9 . What Your Parents Taught You About Best Cot Bed

How to Choose the Best Cot Bed

The best cot bed is a must-have for any baby. This guide has been created to help you choose the right bed for your baby.

This premium option fits perfectly to be used in Scandi style nurseries. This sturdy and durable option will grow with your child, with three mattress positions, and the ability to remove the sides to create a stylish bench-style toddler bed.

Budget

There's a cot to fit every nursery and budget. There's also a variety of options that provide different levels of durability and some convert into toddler beds to be used through the preschool years and beyond. Of course, the ones that convert into beds tend to be more expensive, but the investment can really pay off in the event that you need a cot that lasts for years rather than just for a few months.

The Mamas & Papas Coxley won our overall prize. Its luxurious aesthetics and easy-to assemble design make it an ideal choice for those looking for an excellent cot that will last for a lifetime. Our parents appreciated the sleek design and warm oak finish of this model, which will look beautiful in a contemporary nursery. This cot bed comes with a handy drawer that mum tester Katrina thought was superior to cheaper cots that have an integrated drawer, as well as a plastic strip that prevents bites on the top of the cot rails to guard your child from getting their teeth stuck in the bars. However, at over PS599 with a mattress sold separately this bed isn't cheap baby cots for sale, and it does require an Allen key to start it up.

A less expensive option that still gives your baby a good night's rest is the Elementary cot from John Lewis' Anyday range. The easy design and simple assembly were well-loved by our testers' parents. The cot can be folded into a compact size and stored since it can fit into bags similar to the one used for the camping chair. It's not the best crib for newborn choice for car camping however it's suitable for those living in apartments or who don't need to move their cot too much.

We recommend 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 child until they're around four years old, and our dad tester loved the fact that it can be converted into a minimalist toddler bed and created the feeling of a cocoon by incorporating a fabric canopy.

Safety

A good cot should not only meet the strict UK safety standards, but also be sturdy and feel secure. Find a sturdy design that includes sides or safety bars and an erect base, so your baby can't be able to climb out. Some cots come with extra features, such as teething rails or under-bed storage drawers that will aid in keeping your baby organized as your baby grows.

The Boori cot is made from sustainable Australian Araucaria wood and New Zealand Radiata, so you can be sure of the purchase. It converts from a cot to a toddler bed (leaving three sides up for security) and also has the option to add an extension kit that can take it all the way up to a double bed when your child is ready.

This stylish but simple cot is a great option for those with a tight budget. It's simple to put together, with clearly labelled parts and clear instructions. It comes with three mattress height settings so you can adjust it as your baby grows. It is compatible with most cots with a standard mattresses and is an excellent purchase for the price.

This is a great choice If you're looking for an expensive cot. It offers four mattress base positions when in the cot position and will last until your child is about three years old. It also can be folded flat and has lockable wheels, making it extremely mobile if you have to move it from room to room.

The cot comes with a handy travel bag and is among the lightest cots we test at 6kg. It's also extremely durable, with a sturdy frame that will be able to withstand the rigors of toddlers. The instructions were well written and clear, but our testers found the assembly to be a little difficult. The slats were placed far enough apart to avoid fingers getting caught between them. It's also a little more expensive than some of the other cots to tots we looked at however, it's worth the investment for its longevity and practicality.

Design

It's easy to overlook the design when you are buying a cot bed. The cot you choose for your baby will be in use for a long period of time, so it's essential to find one that you enjoy and is also practical and functional.

The ickle bubba Snowdon Classic Cot Bed is the perfect cot bed for design lovers with its sleek contemporary version of the traditional sleigh design that doesn't have the bulky feeling that these beds usually have. It has plenty of storage space, including a drawer that fits underneath the cot, as well as teething rails on the side. Our mum tester found it to be sturdy and robust, with three positions of base height that allows the bed to grow with your child.

Alternately, the Modena cot bed from Tutti Bambini offers excellent value for money and comes with an elegant panel design that is perfect for 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 among the only a handful of cot beds that we have tested with an apex drawer and a rail for teething and a hanging rail.

Another option with a sleek panelled design is the Stokke Sleepie Cot Bed, that is available in a variety of color options to fit your nursery decor. Our mum testers loved its nifty features and the storage drawer being especially useful for storing bedding and clothes. It's also the most simple cot beds to put together. The components are clearly labelled, and the directions are easy to follow. It is also an excellent choice for those who have little space since it can be rolled up and then collapsed. It fits an ordinary cot mattress (140cm x 70cm) and is suitable from birth to toddlerhood, with an extension kit allowing it to be used up until your child is 10 years older.

Convertibility

There are many baby essentials that you must consider when you become a new parent. One of the most important is a quality cot bed. You want something that will last for as long as it can and will change with your child to provide them a secure and comfortable place to sleep.

Although most cots and tots can be transformed to toddler beds through the purchase of a conversion kit some cots are made to go a step further than this. Our top choice is the Boori Eton Convertible Bed, which transforms into a toddler bed (L207cm x W147cm x H90cm) and a sofa and daybed (L234cm x W145cm and H70cm). This makes it the longest-lasting selection on our list, as it should see your child through childhood to.

It's more expensive than some of the other cot-beds we tested however its superior design and feel will look great in any nursery. Our parents who tested it were impressed with how easy it was to set up and build however they did mention that the instructions could be clearer. This is a minor flaw, though, considering it was still a simple task and took less than 30 minutes to complete.

This cot has four different mattress base heights. This is an improvement over the three standard options. This allows you to alter the height of the cot as your child develops. They might require a higher or lower base level based on their age and abilities. It also comes with useful teething rails and a plastic strip that runs along the top to guard it from being bitten.

The cot is available in a variety of Scandi-inspired colors and our dad tester was particularly impressed by the grey finish. It's not cheap, but it does offer an excellent value for money, as it will take your child through toddlerhood and beyond. It also comes with an one-year guarantee, so you have assurance that it will be sturdy and long-lasting. The only thing you'll need to purchase separately is the mattress.