Advice on cot joined to bed

[vgiraffe]

Hi, we are expecting our first baby in February and I haven't yet bought a cot or crib. I am hoping to go down the route of joining a 3-sided cot to our bed so we can sort of co-sleep but with baby having their own space, and without having to buy a smaller crib that they will only fit into for 6 months. Just have a couple of questions...
How do I know if the cot will still be stable/structurally sound when one side is removed? We will probably be looking at getting a second-hand one but what should |I look for?
Can baby sleep in a 3-sided cot in the day when I'm not next to them, and if not, how do people get around this?
Also any other general advice about things I might have overlooked would be helpful! Thanks :)

[TheTantrumCometh]

I think if you're doing it yourself and not getting one specifically fit for that purpose then you have to be very careful. From what I understand, the purpose built ones are completely height adjustable and the level of the cot/crib mattress must perfectly match the height of your mattress.

Also, I would advise getting a cotbed that is designed to be used with three sides. Ikea actually do one that is the size of a traditional cot. I wouldn't use a normal cor that isn't designed to have a side taken off.

[Gardencentregroupie]

You could always hire a Bednest rather than buy, they're bigger than a moses basket, fully height adjustable, and you can move the basket part around during the day to have the baby sleep with you. They come with a brand new mattress and get picked up at the end of the hire period.

[bonzo77]

Any "cot bed" (designed to have sides removed to use as a toddler bed) would be suitable but they are quite big (about 70x140cm). You would also need to secure it to your bed (to avoid a gap that the baby might fall down), maybe with cable ties, and get the top of the mattress the same height as yours (adjusting the height of the mattress as close as possible then adding extra height by raising the feet or putting books between mattress and base). I would probably look at getting something designed to do all this safely: there are quite a few things that are suitable. Check out the Chicco Next to Me, Snuzepod, and bed nest.

[GinIsIn]

Have a look at the snuzpod - you can put the 4th side back up in the daytime so you don't always need to be there.

[FATEdestiny]

Any cot bed will be stable, it's designed to have sides off.

You have to wedge it up to your bed, to stop the two jiggling apart. I did this by wedding cot against a wall one side and our bed the other. Alternatively you can physically lash bed snd cot together.

Most cots have adjustable mattress heights. The top setting has always matched our bed and during that time we've had 2 beds and 3 different mattresses on our bed - so the height must be pretty standard.

There will be a gap of about an inch or so between the edge of your mattress and the edge of the baby's mattress. I used a rolled up towel to fill this gap. There's a mattress connector product you can buy if you want. Or just buy a section of foam mattress and cut to size.

You'll need somewhere for baby to sleep downstairs in the daytime. Moses basket, carrycot part of your pram or bouncy chair will all work for this.

If you can find a drop-side cotbed second hand, in my view these make the most useful co-sleeper cots.

[vgiraffe]

Thank you for all your help! Unfortunately I think a cot bed is going to be a bit of a squeeze but that is useful info about the Ikea cots TheTantrumCometh, will look for one that is designed for the side to be removed. We have just bought a pram with a carrycot that is safe for overnight sleeping so maybe that will work for the daytime.

FATEdestiny can I ask why you think a drop-side cotbed is best? Would this side be taken off or left on?

[hohohoholdon]

Vgiraffe - we hired a bed nest for 6 months. It was great and had a side that folded down to 'connect' / act as a flat 'bridge' to our mattress. It folded back up so we did that whilst she napped through the day.

[FATEdestiny]

why you think a drop-side cotbed is best?

I've had four children over the last decade in DIY cosleeper cots, so I've kind of perfected making it work for me.

I like drop-side essentially because it's easier to reach over the side of the cot (from my bed) when it's dropped. The drop side in the lowered position is about 15cm ish higher than standard bed mattress height. Whereas cot side up is maybe 40cm higher. So with later stages when the side is back on, instead of having to reach over a high barrier and then down into the cot, I can lie on my bed and just reach downwards to settle baby. It makes settling easier because baby is easier to reach.

Newborn - drop side off fully. Mattress heights matching.

Rolling (about 4 months) - drop side back on for safety but kept in lowered position. Makes a low barrier between bed and cot, but still easy to reach over for cuddling.

Sitting and rocking on all fours (about 6 months) - drop side still lowered, mattress dropped to middle height. Rather than having to sit up to reach 'up and over' the side of the cot, you can just lie in bed and reach downwards into the cot.

• pulling to standing (about 8 months) - drop side still down perminantly, drop mattress height to lowest setting. Still able to reach down into cot, rather than up and over the side.
  

• Standing and climbing (about 10 months) - now drop side up perminantly and start separating cot from bed.