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15 Reasons Not To Ignore Newborn Bedside Cot
Newborn Bedside Cot

A newborn bedside cot is a compact sleeper that allows new babies to share the same room as their parents, without the risk of sleeping together (which the AAP recommends against due to SIDS and suffocation). It helps you care for your infant and feed them throughout the night.

This sleeper has a mattress that is firm and supports babies backs, reducing the risk of SIDS. It can be rotated over your adult bed so that you can lift your baby to cuddle them at sunrise or during midnight nursing.

Budget

A bedside cot, also referred to as a co-sleeper, is an infant cot with a bassinet design that is attached or clipped to your bed. This allows you to easily and safely reach your baby for mid-night feeding or cuddles. These are great for new parents and mums recovering from a c-section because they provide the baby to be easily accessible without having to get up from bed.

There are many different designs that are available, from the basic ones that have a drop down side to more sophisticated ones that have numerous adjustment options, like incline or height. Many can be converted into a separate crib when your baby is older and sleeps longer at night.

One of our favourites is the Maxi-Cosi Lura, which was nominated for the 2021 Mother&Baby awards, including Best Cot Crib, Best Cot, or Moses Basket. MFM home tester Emily expressed her delight at how stylish and modern the design is and she was impressed by the fact that you can use it as a regular bassinet, or clip it to a bed to ensure that you can sleep side-by-side. She also appreciated its luxurious mattress that has passed our tests for firmness, and that it has an adjustable manual inclining feature for reflux sufferers.

She didn't like that it had a non mesh panel at the bottom and considered it too bulky to move from room to room. She also found it a little heavy to carry up and down the stairs, especially when folded into a bag for travel.

Size

A bedside cot is essentially an upholstered bassinet that is fixed to the side of the bed. It is easy to reach your baby to feed them, change nappies or just to soothe them during the night. It's great for mothers recovering from the c-section.

The NHS and Lullaby Trust recommend that you keep your baby separate from you for the first 6 months to lower the risk of SIDS. The bedside crib with its low sides, is a great way to do this. It allows you to access your baby easily throughout the night.

It is crucial that your infant sleeps on a firm mattress since this is safer than a soft one. A mattress that is soft increases the risk of suffocation among newborns, since they lack the motor control needed to turn. The soft, breathable fabric and skin-friendly materials make this mattress comfortable for your baby, but sufficiently firm to be safe for your baby.

Mum home tester Jasmin loved that the crib does not take up much space in her bedroom, and she found it to be the perfect size for a newborn. She said the mattress was also of good quality, as opposed to some that feel flimsy and thin. She also loves that it has a storage space beneath to store blankets and clothing - something she says most bassinets do not have.

MFM mom home tester Mehack is a fan of the side wall that is removable that allows you to drop it to make it easier access to your infant. She also loves that legs slide into the bed so it doesn't look heavy or take up a lot of floor space. She's also amazed by how easy it was to move around the house when she needed to do checks and feedings in the middle of the night.

The CoZee Air crib is a favorite among parents. It was awarded a Gold Award in the 2021 Mother&Baby Awards. It is a clever design with four pulleys which can be used to raise or lower your crib. There is also an ample basket for toys, blankets, and other essentials. It's also simple to put together and light, which is useful for travelling with your baby.

Safety

When choosing a new baby's bedside cot, you must keep the safety aspect in mind. The official safety sleep guidelines of both the Lullaby Trust and NHS recommends that babies should not sleep in their parents' beds due to the dangers of suffocation, overheating and a greater chance of suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Bedside bassinets allow parents to keep their baby close to help with feeding at night, comforting and monitoring without having to get out of bed.

This close proximity can also help breastfeeding mothers as it lets them attend to the needs of their infant while they sleep. This can help maintain the supply of milk and also encourage breastfeeding. Some cots with a bedside are equipped with adjustable height features that make it easier for the mother and child to reach the bassinet for feedings or other care throughout the night.

A lot of bassinets have mattresses that are firm, which is designed to decrease the risk of suffocation and is in line with the standards of the industry. It is crucial to provide support for the bones of a newborn because they are still squishy and not fully formed. The mattress should be covered with a fitted sheet to minimize the risk of suffocation caused by dust mites or other allergens, and kept clean and free of allergens.

Some cribs for bedside use can be tilted. This is useful for babies who have digestive or reflux issues. However, this should be done with care and with caution. It is also essential to avoid adding pillows, duvets or padded crib bumpers to the bassinet since they can create a suffocation risk for your baby. They should only be used when the cot is placed on flat surfaces.

It's also worth looking into a bassinet with an attached system that is secure and can be easily fixed to your existing bed without the need for tools. This is particularly beneficial for parents who have difficulty get their child in and out of the crib or are concerned about their child accidentally rolling over while sleeping. If your bassinet is equipped with secured attachments, it is a good idea to check it frequently. Make sure there are no gaps and that the system is securely connected.

bedside crib to cot

If you are a soon-to-be parent, your baby's comfort is one of your main concerns. There's a new solution to sleep that allows you to keep your baby close to you in the evening, without the risk of bed-sharing. The newborn bedside cot is basically a bassinet-style cot that fixes to the side of your bed that allows you to move them towards you for night feeding and soothing. It's also a great choice for mums recovering from a c-section as it reduces the need to bend over too much or even get out of bed.


Modern cots for infants should have a flat, firm mattress to encourage safe sleeping habits and lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The bedding should be simple, with only the cot sheet and a blanket tucked in tightly at the bottom. Avoid bumpers, toys, and pillows that can fall onto your baby posing a suffocation risk. If your baby is used to being swaddled you can use a swaddle or a baby sleep bag for the initial few weeks, but it is best to remove it as soon as possible once they've developed the strength to take off their wraps.

Some bedside cribs feature an option to remove or drop down the side that gives you the baby to be easily accessible for comforting and feeding during the middle of the night. This is a wonderful feature for parents who want to keep the bond between them and their child, but still adhere to NHS safe sleep advice. If you're planning to sleep with your child, it's important to be aware that this practice could increase the risk of SIDS. This is especially true if a parent accidentally falls on their child during sleep.

A breathable fabric is another important safety factor, since it's designed to keep your baby cool and comfortable throughout the night. This is particularly important if you plan to sleep with your newborn since the chance of overheating increases during sleep. The SnuzPod4 has a unique mesh side panel that is breathable that aids in improving airflow and keep your baby snug in their mattress.

Read More: https://www.cots4tots.co.uk/categories/bedside-cot-beds