Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

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

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Confused - Cots, Cot Beds or Moses Baskets?

59 replies

Myrtle1 · 03/07/2006 21:08

Hi,

I am feeling confused! I don't know whether to buy a cot, cot bed or moses basket. Can a newborn go straight into a cot and is it worth getting a cot or should I get a cot bed? If I get a cot, how long does the baby stay in the cot before it can go in a single bed?
We already have a single bed so I don't know which option to go for. We've also been lent a really large moses basket that is quite old - its been in the family a long time but it has a new mattress so is it alright to use this?
Thanks for any help/tips anyone can give me!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Marina · 03/07/2006 21:14

If you already have a single bed then a cot is more compact than a cot-bed, and usually cheaper.
Old Moses basket with new mattress fine, provided - and don't take this the wrong way! - it has not been stored somewhere where the rushes might have mildewed. That should be easy to spot. Ds and dd's moses basket was second hand and of unknown origin (with new mattress and linen).
Newborns can and do go straight in cots - no reason why not. You can make up cot linen to keep the baby feet-to-foot (reducing the slight risk of a small baby slipping down under loose covers and overheating.
You might find your baby just has a thing about Moses baskets, and won't settle. Quite a lot of babies don't like them

fruitful · 03/07/2006 21:16

A newborn can go straight into a cot but might look a bit lost. The moses basket with new mattress is ok AFAIK. And the baby can sleep in your room in it.

Dd outgrew the (average-sized) moses basket at about 5 months. But she was tiny.

A cot bed is a nice idea but then you've got to buy another one for the next child. If you get a cot, that child moves into a bed (when they're about 2) and the next baby can have the cot.

olivo · 03/07/2006 21:17

Myrtle - I've been really confused too! we've ended up getting a new moses basket( just acheap one) which I'm expecting to use for about 8 weeks(?), then we have second hand cot bed coming but have bought a new matress - I think this will do us till he/she is about 3.
I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be around soon so will watch with interest!

NotAnOtter · 03/07/2006 21:20

my ds is still in cotbed at 3 1/2
moses basket ok but a bit insubstantial - i have a little crib which is moses basket size and ds looking a bit big for it now at 4 months
all you really NEED is cot or cotbed the choice between those is entirely yours. i think babies like a bit of space so prefer cotbed.
hth

sarahlou1uk · 03/07/2006 21:28

When my ds was born, I used a moses basket. However, he developed colic and so on mw advice still put him in moses basket but then put basket into cot with a pillow underneath so that he was slightly tilted at one end. Used moses basket this way for about 4 weeks and then he went into cot ok. Moved from cot into full sized single bed at age 2 1/2 with the aid of a bed guard. Now loves his bed and won't even come into mummy's for a cuddle!

juuule · 03/07/2006 21:28

We used a moses basket (not an expensive one) for several months. However, we also had a cot in our bedroom. The benefit for us was that baby was on hand downstairs in the evening for feeding but later once fed and swaddled didn't need to be disturbed to take up to bed when one of us was going. Would carry the moses basket up and put it into the cot. Would then get a few hours sleep before baby woke for a feed and then came into bed with me. On the nights that she wouldn't settle back at all for whatever reason I would put her in the basket and carry the lot downstairs to sort her out so not disturbing anybody who was asleep. As baby outgrew the moses basket there wasn't any great change as was used to the cot sides.
My youngest is still happy to go to sleep in her cot at 3yo.

Original poster

Myrtle1 · 03/07/2006 22:21

Thanks everyone, I think we will get a cot for baby's room but use the moses basket at the beginning and see how it goes. One more thing, what do you think about sleeping bags/grobags? Is it a good idea to get them for baby to sleep in?

OP posts:

twickersmum · 03/07/2006 22:29

i would go for a moses basket and a cot. In the first few weeks they sleep for a couple of hours at a time 24 hours a day, so you can keep the moses basket with you - upstairs, in your bedroom at night etc..
My dd outgrew the moses basket at about 3 months - so then she moved into the cot in her own room and by then she was sleeping well at night time and having naps in the day. At that point i started using a grobag aswell which i found great - keeps them warm and secure all night.

