How to Choose the Best Cot Bed
The best cot bed is a essential item for any baby. This guide has been created to help find the best choice for your baby.
A high-quality bed that will look great in Scandi-style nurseries. This sturdy and durable choice can expand with your baby, with three mattress positions and the ability remove the sides to create a stylish bench style toddler bed.
Budget
There's a cot to fit every nursery and budget. There are a myriad of options with different amounts of longevity and even convert into toddler beds that can be used through the age of preschool and beyond. The ones that can be turned into a bed are more expensive, however they'll last longer.
The Mamas & Papas Coxley was our overall winner due to its stunning design and easy-to-assemble design, making it an excellent choice for those who want an excellent cot that will stand the years. The sleek design and warm color is perfect for an Scandi nursery. This cot bed also has a handy drawer, which mum tester Katrina found to be superior to cheaper cots that have an integrated drawer, as well as a plastic strip that prevents bites across the top of the rails of the cot to prevent your child from getting their teeth stuck between the bars. However, at PS599 with a mattress sold separately the bed isn't cheap, and it requires an Allen key to get it up and running.
A less expensive option that still gives your baby a comfy night's rest is the cot that's Elementary from John Lewis' Anyday range. The simple design and easy assembly were well-loved by our parent testers. The cot is compact when folded and can be tucked and easily tucked away into a bag that's as big as the carry case of a camping chair. It's a bit on the lightweight side, meaning it may not be ideal for car camping but it's a good choice to live in apartments or for those who don't plan to move their cot for too long.
We suggest the SnuzKot as another budget-friendly cot, especially if it comes with the toddler kit (sold separately) and mattress extender. It will grow with your baby until they reach four years old. Our dad tester loved that it could be transformed into a modern-looking toddler bed, and created an atmosphere of cocoons by putting up a fabric canopy.
Safety
A cot that is well-designed will not only meet UK safety standards, but also feel solid and secure. Look for a robust design with sides or safety bars and solid foundations, so your baby can't easily climb out. Some cots come with extra features like teething rails or under-bed storage drawers that will help you stay organized while your baby develops.
Parent test participant Becki says that her Boori cot "has endured through 3 kids and is still stunning." Its traditional design is suitable for all homes and is made from sustainably sourced Australian Araucaria and New Zealand Radiata wood, which means you can feel confident about the purchase. It can be transformed from a cot to a toddler bed by leaving three sides open for safety. There's also an extension kit available that will take it up to a full-sized bed when your child is ready.
This elegant and simple cot is an excellent choice for those on a limited budget. It's simple to assemble with clearly marked parts and clear instructions. It comes with three mattress height settings, so you can alter the height as your baby grows. It fits most standard cot mattresses and is an excellent purchase for the price.
If you're looking for a premium cot, this is a good choice. It has an impressive four mattress base positions in cot mode, and will last until your baby is three years old. It also can be folded flat and has locks on the wheels, making it convenient to move it from room to room.
The cot comes with a handy travel bag, and is one of the lightest cots we tested at 6kg. Baby Crib 's also extremely robust, with an extremely sturdy frame that can withstand boisterous toddlers. Our test subjects found it a little challenging to put together, but the instructions were clear and well-written. They also noted that the slats are spaced sufficiently apart to avoid fingers getting caught in between them. It is also more expensive than other cots that we have reviewed, but the quality and durability are worth the cost.
Design
When you are buying a cot bed, it's easy to be engrossed in the specs and safety features, but don't forget the design. The crib of your baby will be in use for a long time so it's essential to find one you like and is also practical and useful.
The icklebubba Snowdon Classic bed is the ideal bed for design-lovers. Its sleek, modern take on the classic sleigh design does not have the bulky feel that these types can have. It's packed with space-saving storage, including an under-bed drawer that can be tucked away beneath the cot, as well as teething rails on the side. It was strong and sturdy. The three-position height of the base lets it grow with your child.
Alternatively alternatively, the Modena cot bed from Tutti Bambini offers excellent value for money and has a stylish panel design that is perfect for any nursery. It's made to last until they reach six years old. older. It transforms into a junior mattress and transforms into a chic sofa bed. It's also one of the cot beds that we tested that has draw, a hanging rail and teething rails. Its solid pine construction makes it an excellent choice for parents who want their cot to last for a long time.
Another option that has a stylish panel design is the Stokke Sleepie Cot Bed, which is available in several color options to fit your nursery decor. Our mom testers were impressed by its unique features and the storage drawer particularly useful for storing bedding and clothes. It's also the easiest cot beds to assemble. The pieces are clearly labelled, and the instructions are simple to follow. It's also a great choice for those who have limited space as it can be rolled up and then collapsed. It's a standard cot mattress (140cm by 70cm), and is suitable for children from birth to toddlerhood. A kit for extension allows it to be used until 10 years of age.
Baby beds
When you're a new parent, there are plenty of essential items for babies to consider. But one of the most important is a good quality cot bed. You want something that lasts for as long as it can and will change with your child to provide them a safe and secure place to sleep.
Although most cots can be converted into toddler beds with the purchase of a conversion kit some cot beds are designed to go a step further than this. The Boori Eton Cot Bed is our top pick. It can be converted into a toddler (L207cm, W147cm, H90cm) as well as a daybed (L234cm, W145cm and H70cm), and a sofa (L234cm, W145cm and H70cm). This makes it our top choice for durability and will last from birth until the time of their childhood.
It's a bit more expensive than some of the other cot-beds we tried, but its premium look and feel will fit in any nursery. The instructions could be more clear, but our parent testers were impressed by the ease with which it was for to construct and set up. This isn't a major issue however, as it was still a simple task and took less than 30 minutes to complete.
Another unique characteristic of this cot is that it comes with four mattress base heights which is an upgrade on the three most popular options. This gives you the flexibility to adjust it as your child grows because they might require a higher or lower base level, based on their age and abilities. It includes teething rails that are useful and a plastic strip at the top to keep it from getting bitten.
Baby beds was the most popular of our dad tester. It is not cheap however it is a great value since it will last into the toddler years and beyond. It also comes with an one-year guarantee which gives you confidence that it's sturdy and durable. The only thing you'll need to buy separately is the mattress.