Crib vs. moses basket vs. cot from birth

[cheeky_biscuit]

What are the advantages of each one? I am too indecisive.
We borrowed a moses basket for Emma and she was too big for it by about 3wks old but we crammed her until she was 8wks old and then she had to go in her own room as we couldn't fit the cot bed in.
I have seen cribs on kiddicare for around £35 which doesn't seem too bad if they last longer than 8wks!
We're thinking of buying the carrycot for the travel system - so is that an option for night sleeping & if so, how long can they fit in it for?
what would you get?
thanks

[Azana]

I had a crib from kiddicare - and she was in it til 6 months next to our bed (I am selling it actually if you are interested :oops: though no idea where in country you are!!) I had a white one, the rocking idea didn't work really (if you put it to rock she just ended up on a slant!!) but yes, far far far better than a moses basket which DD 1 hated on sight!

No idea on carrycots though...

[Mrs B]

We went straight to his cot, and had no regrets. He was used to it from day one so no hassles about moving him into a different sleeping arena.

I *think* that carrycots from the travel system are only recomended as ocasional use beds, the mattresses aren't supportive enough. Though I seem to remember a Mamas and Papas one where you could buy an extra matress that was suitable.

[scatterbrain]

A crib wins my vote! It'll last until 6 months (well it lasted Elena up to 6 months anyway) and you can kick it to rock them back to sleep if they wake in the night.

Scatterbrain

[cheeky_biscuit]

I *think* that carrycots from the travel system are only recomended as ocasional use beds, the mattresses aren't supportive enough. Though I seem to remember a Mamas and Papas one where you could buy an extra matress that was suitable.
that's what we'd do, but i'm just not sure on the size & squeezing baby in.
Azana - might get back to you on the crib when we make a decision.

[ChelseaHarvey]

I would next time go straight to a cot i wouldnt worry about the moses basket

Alfie went into his cot at 8 weeks

[pooch]

Lucas HATED his moses basket so it was a complete waste of money. Next time I'll either get a crib or if we have more space I'll get a cot and they can be there from the start.

[Princess Fiona]

Well we had all 3 :teehee:

I had a swinging crib in our room, a cotbed in her bedroom and a mosesbasket downstairs. As a small baby and probably up to a year tbh she always took her naps downstairs. She only lasted about 3 wks in the MB because she didn't like it and wouldn't sleep in it. She slept in the crib in our room til she was about 8 months when Dh made me stop shoehorning her into it :lol: she was starting to pull herself up to sitting in it so i decided it was time to move her and she went into her own room.

At about 11 wks i bought a travelcot with a basinette which replaced the mb downstairs and she slept in that.

i think next time i'll skip the mb and just have the travel cot basinette downstairs and the crib in our room adn then obviously the cotbed after.

[shamu]

Bea still sleeps in her swinging hammock (http://www.amby.co.uk/) and it was definitely my best "second time round" buy :lurve: I wish I'd had it when James was born. It has been on holiday with us and has survived a plane and train trip. We have next to no space in our flat and couldn't get a cot in our room. There's only room for one cot in James' room so it's been a godsend
Shamu
:wink:

[icclebunny]

Mini IB slept in a swinging crib til she was 6mths old as it was easier to put it by the bed. We bought a cheap moses basket to leave downstairs for daytime naps -she fitted into the moses basket til she was 4 mths approx. We used the carrycot on the travel system til she was 5mths too - I preferred it to having her in a buggy but theyre by no means essential - its just personal preference.

We moved her from crib to cot at 6mths no probs. I just seen a really cute one in the new toysrus catalog too :oops:
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruHome/BruNursery/BruNurseryCotsMoses/BruNurseryCotsMosesMosesBaskets/730610?ref=Search

[Chell]

A moses basket is good as it can easily be moved. My two slept downstairs in their moses basket till we went up to bed (when they were really young). In the daytime they could also sleep downstairs in it.

[Sonriendo]

Mine both went straight into a cot and either napped there or in the pram when we were out.

[Tgirl]

sophia slept in cot from day one..granted she did look at little bit small in it to begin with but i was so glad we did as we never had any issues with moving her from one thing to the other..she just turned two and still loves her cot..may keep her in it until she doesn't physically fit in it anymore:scratchchin:

my point is would definitely do the same thing again if we have another one

[Chocolate Lips]

We have all three! I probably would use a cot from day one but we can't fit one in our room hence why we bought the crib. We used the moses basket downstairs and used to sneak her up in it if she had fallen asleep as she was a nightmare for the first few months!

