How to make a co-sleeper cot

In my post about how I gently helped T learn to self-settle, I mentioned that I had made a co-sleeper cot. I looked into buying one, but then found instructions here showing how to adapt an ordinary cot into a co-sleeper. Of course, you could buy one, but if you’d like to know how to make one from an ordinary cot, this is how I did it.

Materials:

Cot and mattress
Bungee cords (You can get these in Halfords)
High density upholstery foam (I bought mine from GBfoam)

Instructions:

1. Take one of the sides off your cot. If it has a drop-down side, remove the side that moves.

2. If necessary, adjust the height of the cot so it will be level with the adult bed when the mattress is in place. If the mattresses are not level with one another, have the cot lower than the adult bed.

3. Use the bungee cords to hold the cot firmly against the adult bed. I attached it to the bars of the cot and ran it under our mattress, attaching it to the bed frame.

4. Place the cot mattress right up against the adult mattress. There will be a gap between the cot mattress and the side of the cot.

5. If the two mattresses are not level, you can put a sheet of high density upholstery foam under the cot mattress.

6. Fill the gap between the mattress and the side of the cot with high density upholstery foam. I measured the size that the gap would be and ordered foam cut to that exact size.