Everything You Got to Know About Baby Crib Cot And Its Maintenance

Sleep is an important part of your baby's daily routine. In fact, infants sleep between 9-12 hours at night and 2-5 hrs in the day. Sleep plays a crucial role in the development of your baby. If you are ready to welcome a new baby home, an important addition to your home is a nursery with  a baby cot or a crib. 

What is a Baby Cot/ Crib?

Crib and  Baby Cot are synonymously used. A baby cot is a specially designed small bed for babies. It’s a small bed with high barred sides to ensure that babies cannot climb outside on their own. Some cots have drop gates, i.e. one side of the cot can be lowered so that the baby can be easily placed in the cot. A baby cot is typically used when it is no longer safe to leave the baby in a bassinet. They are more stable and larger in size than bassinets and allow the baby more room to roll and move. 

There are different types of baby cots/cribs available across stores as well as  online. They can be portable or stationary; portable cots are often smaller in size and are made of lighter materials such as plastic. Baby cots may come in different shapes, sizes, adjustable mattress positions and add on features such as teething rails, storage drawers, adjustable bases and wheels. 

Importantly, baby cots are manufactured with special attention to features such as the materials used and preventing any injuries. They comply with various  standard safety measures in many countries to prevent hazards such as entrapments, falls, suffocation, and strangulation.

What are the advantages of using a baby cot /crib?

1. Safety

Newborns can sleep up to 18 hours a day. Sleep is very important for their growth and it is equally important that we provide them a safe sleeping environment. Though in India sleeping with your baby on the same bed or co-sleeping is a very common practice, there has been ample evidence and research in this field which proves that every year  many babies are exposed to fatal hazards due to co-sleeping. Babies can fall off the bed, can entrap their head in any structure of the bed or die due to asphyxia as a result of a sibling or adult rolling over them and smothering them. But these situations are largely preventable if your baby sleeps in a baby cot/ crib. A baby cot/crib ensures safety for your little one.

There are many arguments in favour of co-sleeping too. You can read about them on Mumpa too. 

2. Cribs Offer Independent Sleeping

A child after a certain age needs to sleep alone, independently.  When from the beginning, your baby sleeps in a Baby cot or crib,  the transition to sleeping alone becomes so much easier for them as well as you.

3. Cribs Allow You To Sleep in a Bed To Yourself

When your baby sleeps in their cot, you have ample room just for yourself on the bed. After an entire day of taking care of your baby, feeding them, changing their diapers, rocking and calming them down, the one thing your body needs is to stretch out and relax on the bed. 

4. Safety for the little explorers

No matter how much you’ve baby-proofed your home, the little crawlers can get into anything. Once babies have learned to crawl and climb, there’s not much you can do but keep an eye on them every minute they’re moving!

However, what if your baby is out of bed and exploring at 5 a.m.? You might not realize this if they’re sleeping in a regular bed. But, this wouldn’t  be the case, if your baby slept in a crib. When babies sleep in cribs, they need assistance to get up and out of the crib. This is a wonderful benefit of cribs for babies. 

A crib, in addition to being a safe place for sleeping, can also be a safe containment area when you need to keep the baby safe. For example, when you’re vacuuming the nursery, or when you need a quick trip to the toilet, you can pop the baby safely into the crib to watch.

5. Cots/ Cribs Can be Converted Into a Toddler Bed

Cribs are typically only used for the first two years of a child’s life. However, many cribs can be converted into toddler beds and full size beds. This is one of the biggest benefits of cribs since it will save you money in the long run. 

Maintenance of Baby cot/crib

Baby cots are easy to maintain, the mattress can be vacuumed and easily home washed with the help of mild detergent. 

What features should I look for while buying a baby cot/ crib?

• Choose a crib that has slats that are close together (at least 2 and 3/8 inches). There should be no broken slats.

• Check whether they conform to the Safety Standards for baby cots.

• They should have a firm, tight-fitting mattress.

• There should be no cutouts in the head- or foot-boards.

• The corner posts, if present, should not be  higher than 1/16 inch.

• Cribs should have stationery sides as drop gates can malfunction.

Wrapping it up, there are many benefits to putting your child to sleep in a crib. It’s the safest place for a baby to sleep, promotes independent sleep, leaves you with your own bed, keeps baby safe, and can often convert into a toddler bed and full size bed. Go ahead and buy your baby cot/ crib!