Baby sleep is quite possibly the most talked about subject amongst young parents. How well does your baby sleep? Do they keep you up at night or are they sleeping through the night? And daytime naps, do you get a bit of time for the house chores and yourself or does your baby never seem to sleep? A safe place to sleep for your baby, you definitely need. Our mums that loved to have their babies near them and had quite a bit of space in their bedrooms, created a lovely set up with a cot attached to their own beds for ‘co-sleeping’. Others moved their babies into a cot when they started to become too big for their bassinets; from about 3 months old. Some felt that bubs and parents slept a lot better when they were all in their own bedroom, so they had baby in their own cot in their own room from very early on. Others used their cots mainly for daytime naps, a good way to get your baby used to their cots and their own bedroom.

Our mums have shared a lot of their thoughts and experiences about cots over the years. Things they consider most important when buying a cot are the following:

• Adjustable mattress base – If you use your cot for your tiny baby or well before they start sitting and pulling up, it is easier to have the mattress base of your cot high up so you do not have to bend down too much to lay down your baby for its sleep. However, you definitely need to lower the mattress base for when they start sitting and pulling up, to keep them safe in their beds. Adjustable mattress bases are a perfect solution.
• Drop side – Some cots have this amazing feature to make your life easier when taking care of bubs. You can lower the rails to make it easier to get bub in and out the cot, while keeping them safe when they are in it.
• On wheels – Some of our mums loved that their cots were on wheels, to roll the cot from their bedroom to the nursery for daytime sleeps or even to whichever room they were in to keep baby close.
• Price – There are so many items to buy for a new baby, that our mums believed that price was an important consideration when buying a cot. The price ranges are huge from very affordable, comfortable cots to high end cots that might cost a small fortune.

• Toddler bed option – Many cots have the option to transform into a toddler bed when bubs is growing. You can remove the rail completely, have a half rail to prevent them from falling out or even extend the mattress base. Some cots are longer to allow for a toddler as well.
  • Removeable sides – When your toddler is able to climb out of their cot, when they are able to climb into bed themselves or when you need them to get up to go to the toilet, you no longer want those high rails on the cot. A cot with removable rails will last you longer.
  • Adjustable mattress base – Your baby will grow from about 50 cm to over 1 m in their first four years. To be able to use your cot for longer, it helps if the mattress is long or can even be extended when they are growing.
• Sleep safety – The time that you are asleep yourself is quite possibly the only time in your babies life that nobody is watching them. Sleep safety is extremely important especially for tiny babies that are not able to move themselves out of a dangerous situation. All cots sold in Australia are Australian standard, but be aware when you buy online or second hand.