bedside cot issue

[urbanbumpkin]

Hi there.

I'm currently 36 weeks pregnant and trying to get the last few bits and pieces we need sorted. I'm sure I'll be in this section plenty once the baby gets here, asking for advice about sling wearing and cloth nappies etc (I have bought some flips and pop-ins).

My issue at the moment is the cot though. We have an Ikea bed which has a wooden ledge down the side like this.

And we have got this cot.

We have modified the cot so that the mattress sits at the same height as our mattress so that we can use it as a co-sleeping cot with one side off. We will use bungee cords to attach the cot to the bedside so it doesn't move around.

However this still leaves us with a gap, either at the join between the bed and cot where the wooden ledge is, or we can slide the cot mattress over the ledge to meet our mattress and then get a gap at the far side of the cot.

I was wondering where is was best to have the gap, and what to fill it with. Any ideas?

I thought if we had the gap where the bed and cot meet then I could get some kind of cushion or foam that was slightly higher than then mattresses to stop the baby rolling out of the cot, but that would still allow me easy access for feeding. But so many foams and cushions smell so nasty and chemical-y, or are not firm enough - really soft and pillow like.

So, I can't quite figure out what to buy.

Has anybody had to fix a similar problem? Does anybody know of any nice firm but breathable bolster type cushions that might work? I have been googling like mad, but not come to any conclusions.

Thanks so much!

 

[Mary Jo]

We had this exact same issue, same Ikea bed and a co-sleeping cot. We also pushed the cot mattress over the gap and were left with the gap at the far side of the cot. My husband stuffed it with some cushions, rolled up tightly and bound, and pulled the fitted cot sheet over the whole thing. It worked ok but tbh I was not really happy with the result, wasn't certain it was safe. In the end we abandoned the idea and pulled the cot side up, though we still had the mattresses at the same level and it was pulled right up close. The deciding factor for me was that we had a movement sensor monitor and with the two mattresses butting up to each other, it was picking up movement from our side, which rendered it useless. (I have never relied on "mother's instinct" for something being wrong, way over anxious for that, I don't trust that I'd wake up, I'm not one of those who hears his every breath and movement, even though he is approximately 4 inches away from me.) So I decided I wanted the monitor more than I wanted us properly co-sleeping. I don't think Adam was ever really bothered by the fact that there were a couple of bits of wood in between us, in all other respects I was less than an arm's reach away. BUT I did have to sit up to lift him over to feed him in the night and put him back, which was annoying.

So sorry, I know exactly where you're coming from but don't have an answer. Perhaps several rolled up cotton cellular blankets would be ok? Good luck.

 

[urbanbumpkin]

Thanks, Mary Jo.

I'm so lazy that the whole sitting up to get the baby over the bars thing sounds like too much of a faff for me! In fact I think I would be worried about dropping it in a sleep haze! And we aren't getting a monitor. I can see why that would have been problematic with the mattresses touching.

I've been perusing bolster cushions online, and I've now found some that say they are firm, so I might get one to try. It might be firm enough to do the job.

Annoyingly they don't say how wide they are, only how long, but hopefully they will be big enough to plug the gap.

Thanks!

 

[Rachel_C]

We don't have co-sleeper cot but could you have the mattresses together so the gap is in the cot, then get one of those bed rails and fit it under the cot mattress where the gap is, so you're making the cot a bit smaller with the rail? Sorry if that's a daft idea, I don't really know how those rails work!

 

[urbanbumpkin]

We don't have co-sleeper cot but could you have the mattresses together so the gap is in the cot, then get one of those bed rails and fit it under the cot mattress where the gap is, so you're making the cot a bit smaller with the rail? Sorry if that's a daft idea, I don't really know how those rails work!

Now there is something I hadn't thought of!

I will look into how they work, thanks!

 

[Kota]

would something like this do the job

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CHILD-PORTAB...Bedding_RL?hash=item27b07c156e#ht_1274wt_1165

theres heaps of different types on ebay.

 

[urbanbumpkin]

Thanks. Kota. I'll have a look at those too.

I have bought a firm bolster the same length as the cot mattress, so we will see if that works when it turns up.

 

[Hanna]

i have exactly the same bed and same cot!!!!! what we do is move the mattress of the cot over the bed frame of our bed. that leaves a gap on the side of the cot. we have cut a piece of foam and covered it with a piece of fabric.
this way our lo can still near us and on her mattress rather than on the foam.
PM me if you want me to send you a pic.

ps: the cot and the bed are not attached as we found that the cot doesnt move and this way i can move it if i want to to change sheets etc

 

[urbanbumpkin]

Good to know someone has made it work with exactly the same combo of furniture!

I will try the bolster I have ordered on both sides. I have also just remembered that there is a 'foam shop' in town that will cut to size out of loads of different types of foam, so I may go and investigate them too.

Do you have carpet? We have floorboards and I worry about the cot scooting about on them.

Thanks again.

 

[Hanna]

yeah we have carpet. it might be more tricky on floorboards.