cot bed question....? and saftey?

[hippy3]

ok.. so am getting all the bits together for the nursery. We have decided we are going to buy a cot bed.... in the hope it will save us some cash in the long run..

When buying a cot what do I need to look out for? and what mattress if any is the safest?
so many too choose from? I was looking on the kiddicare web site and they seem pretty reasonable. are they a proper store though? like Mothercare or something?

Thanks....

We got a cod bed and I think they're all pretty much the same, so just get one you like the look of. We got a cosatto one from boots online so we could get the points. The cosatto one is pretty sturdy, just cleaning it today for baby number 2 next month.

We got a matrress from mothercare, we went for the middle priced one with the zip off washable top bit, which has been really useful

Make sure you like the look of the cot bed as a bed as well as a cot, some of them look really lovely as a cot but naff as a bed!

I think it's a good idea to look at cots in real life and feel them etc as some can be splintery and rough. You'll need a teething rail cover thingy as a chewed bed is not a great look, and they do chew and gum and gnaw!

Kiddicare is a huge store in Peterborough if I remember rightly. I would say it's well worth a trip if you're not too far away.

I'm not sure which mattress is safest, I used foam for my DS but definitely need the waterproof zip off cover or you'll be replacing the mattress before you know it! We're using a foam mattress again for this baby and having a cot bed this time; had a cot with DS but the cot beds are a bit roomier (and the cot bed we've bought turns into a sofa, so a better investment than a cot)

A word of caution on cot beds...firstly as shady said, make sure they look okay as a bed too.

Secondly, it is useful with older kids to be able to lie down next to them in their bed if they are ill, having problems getting to sleep, or just to read them a bedtime story.

We bought a cot bed for DD and are now buying her a proper bed instead (she is 2). We had originally thought that the cot bed would be with us for years!