Cot/crib/moses basket questions

[Mrs Eleflump]

We're going baby-stuff shopping on Monday (my birthday ) and I have a few questions about cots, cribs, co-sleeping cots, and moses baskets before we go.

First of all, cots: Drop-side or not? I read something somewhere saying they're mostly banned in the US, but here in the UK they aren't. Are there any significant pros and cons to having or not having a drop-side?

Baby will be in with us at night to begin with, and I don't know whether to go for a moses basket, which will be outgrown in a few weeks/months, but can be moved around the house for naps, or to have a static crib, preferably a co-sleeping one, which will last longer but then I'd have to find another solution for naps. I'm planning to get a carrycot to go on the travel system but I don't think it's suitable for regular sleeping.

What are you all doing? Is there some obvious solution I'm missing here?

 

[K123]

I had a crib in our bedroom for my first as it gave more room than a moses basket, followed by a cot-bed in a separate room which he is still using as a bed now. I used the carrycot from my buggy as a downstairs bed as I had a massive hallway and was easy to manoeuvre the buggy in and out.

This time I'll use the crib (and later on the cot-bed) again, but I'm also going to have a moses basket as I've moved to a new house and there's only a tiny hallway so the buggy and carrycot will have to live in the car boot or garage.

 

[petitpas]

I had a co-sleeper next to my bed. It's a small cot where you can take the fourth side off and height adjust the platform to match your bed. It was brilliant! I breastfed my son during the night without having to get up or even wake up properly. During the day my son slept in a carrycot, which we lined with a sheepskin. He loved it! Preferred it over being held or carried, even. I have to say that although moses baskets are good for the first few weeks they are often outgrown before Mums are ready to move baby into its own room so there is a bit of an issue there. I also preferred the stability of our carrycot over a soft moses basket but that might just be me. Our carrycot also works as a lie-down car seat so it is nice and strong.
My sister uses a playpen on the highest setting as a nap station in the living room so that is also an option that offers long term use.

 

[Yo_Yo]

I've always had a Moses basket on the stand next to me, then transferred the moses to inside the cot to gently transition them to a cot after a couple of months. I had a drop side cot with dd1, and unless you've a bad bsck I don't see the point.

With dd2 had a normal cot that turned into a toddler bed which I am reusing. It's great.

As they can start pulling themselves up from quite a young age (dd2 actually stated sitting up at just 3 months, dd1 was 5 months) I wouldn't spend much on that first bed.

 

[Twelvty]

I was wondering the same! A friend has offered us a Moses basket which we will borrow but I quite fancy one of those co sleeping cribs. Going to go and online browse now!

 

[squirrel.]

When my son was tiny we were on a budget so he had his naps in the carrycot from the travel system and slept in his cot at night. It worked okay, but the carrycot wasn't easy to transfer from room to room. He was also up constantly and I had to keep getting up to get him from his cot at the foot of our bed.

This time, we're not as constricted by budgeting, so I have a moses basket for naps downstairs and a bed-side crib for nights. I love the bedside crib; it's a Babybay. They attach onto the side of the bed, so baby can be right there for night feeds. We ended up cosleeping with our son, but I always slept fitfully as I worried I'd roll onto him. With the bedside crib, she can have her own safe space, but still be next to me. When she outgrows the crib (it's quite big, but the sides aren't high enough for when she starts pulling herself up) she will go into my son's cot. He's still in it right now, but by then he'll be in a toddler bed.

 

[Gnomer]

I used a drop side cot bed and Moses basket with my son. The Moses basket is solid, not the usual soft baskets. I can't think of the name of the material used haha. Like a thick woven wicker. Damn baby brain.

The drop side is a lifesaver too. I was always paranoid about baby pulling up and falling out, so I'd put it lower than it needed to be. I had a slipped disc in my back for my sons first year, and although bending was still painful, it was far easier dropped.

He was out of the noses basket by 3 weeks. Had no choice but to go into his cot. But the transition was really, really easy. I've never had an issue with bedtime.

 

[RaspberryK]

Our moses Basket was useless, ds was big and tbh it always sagged and completely outgrown before 6 weeks.
He had a carrycot part of growing travel system that was fine for day naps but he generally slept nursing on me in the day for months or occasionally in the swing.
He went straight in a cot after the moses basket.
This time we have a rocking crib for our bedroom and again we will use the pram for day naps.
Xx

 

[JackanddaBean]

First of all, cots: Drop-side or not? I read something somewhere saying they're mostly banned in the US, but here in the UK they aren't. Are there any significant pros and cons to having or not having a drop-side?

Baby will be in with us at night to begin with, and I don't know whether to go for a moses basket, which will be outgrown in a few weeks/months, but can be moved around the house for naps, or to have a static crib, preferably a co-sleeping one, which will last longer but then I'd have to find another solution for naps. I'm planning to get a carrycot to go on the travel system but I don't think it's suitable for regular sleeping.

