Newborn babies can sleep in a cot straight away, but most parents prefer to wait until
their baby is around four to six months old before moving them into a cot. While there ís
a lot to be said for getting organised before the baby is born, a cot is one purchase that
you could leave until things have settled down after the birth.
You can expect your baby to sleep in a cot until he’s at least 18 months old, and
up to when he’s 3 years old, depending on his size and his adventurous nature – once
a toddler starts to try and climb out of a cot, he’s outgrown it.
- The size of the cot, taking into account your baby’s size, growth and how long you
hope to use it. Also think about the size of the room where the cot is going and where you
plan to put it in the room - What sort of mattress to buy. Your chosen cot is unlikely to have a mattress included in
the price, although several cot manufacturers also make mattresses and may recommend that
you buy their brand - Will it co-ordinate? Some cot manufacturers also make matching nursery furniture and you
may want to choose a co-ordinating range - How soon do you need it? Allow for shop delivery times as your chosen cot may be out of
stock
Remember that most cots will be delivered flat packed and need two people to
assemble them.
- Drop sides – one or both of the cot sides drop for you to put down and pick up your baby
more easily - One or two handed drop – check whether you need one or two hands to operate the
mechanism that drops the side; go for one handed designs if you can, because you will
invariably have the baby in your other arm - Teething rails – once he can stand, your baby may try out his new teeth on the top of
the cot. Plastic strips along the wooden edge will protect your baby from getting a
mouthful of splinters, and the cot from being damaged - Mattress base height – look for adjustable levels, usually two or three, where the
mattress sits in the cot. You start with the mattress at the top for easy access and then
lower it as your baby grows, finishing on the lowest height when your baby is sitting up
or standing - Castors – some cots are sold with castors which make it easier to move around for
cleaning. If the cot does have castors ensure they are lockable, otherwise an energetic
baby might make the cot move around - Play features – something like wooden playbeads set into the cot ends will make it
attractive to look at and fun for your baby, but these aren’t essential as you can
easily attach toys to the cot
You can buy cots designed to meet specific needs. These include:
- Bedside cot – if you plan to keep the baby next to you at night and feed him in bed, you
might want to consider a cot which has an easily removable drop side so that it can sit
right next to your bed and become an extension of it at night, or have the side back up
for daytime sleep when your baby is alone - Corner cot – this has a bowed front and is designed to fit into the corner of a room.
Useful if space is at a premium, or if you need to fit two cots into one room. - Rocking cot – a cot which has a gentle rocking motion to send a baby to sleep, or can be
locked into static mode
Old cots may be family heirlooms and lovely to look at, but they are unlikely to stand
up to current rigorous safety standards. Prior to stricter safety standards being
introduced, babies were able to squeeze their heads between cot bars, with fatal results,
and injured themselves on protruding wood or metal parts. Even cots that are just a few
years old may represent a hazard. Never buy a secondhand mattress, for the sake of
hygiene.
- If it’s a fairly new cot, has it got its manufacturer’s instructions?
- Is it robust, clean and without any rough edges, protruding corners, nails or screws?
- Is the space between the bars no more than 6cm, to avoid heads and limbs getting stuck?
- Are the sides high enough? The distance between the top of the mattress and the top of
the cot should be a minimum of 50cm when the cot’s mattress base is in the lowest
position and a minimum of 20cm when the base is in the highest position - Are there any horizontal bars? These are dangerous as they may allow a baby to climb up
and possibly fall out - If there’s a drop side has it got a child-proof fastener?
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Is the paint and finish non-toxic and lead-free?
