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September 8, 2010 at 2:33 am

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How to choose the best cot for your baby

Every parent wants the best for their baby. But is it really necessary to spend $1000+ on a cot? In this article, Tizzie examines the cot features in different price ranges, and recommends the one she believes is best - for your baby, and for your pocket.

How to choose the best cot for your baby So often we are told that you get what you pay for. Before you go and shell out over a thousand dollars for your baby's cot you may wish to reconsider this. An expensive Baby Cot is not always the best choice, as my investigations revealed.

I have looked at just about every cot on the Australian market and have been very disappointed with what I've found. The one that I feel comfortable in recommending is only around $400 and is much better than even the $1200 models out there.

Make sure you take your tape measure with you when shopping for a cot. It is very important to look at the height from the base that the mattress sits on to the top of the cot rail - the rail that moves up and down.

Some of the more expensive cots on the market have only 25 inches (about 73cm) from the base to the top of the rail. When you put a mattress in the cot the height, of course, is reduced even more. Some cot companies sell really thick mattresses and the height from the top of the mattress to the top of the rail is as little as 20 inches. This is dangerous because before too long your baby is a toddler and can jump or fall out of these cots.

Another thing to look for when purchasing a cot is to make sure it has all four sides open. It is very important that the air can circulate freely around your baby while they sleep. Some babies push all their bedding to the end of the cot and jam their face up against it. Most babies don't come to any harm doing this but an open ended cot is preferable because the air can still get through the slats. In a solid ended cot the baby will get hot and sweaty doing this.

Think twice before being talked into buying a cot that turns into a Toddler Bed. Not that there's anything wrong with them, just don't let that be the reason for making your choice. There are several reasons why taking the side off your toddler's cot is not a feature I would recommend you use, and these are:

By the time your baby is a toddler you may have another baby or a baby on the way so you will want your older child to graduate to a normal bed and free the cot up for the baby.

Taking the sides off a cot suddenly can cause a toddler to feel insecure. A toddler needs to be gradually introduced into sleeping in a normal bed. Taking the sides off a cot suddenly can cause a toddler to feel insecure. You might find your toddler sleeps in the cot-bed for a few nights but then starts to cry or get out. Or you might find your toddler is happy in the cot-bed for 6 weeks and then decides to test the boundaries and gets out.

Or you might simply want to follow my transition from cot-to-bed advice, which is impossible to follow if you have taken the sides off the cot.

To help your child make the transition to a new big bed, set it up in your toddler's room and to help her feel secure, sit on it with her at different points throughout the day and read stories. Once she is comfortable with the new bed as a place to sit and hang out then suggest she have her daytime sleep in it. Point out that she is a big girl now and this means that she should sleep in a big bed like Mummy, Daddy, siblings or friends she may have.

If she's not ready on the first day, try gentle persuasion but if that meets strong resistance let her go back to the cot and try again the next day or so. Now picture trying to do this with a cot-bed - you would be putting the sides on and off.

Make the big bed a fun place - not somewhere for punishment or scary stories. Once she has had a good daytime sleep in the new bed, allow her to start having her night-time sleeps in it as well.

I suggest the cot stays in your child's room and is available for her to use for at least 8 weeks after she starts to sleep in the bed at night. The reason I say this is, in my experience, most children are happy in the new big bed for 6 weeks and then they decide to test the boundaries. You will need the cot available to get over this hurdle. Again, if you are using a cot-bed, this means back on with the sides.

When she decides she is ready to sleep in the big bed in the day and at night as well, you will need to explain to her she can try and sleep in the big bed but she only has one chance. Explain to her if she gets out of bed you will be putting her in the cot. Tell her if she gets out of bed at any time, day or night, you will see this as her asking you to put her in the cot. Then if she gets out of bed you need to follow through with this and pop her in the cot. Tell her it's her choice if she wants to be a big girl or a baby.

You can see from all this that a cot-bed is just not going to work well using my approach.

Below is a picture of the Grotime Lara cot-bed, available from only $399 to $500, and it passes my test. The side is 29 inches from base to the top of the rail, which is 4 inches higher than some of the more expensive cots on the market. This is a big difference to a toddler.

GroTime Cot

When buying a cot there are also recommendations for choosing the mattress that goes in it.

A safe mattress is one that is:

* The right size for the cot
* FIRM
* New, clean and in Good Condition.

The mattress must have no more than a 25mm (1 inch) gap between the mattress and the cot sides and end. A baby or toddler can easily get stuck if there are larger gaps between a poor fitting mattress and cot sides. This is especially dangerous if their face or neck is restricted in anyway. Remove all plastic packaging from the mattress and always make sure the waterproof mattress protector is strong and well fitting.

A soft mattress can increase the risk of sudden unexpected infant death if a baby rolls over onto the tummy. Never put soft bedding, including sheep or lamb skins, under the bottom sheet as this makes the sleeping surface too soft. A test you should perform to see if the mattress is firm enough is to push your hand down on the mattress. If, when you remove your hand, you can see your handprint then the mattress is too soft. If you cannot see your handprint then the mattress is likely to be firm enough and safe for your baby.

A tea tree filled mattress, a pillow, cushion or sofa is NOT a safe mattress as they are too soft and increase the risk of sudden unexpected infant death.

About the Author

Tizzie Hall teaches parents to identify issues affecting their baby's sleep, to interpret their cries and deal with problems when they arise. For more information from the international baby whisperer, or for baby products, visit Baby Sleeping Bag.

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