Being a parent of an infant has never been easy. Once you enter into the zone of being a parent, your foremost priorities are drifted towards your child to arrange the best available comfort solutions. It can become a field of hidden mines when you are unable to identify what is good and what is bad for your child. It even becomes more difficult when you have a long list of household objects for your child and you do not have any idea what to purchase and when to purchase. One of the most important investments on your child in his initial life is the selection of the right cot from the available beautifully designed cots. Medical researchers suggest that a neonate should sleep for at least 15-20 hours a day that makes the cot the most important part of elevating comfort, not only for the child but for the parents as well.
Here we would like to share some of the most important aspects to consider before you plan to purchase a cot for your child:
Table of Contents
Safety, The First Priority:
The first and the most important thing you need to know about the cot is its safety. How much the cot is safe for your child? Does it provide safety based on the standards of British Safety Standards? British Safety Standards suggest that the gap between the bars of the cot should not be less than 2.5 cm and greater than 6.5 cm. These standards are developed based on needs and wants. Apart from the gap between the bars, it should also be blunt as to avoid any sort of direct or indirect injuries to the child. Another aspect of safety depends on the catches of the cot that they should not be too easy that it can be opened easily.
Quality of Paint of the Cot:
Children are usually observed to play with the bars of the cots. They try to hold the bars and lick it. Paint often gets off when the child starts teething and tries to chew the rod. Paint containing lead is the most often used paint that can become dangerous and life-threatening for the child. Nowadays, the cots are painted by the non-lead paints that are most safe than the lead-containing paints. In case of any doubt, repaint the cot as soon as possible as you must not want your child to get ill because of your negligence.
Height of the Cot:
Ease of access in today’s time, is one of the best benefits you can gain from the household objects. Being a busy mother, the adjustable height of the cot is a valuable addition to her life. The feature of adjustable height is highly based on the accessibility. Mothers nowadays find it difficult to get the child in and out of the cot, if the height is not adjustable and this may become a reason for a backache to her. This value addition is only valid until your child is unable to lift him or herself up. Once your child can lift itself, you need to adjust the height of the cot to the lowest as a safety precaution.
Space needed for the Cot:
Usually, parents place the cot of the child by the side of their bed. Parents need to understand the need of the room before purchasing the cot or it will be a better option to draw a rough plan of the room estimating the size of the cot needed that can easily be placed in the room beside the bed or the other option is to utilize the wall-mounted cots that occupy less space than a regular cot. If the family wants to develop a separate nursery room for the child, the space for the cot is not a problem but the placement of the cot should complement the overall appearance of the room.
Wheeled Versus Un-Wheeled Cots:
Cots, nowadays, are designed with an additional feature of wheels. Somehow, this value addition comes with some pros and cons. The benefit of the wheeled cot is that you can easily move and place the cot where ever you think suits the best for your ease but this feature can reduce the level of security for the child. Even though the wheels have a locking system but children are observed to move the cot very easily by shaking it. When the cot is placed in the room of the parents, it can be considered secured but it is highly unsafe if the cot is in the nursery as it may move to the non-secured zones of the room and can be dangerous for the child.
Reliability of the Cot:
Reliability of the cot is one of the aspects people look upon as they think that the cot must be good enough that it can be reused for multiple years. People are observed to prefer the cot for the children until their third or fourth birthday, which means the cot must be of good quality that it can stand firm without getting major defects as this household object is not frequently changed or maintained but is expected to be purchased for a lifetime. If you are planning to purchase the wooden cot, you need to look for the best quality wood as it is more susceptible to get affected by termites but if you plan to get a metal cot, your preference should be rust free cot.
Drop Design Rail or Fixed Walls:
One feature that is most reflected in the buying behavior is the sidewalls of the cot. Different people specifically have a different preference for the sidewalls of the cot. Some people prefer to use the drop design cot while others prefer to use the fixed wall cot. If your preference is to choose the cot with drop design cot, you must go for the cot that allows one-handed functioning to keep your child safe and secure nearest to your bed.
Easy Conversion from Cot to Toddler Bed:
People usually prefer cots that can be easily converted to a toddler bed. The main purpose is to keep the cot in use for a longer duration of time. The toddler beds are usually lower than the cots and are adjustable when it comes to the height. As discussed, adjustable height provides value addition to the mothers with a backache. Some of the cots have additional conversion kits available with the cot and a manual that can help you to convert a normal cot to a convertible toddler bed, the only thing you need to know is, your preference before the time of purchase.
Weight of the Cot:
Life nowadays has become very tough and a working mother with an infant has even more challenges to face. Mothers with the problem of backache suffer from the weight of the cot. Nowadays, lightweight cots are specially designed and commercially available. Sometimes, you only need to move the cot for cleaning the room, and sometimes you need to change the location of the cot in the room. With the help of lightweight cots, it is very easy to relocate the cot without any external source being utilized for the purpose.
Value-Added Features of the Cot:
Customization is the need of time when it comes to making your life easier. Marketers nowadays are more concerned about providing value-added benefits with the products that can directly provide benefits to the consumer. Addition of a drawer or small cupboard beside or beneath the cot is one of the features that can provide value addition to the cot and changes the overall comfort level of the parents as they do not have to run to the other side of the room for taking out the clothes and other products for the child, they can easily use the drawer to store the most needed thing in it.
The shape of the Cot:
Generally, the cots are designed in a rectangular shape, but as per the needs and wants of the people, the shapes of the cots are redesigned to crib shaped cot that somehow reduces the level of comfort for the parents as well as the child. One big issue with the crib shaped cot is that the mattress is not easily available in the market and people have to struggle in finding it. This may cause parents a great panic as they are most concerned about the ease of access when it comes to the belongings of the child.
Conclusion:
Being a parent is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have. You start living at your fullest watching your child growing up step by step learning and adapting new things as he or she grows older. Even though you strive to give the best possible things to your child, you cannot make it perfect but the above-mentioned aspects can be beneficial if you understand the aspects you need to look before deciding on purchasing the cot. The above-mentioned points can help you to choose the right thing at the right time.
