Hi All,
We are expecting our first in October and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the cot options.
Any recommendations would be really appreciated!
We are considering the Ikea cot or possibly even looking for a secondhand Boori cot from FB marketplace (we would purchase a new matress).
If anyone else has other affordable brands to recommend we would really appreciate it!
Second hand Boori definitely the way to go. Built to last generations and can expand into their first bed at age 2.5 etc.
Congrats! Also consider that the SIDS recommendations are to have bub in your room until 6-12months. Many people use a bassinet first up for this reason. We got a cot before bub was born but ended up buying a bassinet with wheels like we had in the hospital first day home. He only went into the full size cot at about 5 months, so in our case there was no rush. Unfortunately there’s no safety standards for bassinets, so you’d have to do your research into what you feel is safe we went for mesh sides and got a breathing alarm to help us relax a little bit.
What is the breathing alarm? I feel like this would be something I need!
google is your friend.
I'm not.
You can have an alarm either under the mattress or attached to the babies foot to tell you if they’ve stopped breathing, so you can intervene early. We got a sense 2, very cheaply (ozbargain style) and despite negative reviews found it to be excellent. It only started false alarming once our baby was crawling and very capable of saving himself/securing his airway, so we’ve stopped using it. For me it was a case of, there’s not much point having a camera that you only look at when you think of it vs something that would alarm you if something was wrong. There’s some criticism of these alarms, ie risk that parents will rely on it and not otherwise monitor their babies. I found that it went the other way and was just back up and allowed me some freedom, which is psychologically very important. I understand that the setup of all these devices is critical to whether they work or not so I’d advise looking into it - eg I’ve heard the owlet sometimes falls off the babies foot leading it to false alarm, others swear by it.
Just a word of advice on the under-mattress breathing alarm, get used to turning the alarm off before you take the baby out of the bassinet/cot.
My husband picked up the baby without turning off the alarm while I was napping on the couch. The alarm went off and I jumped up off the couch (2 days post c-section) and instead of sprinting to the baby, I collapsed on the floor because my body didn't work.
Oh no! I could see how this could happen, I also had a c-section but we only got the alarm at about 3-4 weeks. We had a couple of false alarms this way but not many.
These things cause more stress than they relieve. Having a newborn is stressful, especially the first one. You will be up during the night everytime they make a sound (which is always). Then when they are quiet for a change, you will be up to check the breathing.
It is what it is. My wife caused more stress than the children themselves by getting worked up and worried about every little thing. Follow SIDS practices and resist buying gadgets like this it my recommendation. Just get a camera later so you can keep an eye on the baby when it moves out of your bedroom and you'll be set.
Yeah, think it really depends on your situation and preference. We did he first few weeks without one, once we got the sense monitor I found it helped reduce stress, especially combined with video. I found it helped me do other things whilst he was napping during the day, which for the first 4-5 months is a lot. In my case having one reduced stress. For others it might be different.
Look at the baby sense breathing monitor. It senses reduced breathing which gives you more time to react instead of just no breathing.
Second hand. You'll be grateful when the baby goes to sleep without crying and not care about the look of the cot. Boori is great we spent $100.
We had boori cots, change tables etc. Used them for both kids, and after 4 years got about 80% of the original purchase price back on eBay. Hopefully there is still a good secondhand market for certain brands.
Target cot sheets are great. Wait for a sale and get a couple of mattress protectors and the summer and winter sheets.
Congratulations.
I first got ikea gulliver only to spend half a day assembling and another half a day disassembling and taking it back to ikea within a week. It was too big and it was too difficult to get the baby in and out over the side railing. If you’re a very tall person may be it’ll work. In addition the work involved to adjust the base level (to lower setting) as the baby grow up is too much. I won’t recommend due to this.
I borrowed a friend’s bassinet for about 6 months and it was amazing. Very easy to get the baby in and out and specially during the winter season it’s quite cozy. After 6 months I switched to a cot with height adjustable side rail, also second hand and borrowed and I bought brand new matress and sheets from Ikea. They fit. Looks like standard size. The model is Boori from BB.
If you have the option to borrow from a friend’s, go for it.
This is the bassinet I borrowed and it’s on sale. Trust me if’s totally worth it. https://www.babybunting.com.au/ingenuity-foldaway-deluxe-woo…
Good luck.
Thanks. I think we might go into ikea and baby bunting just to compare the quality. I'm leaning towards a secondhand now with lots of suggestions of the dropside. It's great to know your feedback about the Gulliver as that was the one we were considering. Will check out the bassinet you suggested when we go to bb.
I have a Boori, great beds. Been meaning to sell it and the change table. Sitting in spare room for 2 years.
Like many have suggested, secondhand market is the way to go for most things. We picked a Boori change table for $200 (2 years old) in immaculate condition. Once we are done, we should easily be able to recoup all of that money by selling it on Marketplace.
With the cot, we went to the Baby Expo (not sure when this will start again given the current situation) and bought floor stock. In store prices for the Cot and mattress was ~$800 - picked up floor stock for $300. The trick is to go there on first day and negotiate price and come back and collect it when the Expo is over as they don't deliver. Might sound like a hassle but trying to save $$ will require a bit of effort. Again, when we done, we would easily be able to sell that and recoup most of our money.
