Part one – Cots and Moses baskets 

Getting your baby’s nursery ready can be a fun and exciting time.  

One of the most important things you will buy is a cot or Moses basket for your baby to sleep in. Most of us have our babies sleeping in our room for the first six months as advised by health professionals (many of us have them in with us for the first year or more!)    

• Many mums like the Moses basket as the first bed for their baby as it is smaller and more portable than a cot.
• It’s easily moved around from room to room, it will fit it in the car for visits to family and it will probably fit comfortably right next to your bed so your baby is close to you at night.
• If you buy a Moses basket you will still need to purchase a cot as most babies will have outgrown their Moses basket by around six-nine months.
• When you purchase your cot you may find you can get a second hand one for half the price and in good condition or a friend or relative may offer you their’s that they no longer need.
• No matter how well you know them it is always important to buy a new mattress to avoid cot death.

 Cot death 

Studies have shown that when a baby lies on a mattress inevitably the baby’s secretions fall onto the mattress through saliva, vomit and coughs and sneezes. This allows the growth of a fungus and this fungus attacks fire retardants in a way that it releases gases. These gases are heavier than air so they concentrate in the mattress. Babies are much more susceptible to these poisons and it is thought this is what causes cot death. Always buy a new mattress for every newborn baby as the fungus will not have had time to develop, never use a second hand mattress even if it looks like new.