Is it just me, or does a cot with sideways opening door/gate make so much more sense than one with a fixed side? Even with a dropdown cot, on the lowest level the side does not drop down far enough for my back to not be hurt reaching in and out. I very much share the confusion of this poster: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/2439064-Am-I-missing-something-how-the-heck-do-you-get-baby-in-and-out-of-cot-once-youve-lowered-it?messages=100&pg=1
I would like to know: is this just me with my particularly bad back, or do you think there is a wider desire for a cot with easier access? I ask because I am potentially in a position to create such a thing. But is it a pet peeve or a commonly felt problem?
If you had a cot with a gate opening would you want it elevated for easier access or would you be too afraid of ds/dd climbing out? (what about putting extra high barriers?)
As an aside, I did some research into this: in Germany they seem to commonly solve the problem by having 2-3 bars that can be removed. It's OK but the opening is narrow and you have the bar at the top still. In France they make elevated cots that drop down much farther than UK dropdown cots. They seem to be for professional use where presumably carers would otherwise be doing too much lifting. In Japan they sleep on futons :) In the UK we apparently just struggle on with backbreaking cot designs.