To cot or not to cot

We never really used a bassinet with Ellie. As a new born I needed to have her in bed with me. As time has gone on she has stayed in our bed. I'm so used to her being tucked up between us, it is hard to imagine being able to sleep without her there.

That then has got me thinking about when should we start the transition to a cot. Or indeed should we take that step at all? I wonder how many people out there have managed to skip the cot stage with their babies?

So much paraphernalia is synonymous with babies such as cots, high chairs, dummies and bottles. Yet many of these things are not actually necessary.  It wasn't until my second child I realised I could by pass the bottle stage and go directly from breast to cup. Somehow I didn't seem to be able to connect those dots with my first baby and just used a bottle as a matter of course. It wasn't until someone mentioned that a bottle wasn't really necessary once they were old enough to drink from a cup, that I realised there was no need to introduce a bottle at all.

Now after three babies and up to my fourth, I'm wondering if I can skip the cot stage.  I have a friend who is kindly storing a cot for me. I can pick it up at any time.  But when ever I think of the concept of a cot I just get this image of a cage on wheels. I feel like I would be imprisoning Ellie like a little animal if I put her in a cot.

Up until now, Ellie has been having her sleeps in our bed. I feed her to sleep (which gives me a chance to lay down and have a rest too) and then I get up and stack some pillows around her and let her sleep.  I use a baby monitor with video surveillance to keep a close eye on her. But now she is on the move, hence the dilemma.  She is able to sit herself up and crawl over the pillow barrier and potentially fall off the bed.

Two days ago I put down a single bed mattress on the floor.  Ellie has been having fun crawling on it and I have told her a few times that it is her bed. She has had one day time sleep on it so far.

It was interesting tonight that she actually crawled over to the mattress, climbed onto it and started to grizzle at me. Not really sure what she wanted, I thought that I may as well lay down with her and give her a feed, she may pop off to sleep. Lo and Behold she did!

The mattress on the floor is quite safe and it enables me or my hubby to lay with her if need be. So now I think maybe a cot may not be needed at all. To cot or not to cot.......