Great advice on the expo. I do have some time, so maybe I'll hold out until we can attend unless we find a great 2nd hand bargain prior.
We managed to snag a Gonatt cot from Ikea for A$99.
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/gonatt-cot-light-grey-90371949/
If you visit Ikea regularly, they will always have sales.
That's cheap!
I'm a FTM due very soon. I got a Boori 2nd hand and bought a compatible mattress here: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-INNER-SPRING-COT-CRIB-BABY-B…
I recommend a second hand boori matilda rocker to start with, new mattresses are only about $30 from memory at baby bunting. These last longer than basinets, can be rocked, moved around house and used with under mattress baby movement monitors. Bub no2 enjoying his now :)
Get everything second hand, baby stuff is so cheap second hand.
Just buy a new mattress etc
Ikea one. Safe and no paint smell. Also fair prices. If you don't mind, get a good 2nd hand one is a great option as well.
We have the Boori cot with the drop gate I think it was called Dantree from 2 years ago. Having the drop gate is very handy especially if you end up having c section. I don’t think they are all illegal the drop gate ones as I bought mine brand new 2 years ago.
Second hand mattress are associated with SIDS so please do not buy. Please research that topic if your considering.
Make sure the mattress is the perfect size or else it’s a suffocation risk.
Second hand mattress are associated with SIDS
Oh, so you have found the cause. Unrelated association and linkage between used mattress and SIDS.
Congratulations! I've found many of the recommendations on here for baby stuff to be super helpful.
We got our cot second hand - a Boori Sleigh one, in pretty much perfect condition. My mum lives in a country town and saw that and a matching change table on marketplace and grabbed it. Apparently it's done three kids and the only mark on it is where one of the kids had scraped their dummy on the edge. Every thing I saw in the metro area was really well used and in poor condition, not sure if that is the case or if I was just too slow to grab the good stuff. If we didn't get something decent we probably would have bought one from IKEA.
We also got a Bubba Blue co-sleeper to use as a bassinet from Baby Bunting to have in our bedroom for the first couple of months (the cot is WAY too big to have in our room) - we looked at the Boori one that matched the other furniture but my partner liked the co-sleeper because it folds up so we can store it easily while we decide wether to have another baby or sell it. They were the same price at the time and the man is a practical creature - just a shame we didn't realise it was a weird size and had to buy specific sheets and mattress protectors for it!
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. All the good conditioned second hand cot are so far away from the city. Most of the ones around my area haven't been of the best condition. I'll keep having a look out, like you said, I might also be just too slow to jump onto the sale.
It's been great with all the suggestions on here and has actually helped me realize what I want and should look out for.
I like practicality so may follow with something easy to pack up and store. Will keep in mind of the sheet sizing. Thanks!
Ikea. Since you ask about affordability my tip is to focus on basic things your baby need and not carry away with fancy things. Most of the 1 st time parents buy things that is not needed and waste plenty of money.
I would go the second hand Boori. We got a really good condition cot/drawers/change table on top for our son off Marketplace, no bite marks and great condition. I had to wait for a while and sift through the crap ads before I found it. We are now going to use it for our daughter, and then it will convert to a toddler bed for her at the end until she moves into a bigger bed. Will save us having to buy her king single for another 6-12 months.
And then at the end, I suspect we will sell it for not too much less than what we paid for it, it’s in excellent condition still and my son wasn’t a biter so no marks added from him. They retain their value well as opposed to Ikea.
We got a new mattress from Toys R Us at the time, it’s a Boori Omni and I love the wood/white colour combination.
Oh, and Congratulations!
Second hand cot which fits common mattress size + new mattress and you're sorted. Some cots have in good condition are 80% cheaper than new so Jo real reason to by new (just make sure you give it a good clean)
I wish you were in Sydney. We have a almost new one which i would give it to you for free. Baby slept on in for less than five times.
Hi my 2yo is in a Boori Urbane Noosa (cheapest one at the time) and we have just bought a Boori Alice cot from Baby Bunting for $320 - https://www.babybunting.com.au/boori-alice-cot-barley.html for my 3month old who has outgrown his the bassinet now.
We looked for second hand one too but ended up buying a new one as it was around $100 more for a cot in good condition. No dropside though - which may be useful if you are/end up having a C section or if you are vertically challenged.
The Boori cot is larger than standard, so be careful when buying sheets etc. Hopefully it also means bub can stay in it for a bit longer as it can be easily modified into a toddler bed. I'm really happy with the quality and it was easy to put together too.
Another tip is to check if your hand can fit between the bars of the cot. We do a bit of patting and this really saves our backs.
Congrats and all the best with the fourth trimester 😄
Buy the model that has the best resale value. Your total cost is your purchase price minus your resale price. If you buy a good brand second hand, you can usually sell back at close to the same price so you can end up enjoying an expensive cot for almost free. This works for prams too.
Haha yes I'm not sure why I'm stresses either. I think it's the fact there are so many options out there it's overwhelming which makes me stress about what to choose. I appreciate the advice, thank you!