I am glad we bought both as Isabel is still in the cot so newb will have to stay in the crib for as long as possible!

[Lady M's Mummy]

We bought a cot and put her in it straight from birth. Partly because i didn't want to spend money on a moses basket and a cot (different sheets for each etc) but also because i don't have the room to be storing big bits of baby kit.

Tilly never had a problem with going straight into her cot.

[shortyhmm]

Liv was in a cot in her own room from day 1 and took all her daytime naps in it at 2 weeks old.

Same for Poppy, except all her daytime naps from day 1 were in the cot. Poppy now has Liv's cot and Liv has a cotbed. We don't intend buying another new bed until a junior/single bed is suitable for Liv.

Can't believe how much money we saved on the original plans of moses baskets/cribs etc. IMO there's no need, but I know some mummies love them!

[Chocolate Lips]

Can't believe how much money we saved on the original plans of moses baskets/cribs etc. IMO there's no need, but I know some mummies love them!

They are not that much money though :puzzled: the crib and the moses basket together probably cost less than £100. I guess you have chosen to do it differently though as there is no way I am buying a 2nd cot/cotbed!

[shortyhmm]

I couldn't justify spending money on something Liv would grow out of as quick as clothes! :teehee:

If we'd have known while I was pg with Liv that we would be having Poppy so soon :oops: we'd have bought a cotbed for Liv. It's as broad as it is long really - either way, we'd still need 2 cots/cotbeds.

Knowing what Liv was like when trying to nap dowstairs in the first couple of weeks, I'm glad I changed her naps to her room! :faint:

[Chocolate Lips]

Isabel's moses basket lasted her about 4 months I think, probably would have lasted her longer. Adele has only just moved Seri out of a moses basket, so you can get quite a good bit of use from it.

We bought a cotbed from the start as always figured it would be a bed at some point, even though we planned to have 2 children close together and knew that Isabel would never use it as a bed, the next one will.

Newb is going to stay in the crib until it is somewhere between 4-6 months, depending on Isabel and then she is going into a toddler bed!

[scatterbrain]

OK! Thanks to Shamu, I'm completely sold on the idea of ...

The baby nests http://www.amby.co.uk/index.html

:doh: really wasn't planning to buy much for this baby & already have a lovely swinging crib from Elena.

Scatterbrain

[shortyhmm]

Isabel's moses basket lasted her about 4 months I think, probably would have lasted her longer. Adele has only just moved Seri out of a moses basket, so you can get quite a good bit of use from it.

:faint:

[Lois Lane]

I borrowed a moses basket for P and she outgrew it really quickly - she was in her cotbed at 11 weeks. A has a crib and has been in it since day one and she's still there :lol: She's 5 months and I reckon there's about 2 more months growing room, though we are planning on moving her into the cotbed in the next couple of weeks.

I agree with Azana about the rocking though - A ended up squished up against the bar :shock: so it stays locked all the time.

ETA I did buy a moses basket for A on the premise of using it downstairs for daytime naps but P kept waking her so she goes upstairs into her crib - unless I want to do something in my bedroom in which case she goes in the moses in Paige's room (she still fits - just!!)

[cherry fizz]

OK! Thanks to Shamu, I'm completely sold on the idea of ...

The baby nests http://www.amby.co.uk/index.html

:doh: really wasn't planning to buy much for this baby & already have a lovely swinging crib from Elena.

Scatterbrain

and just to make your decision harder, i'm selling mine soon :lol:
best baby buy i ever made, totally.

[redhed]

Totally agree - we had an amby as well, great things. The "rocking" motion works much better than a crib and is sort of self-sustaining so you don't have to keep rocking it.

Other than that, I'd go with a bedside cot which is what I had for Helena.. Goes right up against the bed (I used to get in from DH's side) so if you have room for a bedside table, you have room for a bedside cot, really.

[Adelelee]

We borrowed a moses basket for Emma and she was too big for it by about 3wks old but we crammed her until she was 8wks old

Goodness if you were cramming her in at 8 weeks god knows what we were doing to Seri at 7.5 months:lol: She has just gone in her cot from a MB.