Alipiggie · 03/07/2006 22:33

Grobags are fantastic both my two love them and wore them from about 12wks of age. Before that they liked to be swaddled in the crib. Grobags save the additional worry of what bedding to use because of the tog rating like duvets. When it was really cold just a cotton blanket or two over the top should suffice. Used to stop nocturnal wanderings on transfer to cot bed minus sides, until ds1 worked out how to open the zip at about 17months of age

juuule · 03/07/2006 22:36

Never used a grobag. I swaddled mine for a looong time.

NotAnOtter · 03/07/2006 22:41

me too juule -till they weigh a tonne!! maybe thats why we have so many - they sleep!!!

juuule · 03/07/2006 22:49

NotAnOtter -

mosschops30 · 03/07/2006 22:54

Message withdrawn

olivia35 · 03/07/2006 23:00

Used a Moses basket (hand-me-down from a friend whose dd slept better in a cot) for ds but moved him into a cotbed fairly young, & he promptly slept much better.

The Moses basket was passed on to a friend who ALSO found her ds slept better when moved to a full size cot.

She offered to return it for dd, but we went straight for the cot option!

Think the biggest advantage of Moses baskets is for parents rather than baby - you can get it closer to your bed & hear the baby's breathing.

nicnack2 · 03/07/2006 23:23

i didnt get moses basket as i knew by scans that we were having a long baby and didnt want to waste the money. Ds1 went strainght into cot and then moved to small bed at 2.5 for all of a week and wanted big boys bed were he has slept well every since.
DS2 was equally as long though probably would have preferred a Moses basket as he didnt like cot. First few weeks slept in the car carry cot. now 4 month and in his cot.

eidsvold · 04/07/2006 02:47

we got a moses basket at the flat we were living in was tiny. As dd1 was little she stayed in that until she was almost 8 months old. Then into a cot and then a bed at almost 2 ( only cause we moved to Aus and did not want to buy another cot)

Dd2 went into moses basket - and then cot - still in cot at almost 20 months. Thinking about getting her a bed soon as she is trying to climb out of her cot.

With dd2 my moses basket and cot were borrowed and I just bought new mattresses. Okay to reuse moses basket - as it has a new mattress.

MumtoBen · 07/07/2006 20:46

We used a moses basket, but he outgrew it by 8 weeks, even though he was small-ish when he was born. He seemed much more comfortable in his cotbed.

With hindsight I wouldn't have bothered with a moses basket.

Might be worth thinking about whether you want to have any more children, the gap between children and who might end up in what bed! I was glad we splashed out on a nice quality cot bed that will last more than 1 child. Hoping we'll have another baby next year, which will be just in time for my son to go into a bed. I'm not sure he would have fitted into a normal size cot for much longer (now 17 months) as he's tall. He won't fit the travel cot for much longer either.

He's a real fidget, so grobags have been essential over the winter.

LilacWine · 07/07/2006 20:53

i am glad i never bought a moses basket as DS was born 11 lbs 1oz and never would have fitted in it. he was out of the crib in a week as he was just getting his arms stuck in between the bars. plus the mattress seemed too thin and uncomfortable. so he sleeps in his cot and quite happily too.

clairemow · 07/07/2006 20:57

Hi Myrtle,

we borrowed a moses basket for DS1, and bought a second hand cotbed (new mattress though) - Sure your old basket'll be fine, just get new mattress for it. DS outgrew the basket by 8 weeks... and moved into his cotbed, no hassle. The moses basket was useful at first, as he slept so much and we could take it virtually anywhere.

As you know from the Sept thread, DS2 is due early Sept, DS1 is in the cotbed with the sides off now, but we're getting him a new bed next week, so that the cotbed is here for DS2. DS1 is v. tall, so I think he would have outgrown a cot a while ago... He certainly outgrew the travel cot at 18 months or so.

