I was writing a magazine feature recently about gender neutral nurseries and came across the Cosatto Story Cotbed. I’ve always admired Cosatto products from afar – I love the bold prints and gender neutral colours – but never actually owned anything by the brand. Although we already had a cot, the new addition to the Story Cotbed range looked so lovely that I couldn’t say no when we were offered the chance to review it. You see, the minty turquoise of the Owlet cotbed complements the mint, yellow and grey colour scheme of Baby Girl’s nursery perfectly – almost as if it was made just for her.
You can see what Baby Girl’s room originally looked like in this post that I wrote back when we first decorated. And now, here’s the updated version:
We’ve added a mini gallery to the wall opposite our mint feature wall. I couldn’t bear to put away her first little booties (a present crocheted by a family friend) so I put them in a box frame on the wall instead. We’ve also got new space on top of the chest of drawers, because we now have a change table on the cot. This means I can finally display some of Baby Girl’s cute treasures.
I’ve been really impressed with the Cosatto Story Owlet Cotbed so far. As well as the change station, it also features a handy drawer underneath. This has come in really useful for storing cot sheets and bedding, freeing up a drawer in the chest of drawers for Baby Girl’s ever expanding collection of clothes.
Obviously it’s a lovely design, with a cute retro style owl, but it’s also very practical. I love the fact that there are three height settings for the cot (we’ve got ours on the middle one at the moment) so it grows with your baby and you don’t need to bend down really far to pick them up – not until they’ve got it on the lowest setting anyway. I also like the fact that it has three different uses – as a cot, a bed and then, if you’ve got the room, a sofa.
It also features safety teething rails which have already proved useful – Baby Girl is into biting everything in sight at the moment.
I’m not going to lie and say it’s been the answer to our sleep situation. Baby Girl still ends up in the bed with us every night (see my previous post: What Google Taught Me About Baby Sleep), but she will nap happily in her new cot during the day. I like the fact that it goes up to age five, because it gives me hope that, at some point, Baby Girl may actually stay in it all night!
Here’s my final verdict on the Story Owlet Cotbed:
1. Ease of use – 8/10
Really easy to use but took a while to put together. The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine is pretty handy but struggled a bit getting it up. Once together though, it has been brilliant. Having a change mat on top of the cot is very useful at the moment. It comes off and can be stored away once we need to start changing Baby Girl on the floor. For me, the height settings are also really helpful. The cot we used when Frog was a baby only had one setting and I remember having an aching back from reaching deep into the depths of the cot to scoop out my little baby.
2. Functions of the product – 10/10
I’ve just touched on this with the change table and the height settings, but another brilliant feature is the drawer under the bed. Anyone with a baby will tell you they seem to amass loads of stuff, so any extra storage is always a bonus. Our previous cot had no storage underneath so it was kind of wasted space. Baby Girl’s room is only small so we need to make the most of every inch of floorspace that we have.
The safety teething rails are also great. It’s a relief to know my baby won’t bite off a chunk of paintwork or a big splinter as she mouths the rails. And, it goes without saying, having a cot that transforms into a bed that transforms into a sofa is also no bad thing. Plus, most importantly for me, DOESN’T IT LOOK PRETTY?!
3. Value for money – 9/10
At £450 this isn’t a cheap option for a cot. But, when you consider that it can last from birth to five years old and then, once it’s no longer being used as a bed it can transform into a sofa… well, I think that’s good value for money. All the extra features (the change table, storage drawer, height settings, owl prints, fun colour, safety teething rails etc) also add to the value for money. If you’re looking for a cot that’s more than just a cot, then this one should definitely be on your “to consider” list.
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Disclosure: We were sent a Cosatto Story Owlet Cotbed for the purpose of this review. All opinions, words and images remain my own.
Ooh fantastically timed article Molly – We are currently grappling with the decision of finding out if we are expecting a boy or girl or whether to wait for a surprise on the day (the biggest pro I can come up with is needing to know what colours to choose for the nursery!).
The pictures in your article have reminded me how many other gender neutral options there are and the points in your verdict on functionality will help me to consider the important things when shopping. Now all I need is to see if Cosatto are stocked in Dubai…..
There are SO many gender neutral ideas to choose from Gemma – Pinterest is your friend! I recently wrote an article for OK! Mum and Baby on this very subject and, when it comes out, I can send you a copy if you like? We looked at three key trends and they’re all totally appropriate for a boy OR girls room.
Yes please – pop me on your mailing list for that article x
Love this – this is the cotbed I really want for Vega, but G thinks its too girly and we should get the robot one :/ I may *accidentally* get this one instead….. :p
I used a cotbed for F and it’s a great way to invest in a piece that grows with your child. I also love gender neutral colours as I think they are stylish and can be ued for future children too. Also how cute is she sleeping in her cotbed *ovaries start to burst* x
Oh isn’t it pretty! It could have been designed just for your nursery and baby girl looks very sweet asleep in it! All my nurseries have been gender neutral and probably still are and it’s always nice to see gender neutral that isn’t white!