Purchasing Cots

[Abigail]

I am going to purchase new cots next month. I have a few options I'm looking at. So please check these out and let me know what you think the pro's/con's for these cots. I will not be using cot sheets, kids just sleep right on the cot with their own blanket. I'm not sure what I'll do for labeling the cots for each child. I might use permanent marker because I think it can come off easily with a Mr. Clean Eraser. I might do stickers as an alternative too. I just don't like the little "clips" for the edges of the cots....it's a choking hazard if it came off and it's really tiny to read anyways.

Here are my cot options:

http://kaplanco.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?CatID=1%7CFC1030%7C0&PID=47719

$199.75 5 pack, Fully Assembled.
54" x 22" x 5 1/2"--looks fairly rounded so may not stand against wall easily for storage in the closet? The individual cots say it's 52" long not 54" long so I'm not sure the actual length. I didn't see any warranty information either.

http://kaplanco.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?CatID=1%7CFC1030%7C0&PID=61466

$179.95 6 pack, Assembly Required. 10 year warranty. I'm guessing this is a Kaplan brand since it says K-Cot? This is why it's slightly cheaper and has an additional cot??
52" x 23" x 6"--staight edges so would stand easily against closet wall for storage.

Lastly, one set from Lakeshore:

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/p%7C845524441762527~~.jsp

$239 5 pack, Fully Assembled. Lifetime Warranty.
51 3/4" x 21 1/2" x 4 1/4"--straight edges so would stand easily against closet wall for storage.

[Mandy_Jane]

Those prices all seem pretty high to me. I would never want to pay more than about $25.00 a cot if it were me. Here are some Angeles SpaceLine cots that I found on sale:

https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_family_info/cPath/CAT5_CAT47/pfam_id/PFAM24936

Would these work for you? They are designed to be stacked, not set on their ends. But really, that's how every cot I've ever seen is designed.

Here are some that are on sale for $24.88 each:

https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_family_info/cPath/CAT5_CAT47/pfam_id/PFAM381

Good luck!

[Sugar Magnolia]

The Kaplan ones looked ok, but Mandyjanes suggestion looks good too. Usually, I like the cheaper ones! Lol! I use mats, so not much help. I want to switch to cots.

[Stacy]

I found some 4 packs at Discount School Supply for $79.79 (Item # 8WWVLS4U), plus they were having a 20% off sale and free shipping. That made them $15.96 each. They measure 51"x21"x5". I'm new and just starting using them, but so far they seem fine.

[Michelle]

I bought some cots really cheap and they fell apart very fast.
I have the Lakeshore ones and i love them. I have had them for years and they still look brand new. They came fully assembled .... very much worth the money

[mismatchedsocks]

http://www.daycarefurnituredirect.com/catalog/item/929405/492969.htm

These are the ones I have had for a while. They are toddler size, the smaller length and you get 6 for $128.99. They have 5 year warranty, and i bought the cot sheets from ebay. Shipping is about $36 for the set.

[MyAngels]

I have the ones from Lakeshore. I bought them from another provider at least 12 years ago and they are still in perfect shape. I would definitely consider using some kind of sheet, though, if they are still made of the mesh type material as it would not be particularly comfortable to lay on without some sort of cover. I have actually made the flat sheets with the elastic corners myself very easily. I use luggage tags with removable inserts to label the cots with the kids' names.

[snbauser]

I have both the standard ones from Kaplan and the Lakeshore ones. I prefer the Kaplan ones. I do store them on their end so they take up less room.

[Abigail]

I found some 4 packs at Discount School Supply for $79.79 (Item # 8WWVLS4U), plus they were having a 20% off sale and free shipping. That made them $15.96 each. They measure 51"x21"x5". I'm new and just starting using them, but so far they seem fine.

WOW Thanks for sharing. Creating this post help me come back to reality. I do have a daycare grant....it's the only grant I am eligible for for the next 2 years so I need to use my grant money wisely. I know I can order things that are "approved" from other websites but didn't really look into buying cots from another site. I just assumed the price magically went up! ::

It makes sense. I was leaning towards the Kaplan cots because the Lakeshore only option was $239 plus tax but free shipping. Still that is a huge chunk of my grant. The Kaplan set of 6 for $179 sounded much more inviting, but they are actually a little cheaper than that for me more closer to $150 for the 6 making them about $25 each. I checked into this one you posted and they are sold in 4 packs and I'll need 5-6 but I could keep a few of the older ones I have for awhile. Check out the price differences in these sites on the same items! I don't see where it is 20% off though on the discount site.

http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=27896&keyword=8WWVLS4U&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=

$79.79 for 4 cots assembly required

http://www.angelesstore.com/index.php/Value-Line-Cots-Accessories/valuelinecots.html

$119.95 for 4 cots assembly required

I really like that these cots don't have any open gaps. If anyone has these cots could you put a picture looking straight down at the cot on here for me? I wonder what the edges of the frame look like.....are they easy to "dust" the inside stacking part of the frame and does the frame go through so if you look down through the 4 feet do you see the floor or plastic?

[jessrlee]

I have kids on mine right now or I would take a pic for you.

Gap- there are small gaps at the corners but that might be my assembly method

Corners- the corners are molded plastic. When you look down a corner you would see plastic.

I have had mine since June and I am very happy with them. I also love that I can tighten the mesh part if I want to since I have 3 school agers that sleep on them in the am.