Do I need to buy a carry cot?

A carry cot is like a bassinet that you attach to your stroller, it allows your baby to lie flat. In the old days they used to call it a pram, I don't know why we don't call them prams anymore, stroller seems to be the word now!

When babies are born their bones are soft and their necks are floppy for a while. This is the reason that it's best for them to live flat on their backs. We always recommend a carrycot for newborn babies so that they can be and that supine position (flat on their backs).

Capsules (car seats) that attach to prams are great for quick trips, for example just popping into the supermarket to get a few things. However, if you were going to meet a friend for a walk, then stop for lunch before walking back to your car, then the carry cot is a better option. It's generally accepted that infants shouldn't be in their capsules for longer than 90 minutes at a time, this is because they can end up with their chins on their chests, which isn't great for their breathing.

To get more bang for your buck, you can use your carry cot when you're at home as well. Lot's of our customers use their carry cots as a day bed at home, and we haven't even had customers who use the carrycot as a bassinet for all of their baby's sleeps, as the Mutsy carry cots are approved for overnight sleeps. You can also use the carry cot as a safe sleep place when you're away from home, like at a friend's place or on holiday.

The carry cot is also a lovely cosy place for your baby, sheltered from the wind and sun (unlike a seat). If you go for walks with your stroller you will find that you do use the carry cot/ bassinet.

Carrycots attached to the pram are a great way of getting babies to go to sleep. If you plan your walk around your baby sleep time, you can get your exercise and baby settled in one fowl swoop. You could feed your baby, swaddle them and put them in their carrycot before heading out for a walk with your pram. Your baby will find it difficult to resist the urge to go to sleep with the motion of the moving pram and the ambient noise from the wheels on the ground.

You should check your pram's manual to be sure, but most carry cots are approved up to 10kg. As a guide we say six months, although not many 6 month olds would weigh 10kg. There isn't any reason that you need to stop using the carry cot at six months, the thing is that most stroller seats are only approved from six months.

We think that there are a lot of things to love about carry cots, if you've got the room in your budget they're a great investment,