Accessible cot/playpen for parent in wheelchair

[ehuard]

Hi all,

my husband uses a wheelchair, and we're looking for a cot he can access. Ideally he would be able to lift up our little daughter. We found out this is not possible with our current crib: I've got to pick up our baby and hand it to him, so that doesn't allow him to take care of her by himself, and that's not ideal for father-daughter bonding time.
The problem is that he can't lean forward too much for balance, so he'd probably need a cot where a side can be removed and he can slide under it?
Now we have to buy her a cot which will probably last a couple of years.

We've looked into cot with sliding sides, but I'm not sure that would work either. There are shops that sell cots with side doors, but they're incredibly expensive (in the thousands of pounds).

Do you have advice, tips to give us?
(same for playpens)
Thank

Elise

My disability sounds a bit different as I have a muscle wasting condition but don't use a wheelchair. I can't bend forward due to lack of strength and find it hard to lift my baby. However hopefully this will help - I have a fantastic cot that was adapted by a charity called Remap. I would highly recommend them and as its a charity all adaptations are free. I bought a normal cot then they raised the height for me and redesigned the side so it opens like a door. I know they have made other designs for wheelchair users. I used a bedside cot until she was 7 months then have used my adapted cot ever since. She's now nearly 18 months and I've coped independently thanks to remap :) Let me know if you need any more info xxx

If you PM your email I could send you a photo of my cot if that helps x

Hi flowerflo,
thanks a lot! will pm you my email. Remap sounds like a really nice initiative.
Thanks!
Elise

I second remap. They're amazing! You may also want to try the charity DPPI - Disability, Pregnancy and Parenting Support International. They have a helpline you can call and will probably offer to send you a little booklet full of ideas like these. But you will probably need Remap to make those ideas a reality.

Hi @flowerflo , I know this post is very old but I’m looking for a side opening cot and have just contacted remap asking for advice/help. My partner is disabled and unable to lift over the cot to pick up our (soon to be here) baby. So we were looking to have a side opening cot door so he could sit on the ground and get to/lift our child up without me having to hand them to him.

Do you have any details of the cot you had adapted from remap?

I’ve seen ones built that are accessible online - but they’re over £5k and really can’t afford that! When hoping an adaption to one side of the cot will do 🤞🏽

Thanks for your message - I haven’t been on mumsnet for ages but the notification popped up in my emails! I bought a standard mothercare cot and they cut off the side, cut it in half to make a door and put some hinges on! They also made some raised legs for it as I needed it quite high. I just explained what I needed it to do and they came up with the ideas! They really were amazing. Mine was one of the first they did back then but I know they’ve made more since so I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem for them. What part of the country are you in? I’m on the south coast so I’m sure my branch of remap would happily answer any questions if needed, although I think the man who made mine may have retired now.