Choosing the Ideal Cot Furniture for Your Baby

Cot furniture or baby cots are without doubt the single most important furniture piece you will purchase for your newborn However considering the variety of different styles and designs offered, how can you know which is the most secure and best cot to maintain your newborn safe and secure.

The initial decision you will need to make is whether or not you would like a cot or the more flexible cot bed style which may be modified as your youngster gets bigger. Cot bed models are quite flexible, typically having the ability to be converted from a cot into a small bed and sometimes even into a child size sofa. Neeedless to say, these kinds of flexible cot bed models will cost you more to begin with, but with their capability to be used in a number of different configurations, they will save you money overall.

Then you will need to make up your mind about the type of material and finish of your baby cot furniture. These days the best baby cots available is commonly produced from timber and is normally available in several colours and surface finishes helping you to mix and match with other baby’s room furniture items. Usually, cot furniture comes in the more popular timber finishes such as oak, pine and maple and can often be stained to other timber finishes for matching purposes. However, if a timber finish isn t for you and you would like a bit of color in your cot furniture, then generally you will find plenty of color finishes available to match your nursery color scheme.

Another item to think about is your budget and how much you want to spend on your cot furniture. Apart from the price difference due to the cot versus cot bed choice, usually the higher prices will be associated with the standard of materials, higher standards of workmanship and the additional features or options included.

Sometimes these additional features may be optional, so you will need to decide on which ones, if any will be valuable and worth the extra money. Features such as easy one-handed lowering of the sides, under cot storage space for baby gear and add-ons for baby changing may well interest you.

Note: Only buy from a reliable retailer and ensure that the cot has passed the Safety Standards for your own country, this is one of the reasons it is generally safer to buy new cot furniture that complies with and surpasses the most recent safety regulations.

What to look for in cot furniture:

To start with, make certain you have a tape measure with you when you re looking for cot furniture.

Be sure that the cot is Standards Certified to the latest regulations. Many cot manufacturers keep the same models for a number of years and the certifications on some cot designs may not be the latest applicable.

Almost all cots are certified when first produced, but may well then be produced for many years without ever being re-certified, which means manufacturing variations could subtly alter the cot after some time.

Manufacturers should essentially get their cots re-certified at the least every two years.

All components which go to make up the cot needs to be permanently fixed or need the use of a tool to dismantle them.

The distance from the top of the cot side rails to the top of the cot mattress should be at least 500mm (20 inches) when the cot mattress is in its lowest position and at least 300mm (12 inches) when the cot mattress is in its highest position. There needs to be a minimum distance of 300mm (12 inches) when the cot side rail is dropped down.

It is important to choose a cot mattress that fits snugly into the cot without any gaps. You can test this by pushing the cot mattress hard up against the opposite side and making certain the resulting gap on the side near to you is no more that 20mm (3/4 inch). Gaps at the sides of cot mattresses are a suffocation threat and can also trap small limbs.

Make certain that there won’t be any head entrapment dangers. Any large spaces or openings should be between 50mm (2 inches) and 95mm (4 inches) so as to stop your baby from getting ensnared or from falling out.

Similarly, ensure that there won’t be any limb entrapment dangers – there should not be any smaller openings between 20mm (3/4 inches) and 50mm (2 inches) wide.

Also ensure that there won’t be any small spaces or openings between 5mm (1/4 inch) and 12mm (1/2 inch) wide, which could easily entrap small fingers.

The cot s side rail dropside must be safe and secure so that it is impossible for a small child to operate, while at the same time being easy and simple for an adult carer to lower and raise.

Make certain that there won’t be any protruding items that could hit a child s soft head or catch on their clothes.

Make certain that there won’t be any sharp edges on the cot and that all the components of the cot are smooth and gently contoured.

Make certain that there are no footholds of any description that a small child could ultimately use as a step or ledge to climb out of the cot.

Make certain that you have at least 50mm (2 inches) ground clearance when you lower the side rail dropside, because you really don’t want it dropping onto your toes.

If you’re thinking about using a cot mobile to your cot in order to encourage your baby s increasing awareness of the surrounding world, then you will need to look at possible attachment points on the cot.

As you can see there are a lot of things to look for in cot furniture, however, if you go for a newer model cot that has been recently certified to meet the necessary safety regulations, from a reputable dealer, then you will go a long way to ensuring the safety and security of your baby.

Tagged as: baby cot, cot, cot bed, cot furniture, cot mattress