Cot beds: Compare features & prices

Side-by-side comparison

People required to assemble
How many people we recommend you use to assemble the cot, based on the results of our tests.

Can use the cot until
Manufacturer's recommendation for when to finish using the cot bed as a cot. The manufacturer does not specify this information in its instruction booklet where we say 'not stated'.

Can use the junior bed until
Manufacturer's recommendation for when to finish using the cot bed as a bed. The manufacturer does not specify this information in its instruction booklet where we say 'not stated'.

Dimensions (hxwxd in cm)
How much space you'll need in your nursery for the cot. Height is measured from the highest point at the head end of the cot.

Highest top rail height (cm)
The highest point that you will need to reach over to pick your baby up out of the cot.

Lowest top rail height (cm)
The lowest height the side can be dropped to. Not applicable for fixed-side cots.

Sold with teething rail
Whether the cot bed is provided with a protective plastic teething rail to protect the child's gums (and the cot bed) when your baby chews on the top rail.

Sold with mattress
Whether a mattress is included in the price of the cot bed.

Storage drawer
Whether the cot has a built-in storage drawer underneath it.

Other functions?
Some cot beds can be converted after you have finished using them as a bed. These are the manufacturer's suggested uses.

Assembling for the first time
An overall rating of how good the cot bed is to assemble for the first time. Takes into account how easy it is to assemble, whether the required assembly actions match the instructions, the smoothness and ease of securing the bolts and fixings, presence of poorly constructed parts and how many people are needed to assemble the cot.

Quality of the instructions
An overall rating for the quality of the instructions that includes how easy they are to understand, ease of following the layout, their clarity and conciseness, and being written in good English. Five-star instructions are excellent, one-star instructions are very poor. The score for whether the instuctions contain all relevant safety advice is part of the Build Quality rating, not the Instructions rating.

Adjusting the base height
How easy it was to access the bolts, move the base and rebolt it into a higher or lower position.

Turning from a cot to a bed
How easy it was to remove the sides to change the cot into a junior bed.

Placing a child into the cot
How easy it is to put the child into the cot taking into account the height of the side raise and bed base in various positions.

Removing a child from the cot
How easy it is to remove the child from the cot taking into account the height of the side raise and bed base in various positions.

Lowering the drop side
How easy it is to operate the drop side if present.

Raising the drop side
How easy it is to operate the drop side if present.

Parental approval rating
Parents were asked to rate each cot out of ten after they had used it. Their approval rating is based on how good they thought the cot was and includes an element of how visually appealing they found the product as well as how good it was to use.

Construction and durability
Takes into account how well-built and solid the cot bed was before and after our tests, both as a cot and a bed. It also includes whether the cot bed fully complies with the British Standard for safety (including the quality of safety advice in the instructions), durability and construction.

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