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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Drop side cots

27 replies

PrincessWatermelon · 02/04/2012 12:01

Quick question:

I'm 5'3", expecting DC1, and thought a drop-side cot (or cotbed) would be a good idea. However, there aren't that many around - far more are fixed sides. And am I right in thinking the drop-side only works when the mattress is in the lowest position?

So, the question is, how important do you think it is to have a drop-side?

Thanks.

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KatAndKit · 02/04/2012 12:06

I don't know how useful they are but apparently the US banned the sale of drop side cots from last year for safety reasons.

PieMistress · 02/04/2012 12:53

We got a second hand bednest (£30! what a steal) which was brilliant.

You can take the sides off a couple of the Ikea cots and use them as bedside cots though (think there are a few threads on them).

Original poster

PrincessWatermelon · 02/04/2012 14:02

Thanks Pie, we haven't actually got space in our room for a cot. WIll look into bednests though.

Really wondering about the need for a drop-side cot, considering I'm short!!

OP posts:

PieMistress · 02/04/2012 14:53

I'm 5'1" and was so glad to have the bednest as I had an EMCS. I wasn't prepared to pay the full cost for a new one though (£200!) so put a wanted advert up on a few baby related sites and got a very cheap 2nd hand one (the old plastic style) and bought a new mattress for it.

Devora · 02/04/2012 14:54

I had a dropside cot, but forgot to ever drop the side. I certainly wouldn't see it as essential.

BlueCrane · 02/04/2012 19:08

princess I am 5'2 expecting DC1 and really wanted a dropside cot bed as I'm not sure my arms will reach v well once the mattress height is lowered and the DC is getting heavier! I found one in Babiesrus in the end which we've now put together and is in the nursery just waiting for LO to arrive...it looks pretty sturdy and the dropside seems v easy to use as well. We got this one:
Henley Cotbed they do it in other colours as well.

Re. the comment about the US I did look into the safety concerns and it seemed to me that most of the instances of cot death or injury related to the dropside were where the parents hadn't used the dropside properly or it had broken and they'd just carried on using the cot anyway

Hope that helps!

Original poster

PrincessWatermelon · 02/04/2012 19:19

Thanks blue. That one is already bookmarked on my computer! One of the few I could find! Good to know it seems sturdy. If we get one, we'll just be super careful we use it correctly.

OP posts:

Boggler · 02/04/2012 19:22

With my ds I thought a drop side cot was essential I'm not that tall and thought all the bending would be hard when the cot was in the lower position, but just like devora I never once remembered to drop the side! So this time I'm not about making sure I get one with a drop side because asyou say there aren't that many about.

Nevercan · 02/04/2012 19:24

I loved the drop side on my cot and it can be used when mattress is in either position. DD2 was a chunky baby and I think it saved my back.

issimma · 02/04/2012 19:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

londonmackem · 02/04/2012 19:32

We have the John Lewis Elizabeth cotbed which has a drop side. It is really useful and I am 5'5. Necessity depends on your back, etc.

CuppaTeaJanice · 02/04/2012 19:35

Absolutely vital IMO. Not just a drop-side, though, but a bedside cot with one whole side missing. It means I can just flop myself over into the cot for night feeds, and I don't have to move DD at all. I have got sooooo much more sleep because of it.

Enfyshedd · 02/04/2012 19:44

Many, many moons ago, DP used to work for a well known baby furniture manufacturer. His opinion is that drop side cots don't feel as solid as fixed side cots, which is obvious when you consider that only 3 sides are joined together with a long open side instead of a fixed rectangle. Personally, as a short arse with a history of back problems, drop sided cots appealed to me, but this means that I'll be giving him the job of bending over all the time

AKMD · 02/04/2012 20:17

I work in a related field and have gone to very boring lengths to research the drop-side ban in the USA and Canada. Before the ban the US and Canada had a safety standard for cots that was far less stringent than the one we have in the UK and as a result there were quite a few poorly designed/manufactured cots on the market that would never have been sold here. The terrible accidents and deaths that caused the ban were caused by drop-sides or mattress bases breaking and parents using rope or other non-standard materials to 'fix' the cot or carrying on using a broken cot

The UK has one of the strictest safety standards in the world for cots and cot beds. A new cot bought in the UK and put together properly is going to be safe, drop-side or no drop-side. Just don't leave the drop-side down when the baby is in the cot because it is more unstable.