With Eliza we had a MB and a crib which she HATED but she went in her own room (and a cot) at 3 months.

xx

[L66TTY]

I have a carrycot form my pram that I bought a moses basket stand for when he sleeps downstairs hubbies 30 year old swinging crib next ot our bed and a Cotbed in Dexters room for when he moves in there.

Dexter would still fit in a MB no probs but he is a tiddler.

I borrowed a co-sleeper cot at a friends and I am definatley getting one of them next time was soooooo nice just rolling over and rolling him over to me for night time feeds I loved having him sooo close and just looking at him! It was from the USA but you can get them here.

If you like the hammock idea how about this one

http://www.smilechild.co.uk/product_details.asp?product_id=1481

Light enough to move around the house if you need to and good for little ones backs!

Or this one if you prefer the style!!
http://www.smilechild.co.uk/product_details.asp?product_id=1314

[scatterbrain]

and just to make your decision harder, i'm selling mine soon :lol:
best baby buy i ever made, totally.

ooooh :scratchchin:

[Stephi103]

We started off with Tyler in a moses basket and we had alot of problems with him being unsettled so we ended up with a crib and I loved that and will use a crib from day one next time! The moses basket was good at the start though as it meant he could sleep in the lounge in the eve before we started the bedtime routine and in the day, or when I went over my mums in the day I would bring it with me too! but I didn't have to buy the moses basket so wasn't a waste.

ETA Tyler was in the crib until 4 months when he was moved into his cot

[Adelelee]

Adele has only just moved Seri out of a moses basket, so you can get quite a good bit of use from it.

:nod::nod: and Seri is not a little baby :lol:

[Squeaker]

I *think* that carrycots from the travel system are only recomended as ocasional use beds, the mattresses aren't supportive enough.

DS slept in his carrycot (Quinny Dreamy) for almost 3 months until we moved him into his own room. I thought the mattress felt pretty much the same as the moses basket ones and he was perfectly comfortable in there until he grew too fat :grin: I guess it depends on the carrycot though.

I was planning on doing the same with (fingers crossed) #2+ but having seen some of those hammock things i quite like.

Quick question though - does the baby get used to being rocked to sleep in them? Do they struggle when they are transferred to a more solid bed?

[shortyhmm]

Quick question though - does the baby get used to being rocked to sleep in them? Do they struggle when they are transferred to a more solid bed?
I remember reading that was true. That they don't learn to settle themselves and will only fall asleep if rocked. But I don't know how much of that is true as I didn't rock my 2.

[Stephi103]

Squeaker I did hear this too and when we had the crib it had a peg in it that you could stop it from rocking.

Tyler never was bothered by the rocking anyway! Didn't help!

[Chocolate Lips]

We never used the crib to rock her, tried it once or twice and it made no difference!

[scatterbrain]

Elena tranferred from a swinging crib to a cot without any problems. To be honest, once they start sitting up you have to peg them into place anyway.

Scatterbrain

[Squeaker]

:lol: :lol: :lol: I know what you mean but i do have images of all this children with pegs on their shoulders attaching them to the sides of their cots :lol:

[cheeky_biscuit]

:brainache:
It's a cotbed that we have, so it feels like that would be massive for a tiny newborn.
I do really like the look of those hammocks, but how supportive are the backs? I always thought baby had to sleep on a nice firm surface - are they firm?
We have a travel cot with bassinet which I plan to use downstairs as that worked really well for us with Emma.
We found with her in the moses basket if she moved her arms she would hit the sides, jump & wake up and just seemed really penned in.
I like the organic stripey crib too that L66ty posted, v. nice.
I thought it'd be easy 2nd time round :teehee:

[flipflop]

We borrowed two moses baskets, Joe was only in his for either 3 or 5 weeks (can't remember now!) then went straight into his cotbed, where he looked like a tiny dot but settled with no problems.
Evie stayed in her moses basket until about 12 weeks, then went into the cotbed.

[RealGoneKid]

We borrowed a moses basket, had the M&P Ultima pram with the carrycot and extra mattress and a cotbed. E went into the mb at night and slept in the pram downstairs. She grew out of the mb really quickly as she kept hitting the sides and waking us all up. She went into the cotbed at about 6 weeks and looked tiny in it (although she slept fine). There was loads more room in the pram carrycot though and next time I would just use that all the time rather than bother with a moses basket.

She was still sleeping in the pram carrycot at about 9 months old and fitted well. There was loads of room left but I had to stop her using it as she kept trying to climb out when she woke up.