| Hello and welcome to today's 'Buyer Beware' programme, |
| where we give you some tips on how to spend your money wisely. |
| Now, in today's show we're looking at beds for children and babies. |
| Let's start by looking at baby cots, |
| that's for children of up to three years old. |
| We tested three different cots all in the budget price range and, as usual, |
| we will feature the good points, the problems and our verdict. |
| The first cot we looked at was by Baby Safe |
| and it had several good points to recommend it. |
| Our testers liked the fact that it had four wheels, |
| so it was easy to move around. |
| The only slight problems with this cot were that it had no brakes, |
| but they didn't think that mattered too much. |
| At first they were a bit concerned about the side bar, |
| because they felt babies could trap their fingers in it, |
| but our testers felt that this was unlikely to happen, |
| so they have given this one a verdict of 'satisfactory'. |
| The next cot was by Choice Cots |
| and this time our testers were pleased to find a cot which is simple to put together - |
| unlike others we looked at. |
| On the minus side, our testers did not like the fact that the side of the cot did not drop down, |
| making it difficult to pick up newborn babies. |
| However, the real problem with this cot was the space between the bars; |
| our testers found they were too wide |
| and a baby could easily trap his head. |
| We felt this was a real safety hazard |
| and so we have labelled this one dangerous, I'm afraid. |
| And finally better news for the Mother's Choice cot. |
| This cot was slightly different in that, although the side bar did not drop down, |
| the base could be raised or lowered into two different positions |
| making it safe as well as convenient. |
| The negatives for this one were quite minor; |
| the only niggle everyone had was the fact that it has no wheels |
| and the only other problem anyone could find was that there were pictures |
| which were simply stuck on and so could easily become detached. |
| The makers have now promised to discontinue this practice. |
| As this cot will then be safe in every way, |
| we have made the Mother's Choice cot our best buy, |
| Congratulations Mother's Choice! |
| So, what features should you look for in a baby's cot? |
| Well obviously safety is a very important factor as well as comfort and convenience. |
| We recommend that, if you are buying a cot, |
| do make sure that any metal present is not rusted or bent in any way. |
| You should ensure your cot has only rounded or smooth edging without any sharp edges, |
| this is especially important for wooden cots. |
| And now on to beds... |