Don't Make This Silly Mistake With Your Large Bedside Cot
Choosing a Large Bedside Cot
Bedside cots, also referred as bassinets or co-sleepers are designed to allow parents to sleep close to their infants at night without the danger of SIDS. They are recommended for up to 6 months old, at which point your baby will be ready to transition to a cot.
MFM home tester Mehack was impressed that this model has an adjustable bassinet that you can use around the house and an option to rock manually. It was simple to put together, and came with its own travel bag.
Size
Cots and cot beds vary in terms of size, with cots being smaller than cot beds. Cots can also be transformed into toddler beds. However cots are generally used by children up to the age of three. There are two sizes of wooden cots, large and standard - which can be converted into a toddler bed or cot. The larger of the two is a good choice if you want your child to sleep in it until the age of at least three years old.
Jasmine, an MFM mom who tried the product at home, liked that it was slightly larger than a Moses' basket but still not too big for her baby’s room. She says it's easy to get her baby in and out for night feeding or soothing, and that the quality is excellent, compared with many she's encountered that feel cheap and flimsy.
Another home test subject, Emily, likes how versatile the Maxi-Cosi Lora is it's a drop-off bassinet that you can move around the house, and it rocks too. It also has a reflux incline and a machine washable breathable liner. It was also shortlisted in the 2021 Mother&Baby awards for the best Cot Crib, Crib, or Moses Basket. The Lora fits South African cot mattress unlike other international or European brands. This means that you don't need to buy a brand new mattress when your baby grows. However, it does require a specific bedding set (60x120cm). You can find the perfect mattress for your cot here.
Height
When you are choosing a crib that is bedside pick one that can be adjusted to a comfortable height for you. It must also be lower to a level that is not in the way so that you can pull your child towards you to feed them at night or comfort him. This feature is especially useful when you are recovering from a C-section. For instance the Next2me and Tutti Bambini cots can be adjusted up to the height of 58cm. the Snuzpod 3 goes up to 63cm and the Knuma huddle up to 70cm.
You should also consider how low you would like the base of your crib to be. While bedside rocking crib find it easier to lift their babies out of standard Moses baskets at the smallest height, others prefer an elevated base to give them more stability. The Joie Roomie Glide is a well-liked option with one of our mum test subjects saying that it has an easy-to-use collapsible side that you can press down at the touch of a button.
Be aware that a bassinet/bedside sleeper should only be used until your baby is able to hold their head up unaided typically about 6 months. This is due to the danger of inhaling suffocation. It's also important to know that if you select a bassinet/bedside sleeper that can be converted into a cot and vice versa, you must start removing the sides when your child is ready for this to ensure they don't get out of bed or fall out of bed.
Design
There are a variety of cribs that are bedside, ranging from basic to extravagant. Some of the most expensive options come with features such as a built-in light and a soothing center which plays music and sounds and has two levels to help soothe your baby back to sleep or an adjustable footrest that allows you to reach your child to feed them. Certain models can be converted into the toddler bed or cot (or both) when your child is ready to go to their own bed.
For example, the Tutti Bambini CoZee Air which was awarded Bronze in the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards in the Crib, Best Cot or Moses Basket category, has a swivelling base that lets you pick up your newborn and move them from one side of the crib to the other without needing to get up. This is perfect for new mums recovering from Caesarean births, or those who need to stay in bed for extended periods. MFM mom home tester Jasmine loved this feature, saying that it was easy to use and made reaching her baby much easier especially after a c-section.
Another option is the Chicco Next2me Magic, which was awarded Gold at the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards in the category of the Best Cot, Crib or Moses Basket. It includes an easy-to-clean liner, reflux incline, and rocking function. It's bigger than the other cribs we've tested, however it folds up into its travel bag to make it relatively compact when it's not in use.
MFM mom home test Leya loved the practicality of this bedside crib, explaining how it was designed with babies and parents in mind. It has a great design that is incredibly simple to operate and is super-sturdy. Its swivelling base is brilliant because it lets you move the bassinet side to side, and one of its sides can be lowered down to ease access especially for mothers who are recovering from C-sections', she said.
Safety
The most important security aspect of a large bedside cot is that it can be easily raised or lowered to enable parents to reach their child when they require to feed, comfort them, or change their nappies. This makes it perfect for mothers who are recovering from the c-section. It is recommended to choose the design that lets you lower the sides of the bed with a single button press. This will allow you to easily lift your child up without having to get out of bed. This is crucial, particularly as your baby grows and becomes more mobile. You should also not add anything to the cot that increases the chance of suffocation, or injury, like pillows and duvets, which can cause babies to overheat.
The NPR of the CPSC's NPR included 24 incidents that were attributed to product problems like gaps between the bedside sleeper and the adult bed (12 incidents) Fabric-side 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 the CPSC looked into the possibility of adding additional requirements to bedside sleepers. For instance, these products would have to meet the minimum side height requirements for bassinets or at a minimum, the maximum height requirements for the rails that are lowered. The CPSC determined, however, that these requirements were not efficient or effective in reducing the number of incidents where infants are trapped by a bedside rail and an adult bed.
A majority of the incidents reported in the NPR included multi-use bedside sleepers that can be converted to other types of use, such as play yards and bassinets. A number of commenters suggested that the CPSC include a different option to the proposed rule for bedside sleepers that are multi-use that would permit them to meet the minimum side height requirements for bassinets by using an attachment that can be removed. The attachment can be permanently fixed or disconnected when the product's not being used as a bassinet for babies.
The CPSC is considering these and other comments that were received in response to its NPR on bedside sleepers. The Commission will take into account these comments when voting on the final rule which is expected to come out in November 2021.