IELTS LISTENING
“Buyer Beware” Programme
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 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.
Attempt full listening test…
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 Q11 move around. The only slight problems with this cot were that it had no Q12 brakes, but they didn’t think that mattered too much. At first, they were a bit concerned about the sidebar, because they felt babies could trap their Q13 fingers in it, but our testers felt that this was unlikely to happen so they have given this one a verdict of “Q14 satisfactory”.
The next cot was by Choice Cots and this time our testers were pleased to find a cot which is simple to Q15 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 Q16 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 Q17 dangerous, I’m afraid.
And finally better news for the Mother’s Choice cot. This cot was slightly different in that, although the sidebar 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 Q18 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 Q19 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 Q20 sharp edges, this is especially important for wooden cots.
And now on to beds for toddlers …