As for baby grobags, they are the best invention in the world IMO. DS hated being swaddled from the word go (maybe because he was breech with his legs straight up round his ears, and it took a few days for his legs to go down!!), so that didn't work for us. He was a real wriggler in the cotbed when the sides were up, and it meant he stayed warm in the winter, and for the summer you can buy really lightweight ones. You can also use them in the car, and then just transfer from car seat to bed if you're travelling home at bedtime.

aitch71 · 07/07/2006 21:00

not to confuse the issue, but i got a 'nature's nest' baby hammock which i've used since DD was born and she's now nearly 7 months. i reckon i'll have to put her into a cot in a few months but she has slept through since six weeks and she loves her hammock. she actually throws herself towards it when she's tired. i cannot recommend it enough.
i only know of one other mum who has one but her baby slept beautifully as well and she would recommend it too.
anyway, good luck with everything, and within reason accept as many offers of hand-me-downs as you possibly can as they grow so unbelievably fast.

mum2oliver · 07/07/2006 21:58

I think this cn depend on the size of your baby.
My ds was in a cot and could climb out of it around 17-18mths.I then was forced to put him in a bed which for me was too early as he realised quite early that he could get out so we had fun and games putting him to bed and when ever he woke!!!

poppyflower · 08/07/2006 14:15

I recommend a natures' nest hammock too. They are bloody fantasic. I'm on child no 5 and I wish to God I had got one earlier. Nothing I can say here would come close to expressing how wonderful they are, Well worth any outlay. Got mine on ebay for a fraction of the cost.
My 6 month old is rather on the large size to say the least and I thought she was lokoking a bit cramped and so I put together the trusty old cot.
After hours of constructing the thing,sweating and swearing alot I attempted to put DD to sleep. She screamed like I din't know what. So back in the hammock it was, instantly quiet, sucking her fingers and grinning. I put her in the hammock wide awake. She drifts off quite happily and when she wakes she never cries, just lies there happily gurgling away. I am DREADING the time when she really does become too big for it. BUY ONE AND SAFE YOUR SANITY !!!

aitch71 · 08/07/2006 20:50

ha, poppyflower, that's so funny. i've been thinking that DD is looking a bit more constricted as well but i don't have room for a cot yet (the baby's room is STILL being built) so i'm glad to hear your story and hold off a bit longer.
i feel like i'm evangelising these hammocks all the time but they are so different that it's difficult. friends of mine have gone the more traditional cot route in the last few months, which is fine, but they're the ones with matchsticks propping up their eyelids... do i sound smug? well they're also the same ones who took the mickey when i bought a 'hippy hammock' off the internet...

poppyflower · 08/07/2006 22:57

oh Aitch- How glad I am to hear you say that!! Aren't they just bloody brilliant??!! I too find when I rave about them people give me kindly nods and their eyes glaze over. They ask me "Does DD sleep through?."
" Of course," I reply "I've got this hammock"
Then I rave about it. but realise that it's fallen on deaf ears.
Perhaps babies don't really mind being 'consticted' infact perhaps they PREFER IT, perhaps that very constiction maks them feel safe.
How can we spread "the gospel according to the hammock" do you think? It would save a good few lives!!

burstingbug · 08/07/2006 23:24

DS hated his moses basket at night, he slept on me for the 1st 7wks, managed to get him into his moses basket again until 12 wks then he went into his cotbed. He hated being swaddled and hated covers over him, so he has been using a grobag from about 3mths. He is now 16.5 mths still in a grobag, but we have moved him into a small, low bed which he has been sleeping in for a week now without a problem I know this sounds young, but we started putting him down for naps in the day and really liked the bed, so we experimented last Sunday to see if he'd stay throughout the night - so far so good!
Our new baby is due in 4.5 wks and I plan to do the same things - apart from having baby sleep on me for the first few weeks of it's life!!

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread