Here are some useful items which will come in handy when choosing a Cot, Moses Basket or Carrycot for your Baby's Bedroom.

• Monitors

A monitor is a transmitter and a receiver, which allows you to listen to your sleeping baby from another room. Receivers work best when placed within 2-3 metres from your child but they can transmit sounds as far as 50 - 200 metres away. The most basic models have an on/off switch and volume control, whereas more expensive models have light displays to show how loud your child is crying. The most sophisticated monitors use video cameras and small monitors so that you can keep an eye on your baby. Sensor pads are available which are placed under your child's sheet and monitor your child's breathing. These are usually only recommended if there is a high risk of cot death in the family.

                                           

• Cot bumpers

These are made of quilted fabric and go around the inside of the cot bars. In the past it was thought that they could make your baby too hot, increasing the risk of cot death. However, recent research has shown that they have neither adverse nor beneficial effects. Consequently, the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death and the Department of Health neither promote nor discourage the use of bumpers. Stop using them as soon as your baby can pull himself up, as they could help him to climb out of the cot.

• Night-lights can be useful if your toddler is afraid of the dark but babies don't really need them and may sleep better in a dark room. Some night-lights automatically extinguish during the daytime.

• Cot separators are useful if you have a small baby sleeping in a big cot. The cot separator is placed horizontally across the cot, keeping your baby in the 'feet to cot-foot' position and helping to prevent them from wriggling under blankets and covers.

There are all sorts of soothers on the market, from teddy bears with simulated heartbeats to machines which play sounds of ocean waves and lullabies. These can be expensive and your baby may not like the sounds they play. If you would like to buy one, try borrowing from a friend or asking recommendations before you splash out.

• Cot mobiles
  These attach to the side of the cot. Some mobiles play tunes while the mobile toys rotate. You should stop using a mobile when your baby is old enough to pull himself up, in case he puts the toys into his mouth. Cot mobiles for newborns often have black and white pictures so that your newborn baby can see the shapes.

Bed rails help the transition from cot to big bed as they prevent your child from falling out of the side of the bed. Buy two if your child's bed will be positioned in the middle of the room.

Sheet and mattress protectors are made from absorbent cotton with a vinyl backing and are useful when toilet training to absorb the occasional accident!

Duvet grippers are available from specialist mail order catalogues and clip on to the side of a duvet or blanket to keep it in position, stopping your baby from getting cold in the night.

 

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Also see Baby Walkers and Entertainers, Child Educational Toys