9 Lessons Your Parents Taught You About Best Cot Bed

How to Choose the Best Cot Bed

The best cot bed is a essential item for any baby. So we've put together this guide to help you find the ideal bed for your little one.

A premium option that will look great in nursery spaces that are reminiscent of Scandi. It's a durable and sturdy choice that can grow with your child, offering three mattress height options and the ability to remove the sides for a sleek bench-style toddler bed.

Budget

There's a cot to fit every nursery and budget. There are a myriad of options that offer various levels of longevity and even convert into toddler beds for use through the age of preschool and beyond. The ones that can be converted into beds are more expensive, however they last longer.

The Mamas & Papas Coxley won our overall prize. Its luxurious aesthetics and simple to assemble design make it a great option for parents looking for an excellent cot that will last for a long time. Our testers for parents loved the minimalist design and warm oak finish of this model, which looks stunning in a Scandi-style nursery. The cot bed has an adjustable drawer that mom tester Katrina believed was an excellent alternative to cheaper cots with a drawer built in. It also comes with an anti-bite strip on the top rails of the cot to stop your child's teeth from getting caught. However, at over PS599 with a mattress sold separately, this cot isn't cheap and it requires an Allen key to get it up and running.

A less expensive alternative that will still provide your baby a good night's rest is the Elementary cot from John Lewis' Anyday range. Our parent testers were impressed by the simplicity of the design and simple assembly. The cot is foldable up and stored easily, because it fits in bags similar to that used for the camping chair. It's not the best cot bed choice for car camping, but should be fine for people living in apartments or who don't need to move their cot sale around too often.

The SnuzKot is an additional budget-friendly cot we recommend, especially if you choose to go with the toddler kit and mattress extender (sold separately). It will expand with your child until they are around four years old. Our dad tester loved that it could be converted into a minimalist-looking toddler bed, and created the feeling of a cocoon with its canopy made of fabric.

Safety

A cot that is of good quality should not only meet the strict UK safety standards, but it must also be sturdy and comfortable to the touch. Look for a robust design with safety bars or sides and solid foundations, so your baby can't easily climb out. Some cot beds come with extra features like teething rails and under-bed drawers that can help you keep things organised as your baby is growing.

The Boori cot is constructed of sustainable Australian Araucaria wood and New Zealand Radiata, so you can feel confident about your purchase. It can be converted from a cot into a toddler bed by leaving three sides open to ensure safety. There's also an extension kit that will take it up to a full-sized bed once your child is ready.

This simple but stylish cot is an excellent choice for those with a tight budget. It is easy to assemble with clearly marked components and clear instructions. It comes with three mattress height settings so you can adjust it as your baby grows. It is compatible with most standard crib mattresses and is a great buy for the price.

If you're looking to buy a high-end cot, this is a great choice. It can be used as a cot, and comes with four mattress positions. It can last until your child are about three years old. It also folds flat and has lockable wheels, making it convenient to move it from room to room.

This cot is light at just 6kg, and comes with a convenient bag for travel. It's also very sturdy and has a sturdy frame that can withstand noisy toddlers. Our testers found it to be a little difficult to put together, but the instructions were clear and well-written. The slats were placed far enough apart to keep fingers from getting stuck between them. It is also more expensive than other cots that we have reviewed, but the quality and durability make it a worthwhile investment.

Design

It's easy to overlook the style when buying a cot-bed. It is essential to choose a cot that is both practical and attractive.

The classic ickle bubba Bed is the ideal bed for those who appreciate design, with its sleek modern version of the traditional sleigh design that doesn't have the bulky feel that these beds usually have. It has plenty of space-saving storage such as a drawer that fits underneath the mini cot beds and teething rails on the sides. It was strong and sturdy. The three-position height of the base lets it grow with your child.

Alternately you can choose the Modena cot bed from Tutti Bambini offers excellent value for money and has a smart panelled look that will look great in any nursery. It's made to last until they reach six years old. old. It converts into a junior mattress, and it transforms into a stylish sofa bed. It's also one of only a handful of cots that we've tested with the option of a drawer and a rail for teething and a hanging rail.

Another option that has a stylish panelled design is the Stokke Sleepie Cot Bed, that is available in a variety of colour options to coordinate with your nursery decor. Our mom testers loved its unique features, with the storage drawer particularly useful to store bedding and clothes. It's also among the easiest cot beds to put together, with all the pieces clearly labeled and with easy-to-follow instructions. It's also a great choice for those with a small space, since it can be folded and then flat-packed. It uses a standard cot-mattress (140cm by 70cm) and is suitable for babies to toddlerhood. A kit for extension allows it to be used up to 10 years old.

Convertibility

When you're a new parent there are a lot of baby must-haves to consider. One of the most important items to think about is a top-quality crib bed. You want it to last for as long as you can and evolve with your child, ensuring that they have a safe bed to sleep in.

Some cots are designed to be more than just a bed for toddlers. Our top pick is the Boori Eton Convertible Plus Cot Bed, which transforms into an infant bed (L207cm x W147cm x H90cm) and a daybed and sofa (L234cm x W145cm x H70cm). This makes it the longest-lasting selection on our list, since it is designed to last through the years from birth until childhood.

It's a little more expensive than some of the other cot-beds we tried however, its high-end design and feel will look great in any nursery. The instructions could be more simple, but our parents testers were impressed by the ease with which it was for to construct and set up. This is not a major issue however, as it was still very simple and took less than 30 minutes to complete.

Another impressive aspect of this cot is that it comes with four mattress heights for the base, which is an upgrade on the three most common options. This gives you the flexibility to adjust it as your child gets older, as they may need a higher or lower base level based on their age and ability. It comes with teething rails which are helpful and a plastic strip at the top to keep it from getting bitten.

The grey finish was the most popular of our dad tester. It's not cheap, but it's a an excellent value, because it will last your child through the age of toddler and beyond. Plus, it's covered by an one-year guarantee and gives you assurance that it's durable and long-lasting. The only thing you'll have to purchase separately is a mattress which is not included.