shuffled about too, they stop when they hit the end, so they'd have just shuffled a bit further in a cot bed lol

and you can't use it for 6 or 7 ywears if you ahve a second child waiting to use it

our cot has been in constant use for the last 5 and a half years. the eldest 2 are in beds now

I had a second child and we used it for 8 years between the two of them.

cotbed cotbed cotbed cotbead cotbead
no brainer...I have 3 kids and thus clearly I am expert of everything and not to be disobeyed........

ooops, missed a bit out

child in moses basket first 4 months (and often put moses basket in cot bed to get child used to it)

then to cot bed (in cot format) till 2ish?

then sides off cotbed into bed format when they started being able to climb the sides from 2-5/6

cotbed used till about 5-6?

had mine resprayed in a sludgy brown and the cot fittings holes filled in to make it look really cute and you could never tell it had once been a cotbed.

but i have 3 kids too and i say cot! lol

cheaper to buy, cheaper mattresses, cheaper bedding.... you're going to have to buy a proper bed anywy even if you start out with a cotbed....

Hmm, thanks for all your help, think I might be more confused!!

I am pregnant with my first child, and we would be thinking of having number 2 when number 1 is about 2.5 ish. (Then I would like a 3rd!!) I guess I am thinking that really as my 1st child would need to go into the bed number 2 might come along and then need the cot themselves so would that then be a waste of money?

Part of this is because I have fallen in love with the sleigh style cotbeds which you can get online for around £220 - £300!

Any thoughts?

Yes you will need the cot for any new baby, and you would have to buy a new bed for the toddler, but the last baby can use it until they are 6 and those sleigh ones can be used as a small sofa afterwards as well if you have the room.

If you want a small sofa that look like a sleigh of course

I say cot followed by bed. I don't know any toddlers who don't sleep in a normal single bed so all those who had cot beds are not using them as a bed for whatever reason.

The only exception is if you have very small bedrooms and a cotbed would leave more space than a single bed. However, they'll have to go in a single bed eventually.

cot to bed, definitely! I think cotbeds are a waste of money, unless like Joyjay says, you only have very small bedrooms, but then what? Mine both went into beds at two years old very happily. I put on one of those clip-on side rails from Tommee Tippee which often came with us on holiday and this meant they learnt to sleep anywhere without the hassle of finding a big cot or cotbed at hotels.

Cotbed (especially if it's one of those sleigh ones )
DS1 was able to climb out of it in cot from about the age of 2, he seemed far to small for a single bed. I was much more comfortable moving him into the cotbed as it was so much lower. Also, the extra space it left in the room was invaluble when it came to building train tracks . We bought him a single bed when he turned 4.

DD went straight from cot to bed at about 20/21 months, coincidentally when DS was born He will be going staright to a bed soon as well.

But if I was given a cotbed as a gift I'd have been delighted, some of them are loooovely. Just not at all neccessary IMHO.

Cot to bed, no brainer. My DD1 went straight to a full sized single bed (with guards) about 2 days after her 2nd b'day. She was fine. Mind you, we were expecting DD2 then and the Stokke cot was going to cost about £200-£300 to convert to a bed, so it seemed the most prudent thing to buy DD1 a proper bed and leave the cot for DD2's arrival (which she is now in, at 6 weeks old ).

I used a cot bed. It was a lot sturdier than the cots that I had seen, and useful to be able to convert it to a little bed. I feel that it made the transition of going from a cot, to a bed without cot sides was easier than moving to a completely different bed.