Introduction
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We bought this cot along with lots of other baby essentials from John Lewis around this time last year when I was still pregnant. We were going to buy one off Amazon but there was so much choice that I felt quite overwhelmed and I decided that it would be best to see what I was actually getting for my money before making a purchase decision rather than just guessing what it looked like in real life.

First Impressions
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This cot caught my eye straight away because I love pale oak furniture and it was one of the largest cots - I noticed that quite a lot of them seemed narrow but this one looked spacious (in width) and the drop side made my mind up as I knew that it would come in handy once my baby was bigger - the thought of having to heave a 20 pound plus baby out of a cot without a drop side didn't really appeal to me!

Price and Value for Money
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We paid £100.00 which is still the current retail price. For a solid wood, durable cot I was really pleased with the price. The cot doesn't come with a mattress so we bought one seperately.

We decided rather than search around looking for one that was the perfect size to buy one the same as the matress that was on display with the cot. I made sure that the matress was nice and thick because of the panelled base inside the cot. We paid around £60.00 for the matress bringing the official cost of the cot upto £160.00 which I think is a good price considering the quality and it will last us for at least another year.

Design, Durability & Colour Options
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The cot is available in two simple colours. We have the wooden finish one which is a nice pale yellow colour and it is very natural and simple looking. My daughters bedroom is beige with a pale brown border and white and pink wall stickers so this fits in with the minimalistic but modern kind of look we were going for. There is also a plain white one available.

I think that these two colours are enough choice as they're versatile and unisex and the white one could always be painted/jazzed up if you are after a brighter coloured cot. The cot is a basic in design and it's a good size but it isn't bulky and it doesn't take up too much room in my daughters medium sized bedroom nor does it stand out against the other nursery furniture.

It is made of good quality birch wood which is very sturdy and durable. It is varnished and smooth to the touch and you can tell from looking at it that it is made from real, good quality wood rather than a cheap material or synthetic wood. The cot comes flat packed in a huge cardboard box so it might be a good idea to get it delivered rather than buy it in store. The cot when fully assembled measures 125cm long and 68.5cm wide. It is 90cm high.

Putting it Together
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It comes with all of the attatchments needed to put it together included including screws, rawl plugs, bolts and an alun key. It took my boyfriend and one of his friends around 45 minutes to assemble it which I don't think is too bad. I had a brief look at the instruction manual and the diagram and instructions seemed detailed and clear enough.

My Opinion
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Although the cot is obviously suitable from birth we didn't start using this properly until my daughter was around four months old. We used a moses basket up until then and slowly introduced her to her cot by putting the moses basket inside the cot until eventually she went in the cot without a fuss. She is now nine months old and sleeps in this five days a week (the other two she sleeps in the cot at her Dad's) and she is quite happy in it.

The 'bars' on the side of the cot are a good size for her to grab on to to pull herself up and the sides are high enough to easily keep her contained. The bars are sturdy and don't creak or rattle when my daughter has her weight against them. The drop side is easy to use and completely safe.

Using it is simple - it has a chunky panel of wood underneath the barred area which makes the side drop down when it is pushed with either my foot or hand. This is particularly handy when my daughter is asleep as I can transfer her into the cot from my arms and lay her down in it without having to move her too much or reach right into the cot. It is great when I have my hands full and it doesn't require a lot of time or effort.

The only minor disadvantage is that this feature can only be used when the cot base is at the lowest level which I think is a little silly as at that level I am able to reach in and pick my daughter up pretty easily without the side dropped now that she is bigger and able to pull herself up towards me and the drop side would have been more practical when she was slightly younger and not as mobile, especially when we had the cot on the second level.

Don't get me wrong, it is a good feature and it comes in handy but it would be better if it could be used at all levels. I don't have any back/arm issues but the drop side will come in extremely handy for parents who do as long as the base is on the lowest level of course! We currently have it on the lowest level for safety reasons now that my daughter is very active and adjusting the level wasn't as fiddly as expected.

Cleaning the cot (not including the matress and bedding) is easy and I just wipe it down with a wet cloth whenever it looks a little grubby. After five months of almost daily use it looks as good as new and it doesn't attract dust or anything like that like some of our furniture does. We recently moved the cot onto the other side of my babies room as we wanted it to face the window and this wasn't too much hard work as although it is very solid it doesn't weigh a tonne.

Overall
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I highly recommend this cot. It is well designed, sturdy and durable and I give it four out of five stars. I have knocked one star off because the drop side can only be used when the cot is at the lowest level.