Choosing a Large Bedside Cot
Bedside cots, also referred as co-sleepers and bassinets, are designed to let parents sleep close to their babies at night without the danger of SIDS. They are only recommended up to 6 months, after which your baby is old enough to be moved to the cot.
Mehack Mehack, an MFM home tester, loved the feature that this model comes with an adjustable bassinet that can be used throughout the home. It also comes with the ability to rock manually. It was also easy to put together and came with its own travel bag for easy storage.
Size
Cots and cot beds differ in terms of size and size, with cots being a bit smaller than cot beds. Cots can also be transformed into toddler beds. However, cots are usually only intended for children who are the age of three. There are two sizes of wooden cots, large and standard, which can be transformed into a toddler bed or a cot. If you want your child (or children) to be able to sleep in the larger cot, it's an excellent option to select the larger one.
MFM mum home test Jasmine liked that this bedside cot was a little bigger than a Moses basket but not too large for her baby's room. It's easy to get her baby in and out for night feeding or soothing and that the quality is great, compared with many she's encountered that feel cheap and flimsy.
Another home-based test subject, Emily, likes how versatile the Maxi-Cosi Lora is It's a bassinet that lifts off that you can move around the house, and it rocks too. It also comes with a reflux incline option and a machine-washable breathable liner. It was also nominated for the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards in the Best Cot or Moses Basket category. In contrast to International or European cot brands The Lora can be fitted with South African cot mattresses so you don't need to purchase a new mattress as your baby grows. However, it requires a specific bedding set (60x120cm). Find the ideal mattress for your cot here.
Height
When selecting a cot for the bed choose one that can be raised to a level that is comfortable for you to feed your babies. It should also be able to be lowered to a level that is not in the way so you can raise your child towards you to feed them at night or to soothe him. This feature is particularly useful in the event of recovering from an operation such as a C-section. The Next2me Cot and Tutti Bambini can be adjusted to an maximum height of 58cm while the Snuzpod 3 can go up to 63cm and the Knuma Hutch can be adjusted to 70cm.
It is also important to consider how low you would like the bottom of your crib to be. Some mums find that it is easier to lift their infants from standard Moses baskets when the base is at the lowest level and others prefer a higher height to give them greater stability. One of our testers for mums stated that the Joie Roomie Glide was a popular choice. It has a collapsible side you can press at the push of a button.
Remember that a bedside or bassinet should not be used until your baby is able to hold their head up without assistance, usually at around 6 months. This is due to the possibility of being suffocated. It is also important to be aware that if your child is old enough to be able to convert an existing bedside or bassinet into a cot you will have to remove the sides once they are ready to do this. This will stop them from falling out or climbing out of bed.
Design
There are a variety of styles of bedside crib with a range of styles from simple to luxurious. The more expensive options could include features like an integrated night light or a soothing center which plays music and sounds and has two levels of vibration to help soothe your baby to sleep, or even a swivelling base that allows you to easily get your baby's food in the right place. There are also models which can be made into an infant bed or a toddler bed (or both) which is ideal when your child is ready to move to a bigger bed.
For example the Tutti Bambini CoZee Air that won Bronze in the 2021 Mother and Baby Awards for the Best Crib, Cot or Moses Basket category, has a swivelling base that allows you to take your baby and move them from one side of the crib to the other without having to get up. This is ideal for mothers who are recovering from Caesarean sections, or those who need to remain in bed for extended periods. MFM mum home tester Jasmine was awed by this feature, saying it was easy to use and made reaching her baby easier - especially after her c-section.
Another option is the Chicco Next2me Magic, which won Gold at the 2021 Mother&Baby Award in the category of Best Cot, Crib or Moses Basket. It also is equipped with a machine-washable liner, reflux incline and rocking function. It's slightly larger than other bedside cribs we tested but it folds flat in its bag for travel, so it's quite compact when not in use.
MFM mum home tester Leya loved the practicality of this bedside crib she explained how it was created with the needs of parents and children in mind. It is a fantastic design that is extremely maneuverable and is extremely durable. She said that the bassinet's swivelling base was fantastic because it let you move it from side to side. One of its sides could be lowered to facilitate access for moms who are recovering from C-sections.
Safety
The bedside cot's primary safety characteristic is that it can be easily raised or lowered so parents can reach their child to feed or comfort him or his or her nappies. This makes it ideal for new mothers recovering from a c-section. You should look for the design that allows you to lower the side of the bed with a single button press. This will allow you to easily lift your child up without getting out of the bed. This is essential, especially when your baby grows and becomes more mobile. Do not add anything that may increase the chance of injury or suffocation, like duvets and pillows, which can cause your baby to overheat.
bedside crib and cot released by the CPSC NPR included 24 incidents that were attributed to problems with the product like gaps between the bedside sleeper and the adult bed (12 incidents); fabric-sided enclosed openings (11 incidents) as well as consumer misassembly, or missing parts (6 incidents); and miscellaneous other product-related issues (9 incidents).
In its NPR In its NPR, the CPSC looked into the possibility of adding additional requirements for bedside sleepers, like the requirement that these beds meet the minimum side height requirement for bassinets, or at a minimum, meet the maximum height requirement for the side rail. The CPSC found, however that these requirements were not feasible or effective in reducing number of instances in which infants are trapped by a bedside rail and an adult bed.
Many of the incidents reported in the NPR concerned multi-use bedside sleepers which can be converted to other types of equipment, like bassinets or play yards. Many commenters suggested that the CPSC include a different provision to the proposed rule for multi-use bedside sleepers that would allow them to meet the minimum side height requirements for bassinets by using an attachment that can be removed. Attachments can be permanently attached or removed when the product is not being used as a baby bassinet.
The CPSC is considering these and other comments received in response to its NPR regarding bedside sleepers. The Commission will consider these comments when deciding on the final rule, which is expected to be released in November 2021.