Cots, baskets and cribs! Oh my!

Kash

I am currently expecting our first baby, and am trying to get as prepared as I can... but I am completely confused by the plethora of cots, cribs, moses baskets, bassinets, toddler beds - the list goes on, and I get more and more befuddled.

Some are suitable for a few weeks, other for a few months, others for a few years. I can't tell what we need, and what is just nice to have.

We hope to get a cot that we can attach to our bed for co-sleeping (without me freaking out that I will squash our little one) and then move him or her into their own room (in whatever baby sleeping device is considered appropriate) whenever they are old enough.

So, I am coming for advice from the people who have the experience, if you were to do it again, what would you buy?

NextSteps

There's an old thread about this. We have a co-sleeper, but the baby was in the bed with us from the first night until very recently (11 months). Now he starts off the night in the cot (the co-sleeper, with the 4th side up) in our room, and ends up in our bed by 11pm. At this rate he'll be sleeping the night in the cot by the time he's, oh, 15...

As for naps downstairs, we just used the pram, one less piece of clutter.

Iceylou

we bought a moses basket and madame lasted 3 weeks in it. she hated it, she hates confinement!! we have a cot bed and she hated that too, converted it into the bed and she still hates it.

we did co-sleep, i did panic alot at first but as she doesnt like sleeping either lol we never went into a deep sleep. we always sensed she was next to us

Jenniflower87

We used a moses basket at first which he loved and then he had a growth spurt and my mistake took him into the bed and the little divil only wants out bed. We have a cotbed that he sleeps in for a few hours and then into the bed.

I never knew about the co-sleeper cots until after I had the baby and everything bought. I think that they are a great idea and would think about getting one when we plan out next.

January

Moses basket for the first couple of weeks here (in fact... I only learned on the third to have TWO moses baskets, one upstairs and one down, saves having to bring it up and down, but we did get gifted one on the third and we already had one as a second, I don't think I'd have gone out and bought another.) and then into the cots in their own rooms by 12 weeks. Except for number three, she's still in the moses basket and in our room! But that's due to her still waking at night so as to not wake her older sisters when she's crying.

Moonbeam

I would buy the co sleeper cot and not worry about another one util he/she out grows it.
Mine were in the boses basket for about 7 months each,then to the cot.
A good travel cot is the best thing that you will buy.
I would not buy a moses basket ours were borrowed.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

liliq

We were also given a gift of a moses basket, and the little fella was in it for 9 weeks with it beside our bed. During the day he slept in the carry cot from the buggy.

At 9 weeks he was too big for the moses basket and we got a bedside cot from mothercare. He can sleep in it until he's 2 as far as I can remember. The one thing about this cot is that it doesn't attach to the bed as such, so I have it pushed against the wall and the bed pushed right against it. I think I'm going to find some way of making it more securely attached once he starts moving around more though.

A crib or bassinet I really wouldn't bother with personally, although they do look lovely! They're just too expensive and don't last long enough!

Himselfis between his cot and our bed during the night. While he's waking during the night, and I'm still breastfeeding, it's just easier to be able to pull him into the bed and pop him back in to the cot whenever!

Winnie

We never bothered with a moses basket as we knew that our son would out grow it in a few months. We just bought a good sturdy cot and he has slept in that from day one. Because he was used to sleeping in that we were able to have him sleeping in his cot on his own in his own room from 3 months old. It's great now, he sleeps great in his own room and most mornings we will then bring him into our bed for a morning snooze and cuddle before we get up.. If we ever had another baby we would do it exactly the same way again.

hoodwinked

due to a few reasons we only bought a cot and our plan was to use that from day 1, but we were given the gift of a moses basket so we ended up using that until she was 3 or 4 months old, as she was so tiny in the big cot!


i didnt want to share the bed or get a co sleeper cot as i didnt want to create a habit of her sleeping with us in the bed, for every child i have heard moves into their own bed/cot/room without issues i have heard of those who refuse to leave or still come back to mommy and daddy's bed.

we had a 1 bedroom apt at the time and when we moved into a two bed one, she moved into her own room and had no issues there in her cot.

Kash

Thanks so much, everyone - it's great to have some real life feedback to base a decision on.

I think we'll go down the route of the co-sleeper cot first and foremost.
We'll use a moses basket if we get given one as a gift, but won't look for it, and will get a good travel cot too (or at least find out of my travel system does that)

Thanks again

triggermortis

We used a moses basket for 7 weeks until he went into a cot in his own room. He was such a fidget in the basket and it creaked so much, no-one got much sleep so we're not bothering this time around (due 22nd April).

movingsucks

I would've liked Something like that ^
I had my little one in the Moses basket next to our bed for when I was breast feeding and there were some nights when I almost fell asleep before putting her back in!
I was always afraid then I'd crush the poor little creature.
I have her in a massive cot bed now and it'll hopefully do her for A year or 2, 3 might be ambitious. But when she was born first and we put her in she looked so lost in it! Glad we had the Moses basket to keep her close

BabyGoIE

I think that the best choice would be cot bed, because it will last longer. You can remove the big sides and attach the small ones after your baby is big enough to do so - walking on its own. I have removed them when my daughter was about 18 months. Now the bed looks like normal bed.

Kash

Just some feedback as the OP - we ended up going with a co sleeper bedside cot, the Mothercare one. http://www.mothercare.ie/bedside-cot.html
It's big enough to do her for a long time more.

We did get given a Moses basket but she only napped in it during the day, she used the bedside cot from night one. I love having her close by, she settles very easily, goes back to sleep on her own and has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks. If you have the space for one, then I would highly recommend it.