Cheapest Co-sleeping cot?

[Thandeka]

Hello,
Just starting to think about cots for PFB (due feb 2010 so have a while yet!) and ideally we would want a co sleeping cot fixed next to my side of the bed- are they called sidecar cots?

I have looked at "Arms Reach" cots but man they are expensive! Any other brands to look at?

Our bed is quite high up and memory foam mattress so not ideal for proper co-sleeping and think I would be a bit scared to do that TBH.

So can you get a cot where you can get the cot mattress bit to be about 24" high (I can't find my tape measure but I think thats how high our bed is) with a removable side?

Or could you just buy an ikea cot and not put one of the sides on? (but then would we need another cot for daytime naps with all 4 sides?)

Can you tell am new to this malarky!

Thanks

also found the brand "bednest" but again is very expensive!

I used a normal cot for DS and took one side off. There are plenty of people on here that have done that- you just roll up a towel and put it along the far side of the mattress, so the baby's mattress fits snugly up against yours IYSWIM. I put DS in it for naps too- when he started rolling around I used pillows/towels and then a bed edge to keep him in. Otherwise, he slept in his buggy (had a carrycot). HTH

Oooh good tip there about the towels- thanks- I was also musing about buying a matress a couple of inches too big for the cot to cover the overlap.

Googling now reveal Mothercare and amazon now do co-sleeping cots. Oh and I found this which I think maybe overkill!

Although may be tempted by one of these but logistics with duvets and things may scare me off that one.

The only thing I'd say about those things, lovely though they look, is that remember they will also take up space in the bed and it can feel a bit squashy anyway when you co-sleep!

Good news about mothercare/ Amazon. What we reeeaaaaally need is for Ikea to produce one!

yeah in fact maybe i will email!

If you're on a tight budget try ebay - I bought a 2nd hand bedside cot for DC2 a few weeks ago in excellent condition for £70 - Is £180 in shop. Will just buy a new mattress for it now before baby is born.

Yeah was trying ebay but not getting much luck (have seen a crib but think cot would be better for longevity and not growing out of it too fast). What did you type into the search field?

like singalongamum we cannibalised a normal cot (NB you may need a drill and some extra screws) and dd was happy to nap in pram / moses basket / on floor rug so never needed the 4th side.

bednests / snuggle nests are rubbish as they are meant to go by the pillows not near your boob

or just buy a kingsize bed and a bedguard

... and put pfb on outside rather than between you and dh, I mean

Thankyou for all the help- we already have a kingsize bed but it has a memory foam mattress which I believe is not good for co-sleeping.

Think I will get cannibalising then (although not for time being- going to wait until a bit further along!

I got an immaculate barely used mamas and papas bedside cot from Ebay for £35. I obviously bought a new mattress for it though. I would definitely keep your eye on Ebay.

well I have another 6months to go so plenty of time.

Bargain £35 ebay so is the way to go. Am going to be trying for lots of freecycle stuff. I am amazed how expensive baby stuff is- I mean we aren't skint just don't see the point in forking out hundreds of squid for something they grow out of in no time.

Yeah, my sentiments exactly. I like Ebay, because I can still choose the type of thing I want, but it is a fraction of the price- then you can just buy more

Hi Thandeka - not been online for a while. Think I just searched "bedside cot" on ebay and got lucky - found one 40 miles away after a few weeks of looking. Think you just need to search regularly and keep your fingers crossed!

just be careful to remove the side altogether and don't buy one with a drop side, there've been several cases of babies in america (where this style of cot is very popular) being smothered between the cot and the bed or strangled by the cot.

I have just brought a bedside crib with bedding off ebay for £37.

The crib will be big enough til bump is 6 months and then he will move into his cot bed in his nursery.

This worked well for ds1 but we had a 4 sided crib not a bedside crib.
I am having a c section this time so we are planning ahead with the bedside crib.

Happy hunting!