There are a number of factors to take into account when deciding on what may be your biggest expense in preparing for your baby's arrival.

The cot is the place where your baby will spend up to half of its early days, so you will want to make sure it is as comfortable and secure as possible.

Your budget, and available space, may dictate that you buy a basic cot for the nursery, but there are many attractive options available. Your baby does not have to sleep in something resembling a cage at the local zoo!

   If you are short on space, take a look at cots which include under-cot storage, such as the Earth cot from Troll, the Kuster cot-bed, and multi-purpose pieces which can be used as junior beds, seats or storage later, such as the Leander cot-bed. You can also buy a cot-top changer for many cots, which means you don't need a separate changing unit. These are particularly useful if your baby will be sleeping in your room for some time. The latitude nursery furniture range from Izziwotnot comes with both a matching cot top changer and an under cot storage drawer, on special offer as a five piece roomset currently, while stocks last.

Co-sleeper cots, or cots which can be used right beside your own bed, are increasing in popularity. They remove the risks associated with having baby sleeping in bed with you, while providing closeness and convenience for night time feeds. A Moses basket will provide similar close contact for the early months.

You may decide that a cot-bed is a more cost-effective buy, because baby will be able to sleep in the bed until he is ready for a single bed, at around the age of four. If you are considering having more children within a couple of years though, you will need the cot again and will have to purchase another bed for your toddler. Junior beds are a good half-way house, between cot and standard single bed. They are usually cheaper than a single bed and you can use your cot-bed mattress. It is important to remember that current advice is to buy a new mattress for each new baby that uses a cot, to prevent infections and increased risk of SIDS. To read more on this topic, visit askbaby.com. If you already have children or expect to grow your family quickly, you might want to consider ranges which offer both a cot and a single bed in the same style. This will make planning the decor of the childrens' room a little easier. Take a look at the ranges offered by Izziwotnot, such as the contemporary skyline, and the shaker style Hemingway II, offering both a stylish cotbed and a single bed together with matching furniture pieces.

If you are particularly tall or short, or have back problems, you might be looking for a cot with a removable or lowering side. Lots of cots offer this function but most cot-beds do not, as the mechanism is difficult to remove or disguise when the cotbed is being used as a bed. The majority of cots and cot-beds do have adjustable mattress base heights, however, so that you do not have to lean over to pick baby up when he is small. These mattress base positions are usually around 30cm and 60cm from the floor.

When choosing a cot, think about putting it up too. If you are not the DIY type, is there an assembly service, or is it a very simple task which will be within your skill limits. Some ranges come with a delivery and assembly service, where everything is taken care of even down to removing and recycling the packaging. This might be worth considering if you are close to your due date, as it can reduce your stress, giving you one less thing to worry about. Consider the availability of the cot you are buying, too. Can you have it delivered on a date to suit you, and if you need to prepare your nursery ready for the furniture, can it be stored safely by the retailer until you are ready to take delivery? Remember that baby will most probably be happy in a Moses basket or crib for the first few weeks, so it is not essential to have the cot or nursery furniture ready prior to the birth if you have left things a bit too late to get the furniture of your dreams.

Many parents now think about the environmental impact of their purchases, and the eco-credentials of the products their baby will be using. Some companies have introduced policies to promote carbon neutrality and sustainability. Many manufacturers make a point of using sustainable, responsibly managed resources in their production, such as Troll and Leander. Eco-friendly and organic nursery ranges are now readily available. Apart from contributing to saving the planet, these products also provide a healthy and safe environment for your baby. Remember that all cots sold new in the UK through independent retailers and UK based web retailers comply with very strict safety requirements, covering materials & physical environment, paint or varnish finishes, and soft parts such as mattresses and bumpers, so you do not need to worry about this aspect of your purchases.

Perhaps your final consideration is how the cot looks. Do you think that the cot will be in your bedroom for some time? You might want to consider matching the style of your cot with your existing bedroom furniture. Is your nursery small? If so you might like a stand-alone statement cot such as the Leander cot-bed. Will the nursery double up as an occasional guest room? A classic pine or shaker style cot which will match with a simple chest of drawers might be the answer, such as the Hemingway II shaker inspired range from Izziwotnot.

Most importantly, take your time with this decision. Think about how you will use your cot, and how it will fit into your home and lifestyle. Do some research, perhaps even keep a mood book of cots which appeal to you. Visit parents forums on-line, and ask advice from people who've been in your position recently. What did they choose, what would they recommend? But remember, this is your choice, and it needs to be right for you and your baby even if your Mum thinks you are wasting your money, or your sister thinks your taste is appalling! YOU are the one who will be living with the cot for the next two years or so. 

When should you move your baby into a bed? This decision will be dictated to a certain extent by your baby himself. Your baby may be particularly tall, or active, and you may feel that he has outgrown his cot by the time he is toddling about. If you have chosen a cot-bed, you might want to think about using the bed mode by the time baby is around fourteen to eighteen months old. It may be that you need your cot for your second baby, so you might think that a junior bed which takes less space than a single bed may be a good option.
Junior beds, whether stand-alone or the bed mode of a cot-bed, are a good intermediate stage before your baby is ready for a full sized single bed. It will give him a chance to get used to a less restricted environment, and junior beds tend to be lower to the ground, so tumbles are not really a safety issue although it may mean the occasional disturbed night. If you are worried about this aspect of moving baby from a cot, there are a number of products designed to keep baby safe and prevent him falling out of bed. These include separate low sides such as those which come with the Kuster cot-bed and the Sun eco-friendly Cot-bed, guard rails for the junior bed like the stylish Leander rail, zip-up bedding sets, and blow-up bumper sheets such as those from Dream tubes.  
Your toddler will usually be very happy in a junior bed until around three or four years of age, depending on height. The length of a standard junior bed is 140cm, which will be perfectly adequate until around school age unless your child is unusually tall for his age. The Leander junior bed is 150cm long, the extra 10cm usually allows an extra year or so in the bed before you will need to think about a single bed.