Anyway...

I bought a drop-side cot bed for DS and didn't use the drop-side very much at all in the first few months. I'm 5'4" and just didn't need to as the mattress level was high enough for me to put DS in without bending much. When we put the mattress onto the lowest position I started using it quite a bit as DS was a nightmare to get to sleep and I ended up most nights trying to transfer him to the cot in as horizontal a position as possible :)

ChippingInNeedsCoffee · 02/04/2012 20:23

I'm barely 5ft and wouldn't buy anything but a dropside! Like all things, you can get rubbish ones and good ones (though, as it has been pointed out, the UK standards are pretty stingent!).

When you are looking around, don't be fooled by the fact that many of the 'modern' dropside cots don't look like dropside cots They don't have the 'old style' lift up bits at the side, but hidden mechanisms.

Cotbeds are fab too and will last years!

plantsitter · 02/04/2012 20:31

I got pregnant with DD2 a bit sooner than I meant to (I'm glad now though) and I couldn't have managed pregnant without the dropside on DD1's cot.

nancerama · 02/04/2012 20:38

We have the Babystyle Hollie cotbed. It has a drop side. The drop side was really useful for about 2 months for us.

The first 4 months, DS was in a Moses basket in our room. He moved into his own room at 16 weeks. We had the mattress on the highest level and used the drop side to get him in and out.

When he turned 6 months, he was pulling himself up to standing, so we had to drop the mattress to the lowest level to stop him escaping! Once they can stand, the drop side is less useful as the little one will reach up to be lifted out.

Catsycat · 02/04/2012 21:18

I'm 5'3" tall. We had our DDs in an Amby / Crib in our room (a full size cot wouldn't fit in the room) for the first 6 months, so no dropside was necessary due to the shallowness of these. We then moved them into a cotbed in their own room. By the time the base was at the lowest level, they were well able to stand up, so that lifting them out was easy. When the mattress was at the upper two levels, I had no problem leaning over to lift them out. TBH, I could still reach the mattress with ease at the lowest level too.

Original poster

PrincessWatermelon · 02/04/2012 22:42

Thank you all! Plenty of food for thought. Have dug out my Cosatto brochure now and spotted their drop side one.

Particularly useful to hear about our standards here and the safety aspect.

OP posts:

McPhee · 02/04/2012 22:46

I got a white dropside from John Lewis a few weeks back for £99. I think it's called the Anna, but I'm not sure. The dropside works with your foot so you can still use both hands for baby.

joosiewoosie · 03/04/2012 06:56

I'm defo getting a drop-side cotbed for DC1. I've a back issue and it makes sense. Baby will be older and heavier when mattress is on lowest level, so more strain on back if no dropside.
Of course, much advice recommends putting baby to bed awake anyway so can learn to settle themselves. However, I'm realistic enough to know life happens, and want to be covered on as many bases as possible!

wonkylegs · 03/04/2012 07:05

We got the Cosatto Hogarth one and it's still going strong (as a bed now) with DS who is nearly 4.
I'm 4'11, have arthritis and had a c-section so being able to lift a great big lump of a baby in and out was always going to be a concern, dropside was IME essential. It was fab as a cot and is great as a bed. Very sturdy and well built, no safety concerns at all.

Boggler · 03/04/2012 13:45

Meant to also say that the drip sided cot we had, had a safety mechanism that meant that both safety catches had to be undone simultaneously to drop the side, I found it impossible to do as my arms weren't long enough ti reach and hold a baby etc

pinkpeony · 03/04/2012 14:05

I got a Boori dropside cot-bed 3 years ago when DC1 born. DC2 has now been sleeping in it for nearly a year. I must say, I have never dropped the side of the cot once with either DC (other than to check that it works, or make the bed) - when DC gets really drowsy and I pop them into cot, don't want to wake them up by dropping/raising side (it does make some noise).

Chunkychicken · 03/04/2012 18:09

We got a 2nd hand cot-bed (£40 - steal!!) for my DD as I thought the same - I'm 5'3 on a tall day & thought it would be essential, and I was proved right!! It was pretty much redundant on the highest level but for the lower 2 levels, I couldn't have managed without it when putting DD in bed asleep. Totally recommend tracking one down. I will be buying another drop-sided cot for the next one too.

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