Cot top changers?

[avocadont]

FTM here, looking at cot top changers, wondering if anyone can help.

Firstly, genuine question, why are they so much money? I understand safety and quality come into it but the cheapest I can find is £30 and they go right up to at least £100, not even including the changing mat? Is there a reason for this price?

Secondly, is it worth it? We don't have much space so I was planning to just use our fold up changing mat for ease and portability but it struck me that this may be easier to get her dressed on, less so for just changing nappies etc and more for clothing her? Especially as her cot is next to where her clothes are

Any help appreciated :)

We just put a changing mat on top of a chest of drawers until the rolling stage and then moved to the floor. Used the floor/our bed/sofa/lap for clothes changes.

I wouldn't bother personally. Just get a changing mat and put it wherever there is space e.g. on a chest of drawers or on the bed when you need to use it.

They don't seem very practical to me. If baby pees it could aim or run off onto cot, so then you have all cot bedding to wash also.
Plus you would have to take off cot once they can move around ie 4+ months so they don't bang head on it.

We have just bought a mat, and put ontop of drawers where baby clothes are

Don't see the need for them at all. A normal changing mat is perfectly fine

We had two for our DTs (came as part of the cot bundle), never used it on top of the cot once.

We used the changing mat plenty, and when it ripped we removed it from the hardboard base and stuck the one on with some of that sticky Velcro stuff so you could easily make your own one if you wanted to!

I really wanted one, and also discovered the expensive price. Didn't bother in the end as quality/price wasn't great, and in all honesty, it has been so much easier to change baby on the floor. Genuinely wouldn't bother with one, especially if money isn't in absolute abundance. Soon enough, baby will be rolling and wriggling.

We still use ours and DS is 19 months!! Only very carefully, so we always have one hand on him at all times, ALWAYS.

We got ours as part of the cot and DS has always wriggled more if he's on the floor, I know we're on borrowed time with it though!!

@TheLovelyChebbyMcGee - doesn't it get in the way when you 19 month old is inside the cot? surely you have to remove it every time he uses cot?

I had a c-section so found a cot top changer or changing unit was essential. No way could I have changed nappies on the floor. You could look out for a second hand one? Each to their own

Our baby is 13 months and we still use it every day although he now stands up on it etc so probs a bit unsafe.. We take it off at night though. We opted for one that went on top of the cot bed just because it felt the most useful/effective long term and neither of us wanted to be on the floor all of the time.

We got ours in the reduced bit of the JL nursery section where they sell all of the products that people have returned in store but bought online. It was £19 and was supposed to be £69 - no way I'd have paid that even though it does match the cot bed.

I find it easiest to change nappies on the floor. I had a c-section, and didn't have any problems doing so.

Always changed on the floor. You can leave your baby there and get a nappy that you forgot or a sudden change of clothes.

You never know when they're going to become able to roll even a little bit.

If you have back/knee problems, get a toddler chair. And you can sit and bend over to change the nappy.

Yes we remove it every time, have done since birth, it never occurred to me to leave it on tbh!!

It is a little bulky, but mostly its just awkward to lift on and off. It tends to stay on the cot except for naps and night's.

Gosh no I would never leave it on the top!

I would rather just use our bed but we have a really low bed and the drawers I would have put a mat on have other things on top of it that I don't know where I would put otherwise

Thanks all for your help!