Cotbeds provide a logical, practical and extremely popular way of lengthening the life of a cot as well as helping to make the transition to a toddler bed as smooth as possible.
When it comes time for a cotbed then you will find that there is a huge amount of choice, and a multitude of function and style options. You need to consider the safety and comfort of your child, your ease of access, space and looks.
Initially your baby is going to be spending the majority of his day in his cotbed, sometimes up to 20 hours and so it is an important decision to make. This item of furniture is also going to be on display in your home for 5-6 years so you will want to ensure that you choose a cotbed in a style and colour that ‘fits’ with your home decor.
To help you determine which safety features and options are going to be most important to you we have put together this Cotbeds buying guide to hopefully help you to come to an informed decision.

Adjustable Base Positions

Cotbeds will generally come with 2 or 3 different settings for the mattress height, most have 3. Initially you will have the mattress set to its highest setting as this provides you with quick and easy access to your baby. Once your baby starts to push up onto their hands and knees unaided it is time to move the base down for additional safety. By the time your baby starts to stand it will be essential that you have the base position set to the lowest position.
The sides of the cotbed should be at least 500mm higher than the mattress when it is in its lowest position.

Fixed Sides or Drop Sides

Fixed sides simply means that access to your baby will only be possible by leaning over and into the cotbed. In truth, for most people, this will not cause any problems but for others this may be impractical or undesirable. If you are petite or have an existing back condition then we would recommend you consider a dropside.
If you are opting for a dropside then we recommend you choose one with both a simple mechanism and one handed operation. The latches should be unreachable by children to make them safe.
All dropside cotbeds in our range have simple mechanisms and one-handed operation.

Choice of Mattress

When it comes to choosing a mattress you essentially have three options – foam, fibre or sprung. Ventilation is a key factor as it is important that there is a constant flow of air around the baby’s head. This means that you will require a ventilation system in the head and mid section of the mattress for when your baby is placed in the ‘feet to foot’ position. Other features you are likely to find useful are a wipe clean surface, removable and reversible covers.
It is vitally important that the mattress fits snugly into the frame. When the mattress is gently pushed to one side there should be no more than a 4cm gap to the rails. You also should be able securely attach the mattress to the head and foot boards.
Fibre mattresses provide excellent air flow as well as being environmentally friendly, however, it is not unusual for parents nowadays to avoid these in case of allergies or asthma symptoms.
The standard cotbed mattress size of 140cm x 70cm will be perfectly fine with all of the cotbeds in our range.

Teething Rails

During teething your baby is likely going to want to chomp on the edges of their cot. Teething rails are a protective covering on the cot edges to provide extra protection for your baby’s delicate teeth and also for prevention of damage to the cot.
With the exception of the Kerry and Stepanie Cotbeds from Saplings all of our range have teething rails.

Spacing of Slats

Baby Safe Paint or Varnish

Any paints and finishes used must have a non lead base and be non toxic.
All of the cotbeds in our range conform to required safety standard BSEN716

Bedding

Please note that you will need to buy cotbed bedding and not bedding designed for cots else it will not fit. Once you have the correct cotbed bedding though, it can be used for both the cot and the toddler bed.
The bedding that you choose should not include any trailing ribbons or strings of material as a safety precaution.
The bedding in our range does not have any trailing material.

Build and Design

• The cotbed that you choose should be sturdy
• If there are corner posts they should be no higher than 1.5mm
• There should be no sharp edges, exposed hardware or splintered wood
• Screws and bolts should all be present and tightly secured

All of the cotbeds that we offer for sale at CotbedKids are from top manufacturers and they meet all of the required British safety standards. The standard cotbed mattress size of 140cm x 70cm is correct for all of the cotbeds that we offer.