You want to make sure that you purchase a good quality cot for your baby, as this is something they will be using for a good portion of the time over the next two or three years.
You could even be using it for another few years if you buy a cot bed which is convertible between the two! In either case, you need to make sure that you don't scrimp too much money off of your purchase, as something cheap will often not last long enough to cover everything you need it to, so it's a good idea to spend that little bit more to get something better.
Below I will be listing some advice to take into consideration when you are either looking for a cot, or when you have your cot already.
1.
Choose something that will be easy enough for you to reach into.
There's nothing worse than buying a cot and then finding that each time you go to take your baby out, you get a striking pain through your back.
The taller you are, the higher up the cot should be, and vice versa.
2.
Never choose a cot with horizontal bars, they should always be vertical.
It's highly unlikely that you will even find one with horizontal bars, but if you are buying second hand and happen to see one, steer clear as you baby could use the bars as a ladder to climb out.
3.
To prevent your child from climbing out, you should also make sure to remove large toys when they can stand as they could use these to help them reach the top.
4.
You should also choose a cot (and mattress) that gives more than 65cm of space between the top of the rail and the top of the mattress, so that your baby cannot reach the top, or at least cannot pull themselves over the top.
5.
If you're purchasing a separate mattress, make sure that it perfectly fits the cot.
If it is too small, you can counter this by rolling up a soft towel and padding out the spaces between the side of the mattress and the cot with this.
It's absolutely essential to do this, as your child could fall into this space and not be able to get themselves out.
6.
It's a good idea to purchase a new mattress, even if you purchase the cot second hand.
It has been shown that there is a link between second hand mattresses and cot death, so above everything else, there's nothing I would suggest more urgently than this.
7.
While it's a good idea to use a cot mobile, you must ensure that your child cannot stand up and reach this.
As your child grows gradually move it up further out of reach, as your baby could use this to help them out of the cot, or they could get their clothes stuck on it, which would not be a nice experience.
You could even be using it for another few years if you buy a cot bed which is convertible between the two! In either case, you need to make sure that you don't scrimp too much money off of your purchase, as something cheap will often not last long enough to cover everything you need it to, so it's a good idea to spend that little bit more to get something better.
Below I will be listing some advice to take into consideration when you are either looking for a cot, or when you have your cot already.
1.
Choose something that will be easy enough for you to reach into.
There's nothing worse than buying a cot and then finding that each time you go to take your baby out, you get a striking pain through your back.
The taller you are, the higher up the cot should be, and vice versa.
2.
Never choose a cot with horizontal bars, they should always be vertical.
It's highly unlikely that you will even find one with horizontal bars, but if you are buying second hand and happen to see one, steer clear as you baby could use the bars as a ladder to climb out.
3.
To prevent your child from climbing out, you should also make sure to remove large toys when they can stand as they could use these to help them reach the top.
4.
You should also choose a cot (and mattress) that gives more than 65cm of space between the top of the rail and the top of the mattress, so that your baby cannot reach the top, or at least cannot pull themselves over the top.
5.
If you're purchasing a separate mattress, make sure that it perfectly fits the cot.
If it is too small, you can counter this by rolling up a soft towel and padding out the spaces between the side of the mattress and the cot with this.
It's absolutely essential to do this, as your child could fall into this space and not be able to get themselves out.
6.
It's a good idea to purchase a new mattress, even if you purchase the cot second hand.
It has been shown that there is a link between second hand mattresses and cot death, so above everything else, there's nothing I would suggest more urgently than this.
7.
While it's a good idea to use a cot mobile, you must ensure that your child cannot stand up and reach this.
As your child grows gradually move it up further out of reach, as your baby could use this to help them out of the cot, or they could get their clothes stuck on it, which would not be a nice experience.