When the baby is born you will need somewhere for him or her to sleep so a babies cot is a priority piece of furniture to purchase for the littlen. As your baby will spend many hours alseep in their cot, the decision should be a well thought out one.

When looking to purchase a cot for your baby, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. First of all, the baby will not only be sleeping in the cot; the babies cot will most likely be stood where the baby can be watched when he or she is awake and you are occupied with other things in the home – a kind of safe place while you are busy pottering about. Be doubly sure that any cot you buy meets all the current safety regulations as it is much better to be safer than sorry.

Purchasing a babies cot needs to abide by the safety standards which means it has been tested for dangers such as fire resistance. There are ways to keep the cost down though, but it involves the long term. When going out to buy a cot, try and buy one that will last the long term, or until baby is ready to start using a conventional bed. Instead of purchasing a cot which will fit your baby now, buy one which will let your baby grow and still be an excellent size. These cots have levels and settings that can be adjusted as baby grows, saving you a whole lot of hassle – and money. Another advantage is that these cots are usually designed and built to a very high standard, meaning you never have to worry about the cot "falling to bits".
Other vital baby furniture items that are required as soon as the baby is born are a baby chair or bouncer and somewhere to store the baby’s clothes and accessories. The bouncer will be especially useful as this can also be adjusted as the baby grows, saving you from purchasing again in the future.

If you look into a baby furniture set, you should find the cost is less than buying each item of furniture individually. It would be best for your budget if all the furniture you are purchasing is going to be used at some point either now or later on.

 

There are many child friendly beds available that can make the transition much easier. How your child sleeps at night should be a big factor in which bed you eventually choose. If your child flails around in bed then it is wise to purchase a bed that has a guard to prevent them from falling off the edge of the bed.

The biggest issue many parents find however, is that children often are scared and intimidated by sleeping in a new bed that isn’t their cot. If this is the scenario you should consider the many child friendly designs the bed manufacturing companies are designing. Silentnight have designed a range of beds specifically for young children. They come with fun headboards that will make it appear more friendly and likeable for the child, and to make it even more appealing Silentnight have stitched in a secret compartment in the headboard for your child to store things. The mattresses themselves are full-sized single bed built to the highest standards. Every component keeps kids comfy and safe, from the Miracoil spring system to the rounded edges. There is also a ‘sleepover’ function that allows you to separate the mattress from base turning it into two beds for when your child has sleepovers.

The bed comes in four different styles; two for boys and two for girls. Boys have the option of a rocket or football headboard and the girls have the option of toadstool or heart style; all styles which are pleasing to the eye and which will distract your child when the big transition occurs.

Initially you should decide where your baby is going to sleep for the first few months as this will help to decide what may be best for your baby to sleep in.

Keeping baby close to parents for those first few months will help to reassure the baby and means they can be easily monitored and convenient for those early morning feeds, whether breastfeeding or not.

Once you have decided where your baby is going to sleep for those early months you need to decide what to sleep them in. Favourites are moses baskets, cribs and more so now bedside cots which can be kept close to parents bed.

Moses Baskets

A moses basket is usually used for about the first four months with either a folding or rocking stand to keep the basket off the floor. A moses basket can easily be moved around the house wherever the parent maybe and can even be used when visiting grandparents or friends thus providing baby with a comfortable and familiar environment to snooze.

Cribs

With a crib you can use it for around 6 months and many will have a swinging or gliding motion to help soothe baby to sleep and a variety of drapes and bedding to comfort baby and complement the setting.

Bedside Cots

Bedside cots such as the Cosatto Close to Me Bedside Cot allows the cot to be right beside the parents bed meaning mum does not have to leave her bed to comfort baby during the night and provides comfort and security for the baby.

Cots

You can sleep baby from the start in their cot or cot bed. Usually it would be installed in the parents bedroom for the early months and later in the babys room or nursery room.

It is now recommended to sleep baby at the bottom of the cot which is known as the feet to foot position which helps to prevent baby from wriggling under the bedding and over heating. A solid end cot maybe best for this.

Most cots will have a drop side which allows easy access to baby and a two or three position adjustable base which you will have in its highest position until baby is able to pull or sit up by themselves. After this you must drop the base to its lowest position. Quality cots will usually include teething rail protectors which help protect the cot and prevent injury to young gums and mouths.

A cot is normally suitable from birth up to two or three years with standard internal dimensions of 120×60cm.

Cot Beds

Again you can sleep baby from the start in a cotbed, recommended for the early months in the feet to foot position, up to about five to six years. Most cot beds will have an adjustable base and as with cots as soon as baby can sit up it is best to drop it to the lowest position. You can use the cotbed as a cot for the first two or three years then you can easily convert it into a bed for use upto five or six years. Most quality cot beds will have solid ends and teething rails with standard internal dimensions of 140×70cm.