We're going with a bassinet on the travel system and a cot.

With our first we had a whole heap of junk which we could have done without, the moses basket was a waste of money but the stand is handy with a bassinet and the cotbed was a waste of time as it was too wobbly when it was converted. A drop-side can be handy but it's still too high for right next to the bed and tricky at times to get it down so stick with a static if it's cheaper.

One last word of advice, if you find it in Toys R Us, go home and buy it over the internet as they usually have offers on their website which aren't available in store.

Enjoy shopping

 

[Sunseal]

I'm going with having a moses basket for daytime naps and then a crib for night. When she outgrows the crib I have a cotbed to move her into

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

Thanks for all the experiences! Really helpful

I think we'll skip the moses basket and go for a co-sleeping crib next to the bed, and when baby outgrows it we'll need to move to the big cot which we unfortunately don't have room for in our bedroom.

I've set my heart on the Oyster buggy with carrycot (but with a maxi-cosi Pebble car seat) so could use the carrycot for the odd nap, but may just use the bedside cot upstairs and/or the big cot too in the day.

 

[threebirds]

Hi, great thread. It took us a while to work through the various options, but this is what we are thinking:
- Chicco Next to Me cosleeping crib beside bed for first 5-6 mnths
- then moved to cot in nursery

Downstairs we'll use moses basket / bouncer / pram / playpen for daytime sleeps.

We are very lucky that we are getting things from family & friends and will only need to buy the Next to Me crib ourselves. DH's parents are getting us travel system (probably Graco Evo where pram can be used for sleeps & we can get a stand for it to use if we are away visiting families in the first few months).

X

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

Threebirds, I really like the Chicco Next2Me too I like how it seems bigger than a lot of the other bedside cribs, though the BabyBay also looks pretty roomy. The NCT BedNest is so expensive, so that puts it out of our range. I know you can rent it for 6 months for just over £100, but I'd like the sleeping stuff to be new. I also like that you can tilt the head in case of reflux - I've had such bad heartburn the last few weeks and I'd love to be able to elevate the head of my bed, so good to know the option is there if LO needs it.

I assume if the Chicco crib says it's suitable for up to 6 months, it's ok to use it once they can sit up?

I suspect there may be cheques in my birthday cards from parents and Aunty and Uncle, but I have to wait til tomorrow to open them! They have very generously said they will help us out, I know my Mum specifically wants her contribution to go to the cot, so that will help lots. They have always been very generous to me and Hubby, and they're beside themselves with excitement about the baby, lol. I think the travel stuff is going to cost us the most, as I really have set my heart on this Oyster travel system, plus the Pebble, and ideally if it fits the car I'd like a 2wayfix base, so we can use the 2way pearl for extended rear facing til LO is around 4.

I've seen a cot I really like - the East Coast Anna (though it also seems to be marketed as being John Lewis and Baby Weavers brands, too ). it has a drop side, 3 mattress heights, and teething rails on both sides, plus is pretty simple and classic. it doesn't convert to a cot bed, but we're not worried too much about that, as we'd hope to be reusing the cot not long after this LO would need a bigger bed anyway.

Ooooooh, I'm so excited about going shopping tomorrow. Best birthday present ever I just hope it doesn't overwhelm hubby too much as I know he's got no idea about half of this

 

[RaspberryK]

The different mattress height was great for me we didn't have drop side we didn't need it.
Xx

 

[babe2ooo]

We have a swinging crib that will be next to my bed that we will use. I will also co sleep as well as I'm going to bf. In the day the baby will sleep on me or in the buggy or if I can get the baby up stairs then I'll do that. Or we are getting just a baby swing for the living room and will probably use that. I have a cot where the side comes down to not all the way down but just a little and I've find it find with my first.

 

[K123]

I've got the Oyster buggy and it's lovely! Just planning on getting a new colour pack to freshen up the look of it for out new arrival.

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

I've got the Oyster buggy and it's lovely! Just planning on getting a new colour pack to freshen up the look of it for out new arrival.

ooh what colour do you have and what will you be getting? I desperately want the yellow one! Will be ordering tomorrow I think, once I fail to find anything else in the shops that matches up

 

[staceymxxx]

For downstairs i have my big coach built pram or a travel cot for him to sleep in.. for my room i got a moses basket but now want a crib instead and for his room he has a cotbed and as soon as he starts teething i will be moving into that room with him due to his dad working long hours and demanding job, i couldn't cope on no sleep so wouldn't expect him to, and i can sleep when baby does through the day.

 

[Elizdia]

Is anyone putting LO straight into a cotbed? So skipping the moses basket/crib?

Thanks

 

[squirrel.]

Is anyone putting LO straight into a cotbed? So skipping the moses basket/crib?

Thanks

Not this time, but my with my son he went straight into his cot. During the day he slept in his pram and at night he slept in his cot at the foot of our bed. He looked tiny, but we didn't have room for anything else.