Sleeping Guide

With a baby on the way, one of the biggest you will find is the change to your sleeping schedule. It can be quite confusing as to what baby should be sleeping in, as their are so many choices available. To begin with, we’ll start with some basic terms. Afterwards, we’ll go into further depth.

Moses Basket

There are 2 types of Moses basket, the palm and wicker. Palm Moses basket’s, as the name suggests, are made of interwoven palm leaves. They are extremely lightweight and cheap. However, due to the material used, a baby can only stay in these for approx. 6 weeks. Further, the palm leaves are susceptible to damage and can very easily fray.

The alternative is the wicker style. These are made from a more durable wood, as a result they are not as fragile. It can also support an heavier child, with some parents using them all as old as 6 months. As a result, they are a bit more expensive.

Crib

A crib is a middle ground of the Moses basket and cot, in terms of size. The bigger area allows for your baby to have a more comfortable sleep. It can take a baby from birth to approx. 6 months. For parent who don’t want to move around there baby as much, it’s an ideal solution. With modern ‘Next to me’ cribs, these can be height adjusted to your mattress level, so that it feels like baby is sleeping next to you. These can normally fold quite flat.

The more traditional Italian style cribs are gorgeous. They are even larger than the modern style, so your baby can be even happier inside. With a drape, when you reorganise your baby’s room, they have a fixture above to comfort the ceiling change.

The alternative is the wicker style. These are made from a more durable wood, as a result they are not as fragile. It can also support an heavier child, with some parents using them all as old as 6 months. As a result, they are a bit more expensive.

Cot

The cot is your baby’s end game. They can’t sleep with you in your bedroom their whole lives, eventually they will need their own room. There are 2 type available, the cot and the cot bed. Cots are smaller, with a standard mattress size of 120 x 60 cm. With adjustable mattress heights, so when baby is young you don’t need to bend over to pick them up. There is also a lower option, so they don’t climb out. Teething rails are a great addition, as they prevent baby chewing on the rails. Typically, baby will be in the cot between 18 and 36 months. Once they are able to climb out of it.

A cot bed is slightly larger, with a standard mattress at 140 x 70 cm. They do everything a cot does but can turn into a junior bed at the end of its lifetime. By removing a rail and some adjustments, a child can sleep in this until 4 or 5 years. A toddler guard is a small piece you put in the place of a rail, so that baby does not roll out of the bed.

A very important tip is not to use pillows for children who are younger than 12 months. They won’t be strong enough to move it out of their way and this can cause suffocation. The Lullaby foundation found that pillow use alone can increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) occurring by up to 2.5 times. They recommend the baby to sleep in an environment where there is no loose items.

Though some carrycots feature an ‘Overnight mattress’ it is not advised for these to be used for anything longer than a weekend. It’s nice saving the space in your car but your baby’s sleeping environment should be a: moses basket, crib, cot or cot bed.