How to Choose the Best Cot Bed
The best cot bed is an absolute must-have for any baby. We've created this guide to help you choose the right bed for your baby.
A top-quality option that fits beautifully in Scandi-style nursery rooms. This sturdy and durable option can grow with your baby, with three mattress positions, and the ability remove the sides to create a stylish bench style toddler bed.
Budget
When you think of cots, there's something for every budget and every nursery. There are also a range of options that provide different levels of durability and even convert into toddler beds for use throughout the preschool years and beyond. The ones that can be converted into a bed are more expensive, but they will last longer.
The Mamas & Papas Coxley won our overall prize. Its luxurious aesthetics and easy-to assemble design makes it a fantastic choice for those looking for an excellent cot that will last for a long time. Our parents liked the minimalist design and warm oak finish of this model, which looks beautiful in a contemporary nursery. This cot bed comes with a drawer that mum tester Katrina believed was a better choice than some cheaper cots which have an integrated drawer. It also comes with an anti-bite strip along the top rails of the cot to stop your child's teeth from getting caught. This cot bed isn't expensive, and requires an Allen key for setup.
The cot for the Elementary is a more affordable option that will provide your baby a comfortable night's sleep. It's part of the Anyday range by John Lewis. The easy design and simple assembly were praised by our parent testers. The cot is compact when folded and can be tucked and easily tucked away into a bag that's about the size of a camp chair's carry case. It's not the best choice for camping in the car but it's perfect for people living in apartments or who won't be moving their cot too much.
The SnuzKot is an additional affordable cot that we suggest particularly if you decide to go with the toddler kit and mattress extender (sold separately). It will grow with your baby until they are around four years old. Our dad tester liked that it could be converted into a modern-looking toddler bed, and created the feeling of a cocoon with its canopy made of fabric.
Safety
A cot that is well-designed will not only be in compliance with UK safety standards, but also feel sturdy and secure. Find a sturdy style with bars of safety or sides, and a solid base so that your baby is not able to climb out. Some cots include extra features like teething rails and drawers under the bed which can help keep things organised while your little one is growing.
Parent test subject Becki says that her Boori cot "has endured through 3 kids and is still stunning." Its traditional style is suitable for all homes and is made of sustainable sources of Australian Araucaria and New Zealand Radiata wood, so you can feel good about your purchase. It can be converted from a cot into a toddler bed by leaving three sides unlocked for safety. There's an extension kit available that can transform it to a full-sized bed once your child is ready.
This stylish but simple cot is an excellent choice for those on a limited budget. It's easy to assemble, with clearly labelled parts and clear instructions. It has three mattress height settings, so you can adjust it as your baby grows. It can be used with standard mattress cots and is a great value buy for the price.
This is an excellent choice if you are looking for an expensive cot. It can be used as a cot and features four mattress positions. It will last until your child are around three years old. It folds up and has wheels that lock, making it easy to move it from one room to the next.
This cot comes with a handy travel bag, and is one of the smallest cots that we test at 6kg. It's also extremely durable and has a strong frame that can handle boisterous toddlers. The instructions were well written and clear, but our testers found the assembly a little challenging. The slats were spaced sufficiently apart to avoid fingers getting trapped between them. It is also more expensive than other cots that we have reviewed but the durability and function make it worth the investment.
Design
It's easy to overlook the design when you are buying a cot bed. It's important that you choose the cot bed that is both functional and beautiful.
The icklebubba Snowdon Classic Cot bed is the best bed for design-lovers. Its modern, sleek take on the traditional sleigh style doesn't have that bulky feeling that these types can have. It also doesn't skimp on storage space, and comes with a pull-out drawer that fits under the cot, as well as teething rails that can be affixed to the side. Our mum tested it and found it robust and durable and has three positions of base height that allows the bed to expand with your child.
The Modena cot-bed from Tutti Bambini is a great value and comes in an elegant panel design that will suit any nursery. It's designed to last until they reach the age of six old. It can be converted into a junior mattress and then into an elegant sofa bed. It's also among the only a handful of cots that we tested with a drawer as well as a teething rail and a hanging rail.
The Stokke Sleepie Cot Bed is another option that comes with panels. It is available in a variety of colors to complement your nursery's decor. Our mom testers were impressed by its nifty features and the storage drawer particularly useful for storing bedding and clothing. It's also one of the easiest cot beds to assemble, with all the pieces being clearly labelled and easy to follow instructions. small cot beds is also an excellent choice for those who have limited space as it can be folded flat and rolled down. It fits an ordinary cot mattress (140cm 70cm x 140cm) and is suitable from the time of birth until toddlerhood, with an extension kit that allows it to be used up until your child is 10 years old. of age.
Convertibility
There are a lot of baby essentials that you must consider when a new parent. One of the most important is a quality cot bed. You want something that will last as long as possible and will change with your child to give them a safe and secure place to sleep.
Some cots are designed to be more than just a toddler bed. The Boori Eton Cot Bed is our top choice. It can be converted to a toddler (L207cm, W147cm H90cm) as well as it can also be used as a daybed (L234cm, W145cm and H70cm) and a sofa (L234cm, W145cm, and H70cm). This makes it the longest-lasting choice on our list, because it will last your child through from birth to childhood.
It's not cheap compared to some of the other cot beds we tested, but it has an elegant look and feel that will fit in with any nursery. The instructions could be more simple, but our parents test subjects were impressed with the ease with which it was for them to build and set up. This isn't a big issue however, since it was still very simple and took just 30 minutes to complete.
Another great 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, since they may require a lower or higher base level depending on their age and ability. It comes with teething rails which are helpful and a plastic strip on the top to prevent it from becoming a bit.
This cot comes in several different Scandi-inspired finishes, and our dad tester was particularly attracted by the grey-colored finish. It's not expensive, but it does offer an excellent value for money, as it will last your child through toddlerhood and beyond. It's also covered by a 1-year warranty so you can be confident that it will last. The only thing that you will need to purchase separately is the mattress.