I’m a big fan of the blackout blinds we have in my daughter Rosie’s bedroom. They allow the room to be completely dark, which I’m certain has always helped Rosie sleep better, as is best-selling baby author Gina Ford, who frequently writes about the benefits of blackouts.
As we all know, as soon as you’re out of the routine, staying at friends’ houses or on holiday, you just make do with what you’ve got - usually a light, bright room - when it’s time for a midday nap. The Cot Canopy, however, allows your baby to take their nap in the dark, so I was over the moon when I heard about it.
The Content&Calm Cot Canopy fits cot up to 110cm high, up to 75cm wide, up to 130cm long and with a top rail of no more than 4.5cm wide.
What we love
The idea, essentially, is brilliant. Not only does the Content&Calm Cot Canopy block out the light but it also provides a shut off area for your baby, so they won’t get distracted and disturbed when you walk near the cot.
The design is quite attractive and it’s one size fits all, so there’s no adjusting to be done. You can also choose how light you want it as there’s an inside layer of darkened mesh, plus the outer layer fabric for additional darkness.
And lastly, it works. Rosie had a much better midday nap at my in-laws sleeping under the canopy than she would normally have had in a light room.
What to watch out for
The Content&Calm Cot Canopy is a bit of a pain to put up and you need a good bit of space. Both my husband and I first attempted to put this up at my mum and dad’s house when Rosie was taking an afternoon nap in their bedroom. There wasn’t much space and the instructions weren’t especially clear so the two of us ended up giving in on the idea and shoved everything back in the box.
In the pictures it looks really lovely but our travel cot must be a bit smaller because it didn’t fit very snugly, leaving floaty bits of fabric hanging down. This didn’t actually affect the purpose of the Content&Calm Cot Canopy, it just isn’t as aesthetically pleasing on our cot.
The carry bag is lovely and compact but it’s a tight squeeze to get everything in, so give yourself plenty of time to take the Content&Calm Cot Canopy down and put it away.
Another downside is the price. When I first tried the Cot Canopy, it was retailing at £129.99. It's now available at the much better price point of £99.99. However, that's still quite a bit. Despite the various niggles, I’d still recommend this product to anyone who likes their baby to sleep in the dark. But at £99.99, you’d want the product to be close to perfect.
Who is the Content&Calm Cot Canopy best for?
Babies who sleep better in the dark or anyone following Gina Ford’s Contented Little Baby plan.
The Content&Calm Cot Canopy is a great idea and it does work, but it could do with a few tweaks and a bit more of a price slash before it becomes a mainstream must-have.
