Choosing a Large Bedside Cot
Bedside cots (also known as co-sleepers or bassinets) are designed to let parents snuggle with their infant at night without the risk of SIDS. They are only recommended for up to 6 months, when your baby will be ready to move to a crib.
Mehack Mehack, an MFM home tester, loved the feature that this model comes with an adjustable bassinet that can be used all around the home. It also has an option to rock manually. It was also easy to put together and came with its own travel bag for convenient storage.
Size
Cots are smaller than cots. They are smaller than. Cots can also convert into toddler beds. However, cots are usually only used by children up to the age of three. If you're considering a wooden cot, you'll find two sizes available that are large and standard both of which will convert into a cot/toddler mattress. If you want your child (or children) to be capable of sleeping in the larger cot, it's an excellent option to select the larger one.
MFM mom home test Jasmine loved that the bedside cot was slightly bigger than the 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 when compared to other cots she's encountered that feel cheap and flimsy.
Emily is another home tester, loves the versatility of the Maxi-Cosi lora - it is a lift-off, mobile bassinet. It also rocks. It also has an incline of reflux as well as a machine washable breathable liner. It was also nominated for the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards in the Best Cot or Moses Basket category. Unlike some International or European cot brands Lora is a cot that Lora can fit South African cot mattresses so you don't need to purchase a new mattress as your baby grows. It will require a specific bedding set (60x120cm). You can find the right mattress for your cot here.
Height
When you are choosing a crib that is bedside, choose one that can be adjusted to a comfortable height for you. It should also be able to be lowered away from the way, so you can raise your child towards you to feed them at night or comfort him. This feature is especially useful if you are recovering from a C Section. The Next2me cot and Tutti Bambini can be adjusted to a maximum height of 58cm while the Snuzpod 3 can go up to 63cm, and the Knuma Hutch can be adjusted to 70cm.
Another thing to consider is how low you want the base of your cot 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, while others prefer a higher level to provide them with more stability. One of our testers for mums stated that the Joie Roomie Glide was a popular option. It has an easy-to-fold side that which you can use to push of a button.
Be aware that a bassinet/bedside sleeping device should not be used until your baby is able to hold their head up unaided, usually at approximately 6 months. This is due to the possibility of being suffocated. Be aware that when your child is old enough to turn the bedside sleeper into a cot, you must remove the sides when they are ready to do this. This will stop them from getting out or falling out of bed.
Design
There are many different styles of bedside cribs, from simple to luxurious. baby bedside sleeper could include features such as a built-in night light or a soothing center that plays music and sounds and comes with two levels of vibrating to help soothe baby back to sleep, or even a swivelling base that makes it easier to get your baby's food in the right place. There are also models which can be made into a cot bed or toddler bed (or both) which is ideal when your child is ready to move to a larger bed.
For instance the Tutti Bambini CoZee Air, which won Bronze in the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards Best Cot, Crib or Moses Basket category, has a swivelling base that lets you pick up your baby and move them from one side of the crib to the other without needing to get up. This is great for mothers who are recovering from Caesareans or who have to stay in bed for long periods of time. MFM mum home tester Jasmine loved this feature, stating that it was simple to use and made her baby much more manageable particularly after her c-section.
Another option is the Chicco Next2me Magic, which won Gold at the 2021 Mother&Baby Award in the category of the Best Cot, Crib or Moses Basket. It comes with an easy-to-clean liner, reflux incline, and rocking feature. It's bigger than other bedside cribs that we tested, but it folds down into its bag for travel, making it relatively compact when it's not in use.
Leya, MFM mum home tester also appreciated the bedside crib's function. She claimed that it was designed for parents and infants. 'It has an excellent design that is incredibly maneuverable and is extremely durable. The swivelling base of the bassinet is amazing as it means you can move the bassinet side to side and one of its sides can be lowered down to ease access especially for new mothers who are recovering from C-sections', she said.
Safety
A bedside cot that is large and spacious's most important security characteristic is the fact that it is able to be moved up or down so that parents can reach their baby to feed, comfort or change his or their nappy. This makes it perfect for new mothers recovering from a c-section. It is recommended to choose a design which allows you to lower the bed's side with a single button press. This will allow you to easily lift your child without getting out of the bed. This is especially important as your baby grows older and becomes more mobile. You should also avoid adding anything to the crib that could increase the chance of suffocation or injury, including pillows and duvets. These can cause babies to overheat.
The NPR of the CPSC NPR includes 24 incidents that are attributed to issues with the product that include gaps between a bedside sleeper (adult bed) and the bedside sleeper (12 incidents) as well as enclosed openings made of fabric (11) and consumer disassembly (6 incidents).
In its NPR in its NPR, the CPSC examined the possibility of adding additional requirements for sleepers in bed, such as the requirement that these beds satisfy the minimum side height requirement for bassinets or at a minimum, meet the maximum height requirement for the lowered side rail. However the CPSC found that these requirements would not be efficient or feasible to reduce the number of incidents in which infants were entrapped between the bedside sleeper and an adult bed.
A majority of the incidents mentioned in the NPR concerned multi-use bedside sleepers which can be converted to different types of furniture, like bassinets or play yards. Many commenters suggested that CPSC include in the proposed rule a different provision for multiuse bedside sleepers to enable them to meet the minimum side-height requirement for bassinets by using an attachment that is removable and can be permanently connected or removed when the product is not being used as the bassinet.
The CPSC is examining these comments as well as other submissions received in response to the NPR on sleep at night. The Commission will be examining these comments when it decides on the final rule, which is expected to be issued in November of 2021.