How do you decide which cot/cotbed to buy?

[katharinekarekot]

Hi everybody - there is so much choice out there now when it comes to buying a cot/cotbed. I'd love to know what were the main deciding factors which made you buy the one you did? I'm talking about when your baby is out of the co-sleepers and transfering to a cot/cotbed?. Also, do you have any feedback on the one you bought?

I asked some other people at work what they had and bought the same one as them

We have the Lawson www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/lawson-convertible-cot-toddler-bed-natural-white/p/cblwc6000 and it's grand. Will last a long time.

I've been very happy with the one I got from Ikea. Not super expensive. It has drawers at the bottom, the level can be lowered and a side removed so it can be used as the child gets older.

We used the “family” cot - a 1950s original. It was used for 6 babies before DD including her grandmother. Had a drop side but we never used it. She was only in it from 9-10 months to about 18 months, at which point she went into a normal single bed (when she wasn’t in ours).

Just sharing to show that you don’t need anything fancy.

Yes to the Ikea one! We bought a lovely one for my son from mothercare which is a cot bed then promptly lost the bit which transferred it into a bed and had to get a special piece made. My daughter has one from Ikea and it’s just as good - the drawers at the bottom are a godsend for storage.
Go with something you love which fits your furniture taste and YY to extra storage. Also watch for mothercare mattresses in the sales. We have been v happy with ours and got them at half price.

I bought a cot bed and mattress I liked from mothercare. Ds was in it from 7 months until 2 years 2 months when he went into a single bed. Never changed it into a cot bed because he was happy in a cot and I was pregnant with dc2 so we wanted the cot back for her once she is 6 months ish.

I really wanted a cot bed from the range we bought from mothercare, but we were given a cot from a friend. It’s side completely tucked underneath it rather than just dropping down (think the fancy ovens from bake off!). Anyway it’s done us well and saved us money, but we then had to buy a toddler bed, we could have bought a single but at the time the room wasn’t quite big enough.

If I’d had my time again I’d politely decline the cot and get a cot bed, just for ease. (And I would have everything coordinated PFB who wouldn’t know either way! 😂).

Cost was the main factor, we got a £25 one from ikea. A cot's a cot 🤷‍♀️ the mattress is more important.

I bought one that looked nice as a cot or a cot bed. I found that the pictures of them as a cot bed, some of them looked a little odd/out of proportion. Other than that, it fitted the space, the colour matched other furniture we had in the room already and was decent quality (though hasn't stopped my second child chewing it!)
I wanted a sprung mattress - foam ones just end up minging if they get "fluids" on them. I chose one that the cover can zip off entirely for washing. And double up with a mattress protector.

However, if I was to choose again I might have just gone for a cheaper cot with a drop side (wasn't a problem with my first as he was tiny, but second is a chunk and leaning over the side to lower him in became tricky as he got bigger) then changed to a toddler bed eventually.

Thanks for your responses so far - its interesting to get the differing viewpoints- I guess in many respects its about your own space, preferences, budget and whether or not there is a family heirloom!

We bought the cheapest Ikea one. It has adjustable height and the side comes off so you can use it for a newborn, as a co-sleeper and as a toddler bed. Very happy with it. The only reason to buy a more expensive cot would be for the looks.