Should I keep new cotbed - the side doesn't lower to put baby in!

[Mumyum1]

I have just received delivery of my new nursery set - the Boori Sleigh Royale. Cost a pretty penny, and absolutely beautiful to look at, the cotbed is HUGE and SOLID. However to my utter dismay and disappointment the sides were all screwed firmly in place - the guy who did the assembly laughed at my panic when I said 'but it's solid, the side, it doesn't come down!!??' He said in bemusement, why didn't you enquire beforehand, I replied that it hadn't crossed my mind that cots were made where sides didn't come down!!!! He then suggested I get into the cot with baby when I put him to sleep !! Anyway, I'm five foot and a half - baby is currently 6mo and is rocked to sleep then put in cot. The base is on the higher setting which means in time the mattress will go even lower, as I would not have grown it's going to be (I imagine!) impossible to put baby down asleep. There were a few scratches and the saleslady informed me that they would exchange the whole set for this reason and replace with same. I'm almost tempted to explain my dilemma but worried that they may refuse to refund if that's what I choose as I was the idiot who spent a fortune on furniture without doing my due diligence. Does anyone have any experience with this set? Opinions on whether I should try to exchange for a cotbed whose sides lower, or should I make do and work around it for the sake of a gorgeous cotbed? Why the he'll make a cotbed with sides that don't lower????!!!!! I'm so annoyed. It's so lovely. I'm an idiot. Opinions please??

Obviously he may not be able to self settle, but the earlier your baby learns to self settle the better imo.

My two ds both self settled once they moved into their own rooms. Possibly before. On the whole, great sleepers (now 5 and almost 3).

Only time the drop side got used here was for granny, who found it hard to lean in and pick up an older baby who couldn't / wouldn't stand up to be lifted out. So not vital, unless someone doing a lot of baby-care is old or has a bad back.

Ours had non drop sides but I'm six inches taller than you, so despite having a bad back it wasn't much of a problem.

It wasn't used until DD was about five months old and had outgrown the bassinet beside my bed.

I've just Googled your bed and wow, it is gorgeous.

I had to put ours together by myself which was fun at eight months pregnant. But a breeze after assembling our king size bed alone (although not pregnant).

I didn't know until reading this thread that drop sides were not recommended any more. Glad I didn't know that when using the one provided by MIL at her house...

I've got a boori with a drop side and I can honestly say between two children the only time I've used it has been to change the sheet and you can do that easily enough by lifting the mattress.

It really is a very good quality cot.

No idea about the furniture though.

I have that EXACT cot OP bought in 2012 and the sides go down (now on baby two)

But the law has change I believe and they can't make them like that anymore.

To add to what I said above... I agree with others that sometimes the non-lowering side can be a helpful reminder to not always put them in 100% asleep! But even if that doesn't work, you can usually still manage on the lower setting - I'm 5"2 and can still somehow drop my almost-asleep one year old in on the lowest setting, though it took a few days of adjustment when we first lowered it (I know I know he shouldn't be rocked, but he's my third and my worst sleeper and we are big softies about allowing to cry ). When you first see the cots they look huge, even with a 6mo, but it's amazing how quickly they seem to shrink over the 1st year!

I think one of the issues was that the runners the drop side runs up and down on could get damaged or come apart from the cot especially at the top where there was the most grasping and shaking by babies who could stand and hold the top rail. If the top of the drop side swung away a few inches from the side then a deep V shaped gap would be formed, and apparently many babies strangled when they managed to get their heads through the gap and then got their necks wedged into the V.

skitter good to know that's really encouraging ... I do actually enjoy feeding him to sleep it's so easy and peaceful, our special time, though I know it might seem selfish. Usually at midnight or later there's a transition to our bed to do two more boob feeds for the night.
That's a great idea poshsausage I have thought about, will see how I go when I drop to lowest level - it's on the higher one and I can just about manage.
sillymillyb that is funny but during the day only!! Hahaha! Nevertalks ... He settles himself during the day but after bath and massage he has a feed and in two minutes is asleep. Then remains latched and feeding for anything from 5 min to an hour! And then the 3 hourly feeds which I can set my watch by, if I wore one! While I'm at home on Mat leave I'm happy to live/sleep in 3 hr increments but u r right I need to sort out soon.
hemlock thanks, this is why I didn't want to part with the cot, and poor u doing that whilst preggers! Googley my moms abroad (but shorter than I am!!) and the other granny's back, I'm not too fussed about!!
Juniper and Toad did your cots wear the years well?? I do realise I should have done all this asking before buying!!!! Custard don't say that!!! I want my baby to be all cuddly in my arms for longer!!! TBH this is why I don't let him cry it out and why I love BF and letting him boobnap ... My mom had 4 kids she did this with and worked full time and she says this time with him is irreplaceable so treasure it. And I do. And mathanxiety thanks now I def won't be getting a drop side!!!!

Ds is 3 and in his cotbed which originally had a drop side. It's this one:

www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Nursery/Cots-and-Cotbeds/Henley-Cotbed-in-Antique%280073819%29?searchPosition=3

We never had a problem with the dropside however it did get annoying listening to him rattle the damn thing every morning. Fixed sides won't rattle so I'd probably do that next time.

By the way, toysrus are still selling the one I linked to with the drop side.

You had to lift it up and forwards before it would drop so never had a problem with ds figuring out how to do it himself.

Thanks for that, def keeping cot after all this. Thanks for link tho.

We had one with solid sides, and at first I couldn't work out how I was going to get a breastfed 4 month old (or thereabouts) into it, but I developed a kind of plonking roll which did the trick! It definitely helped him get used to being a bit manhandled whilst half asleep, and I can now hoik him out of the car seat and fling him into his bed (no sides now as he's 2) without him really stirring!

It looks like new still after 4 years and DS2 is about to inherit it as a cotbed. I can see it being passed on through the family for a long time to come.

I too have the Boori Royale, I had never even thought about the sides dropping down :(! my current issue is with trying to find sheets to fit the damn thing x

Amazon sell them.

ps you should totally keep the cot its beautiful!

Juniper that's really good to hear ... Were you quite particular about looking after the furniture?? lollipop thanks I am going to keep it I'm quite in love with the cotbed!!! Hence I was so gutted by the sides not dropping. So glad there's the issue with drop sides as it means I keep it!! By the way I went to John Lewis and they said they sell fitted sheets for the Boori - look for 'fitted sheets for large cotbeds' online.

Nope, not particular at all. The boys jump on it on a regular basis now its a bed and its survived as well as you would expect (its going back to a cot soon though).

Wow, I have to say from excited after ordering the furniture to disappointed when it arrived and now after this thread very pleased with my purchase again, even more chuffed as spent the weekend going to the shops looking at other nursery furniture again to reassure myself that I did the right thing. The verdict - I DEFINTITELY did and will keep and love the furniture !! Yay!!! Thanks everyone!!! And Juniper good luck with the new arrival!!!!!