I am very happy that my daughter has asked me to build a cot for the expected baby. I am totally confident about the woodwork, but I have said no, because I am afraid of making something which could prove to be dangerous - wrong spacing between bars etc. Anyone know of a site where I could find out current safety regs for cots? - I would really like to build this for my grandson / grand-daughter.
cheers.
ZD
There is a list of the British Standards which apply to baby equipment here, if it will help in your search.
A bit of info to get you started here too.
Just take a look in Mothercare - their stuff will need to be to current regs
Nick
Not sure about the regs but I can offer a few pointers I found when looking for a cot last year. A quick look in various baby shops (Mothercare, Mamas & Papas etc) will show numerous different variations on the theme. Spacing between bars would be one of the regs but the flexibility of the bars themselves seems to vary a great deal. When buying a cot last year I noticed that some were so easily bent by squeezing with thumb and forefinger that I'm sure a good kick from an 18 month+ old would do all sorts of damage to both the bars and the baby if the bars snapped.
There seem to be a number of 'standard' mattress sizes and corresponding bedding sizes, and there are also a number of common 'non-standard' sizes (standard non-standards as it were), so choose a size that's available from most outlets for ease of mattress and bedding purchase.
Height from top of mattress to the top of the side rails is also a regulation, not a problem if it's a drop side cot you're thinking of as the base is always at the lowest position for these, but relevent if it's a fixed side cot with adjustable mattress positions. That's something else you may want to ask your daughter. If she and her partner are both tall, drop side cots become a literal a pain in the back, as the baby is always a long way down. A fixed side cot allows adjustable base heights so when the baby is small it it's higher up and easier to lift in and out. When the baby is able to stand the base is at its lowest position but as the child is more likely to be standing up waiting to be helped out of the cot you still don't have to bend too far over. A fixed side design is also likely to be more rigid.
HTH Phil
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