Cots and Cotbeds

A cot bed is a piece of furniture designed for infants and young children that combines the functionality of a crib and a toddler bed, allowing for a seamless transition as the child grows. With its convertible design, a cot bed offers value for money and provides a comfortable and secure sleeping environment throughout the early years of a child's life.

Cot beds are suitable for children from birth until around four or five years old, making them a cost-effective choice. The main difference between a crib and a cot bed is their adaptability. While a crib is typically used for newborns and infants, a cot bed offers the advantage of versatility - it can easily be transformed from a cot with high sides to a toddler bed with low or removable sides. This allows the cot bed to grow with the child, providing a familiar and comfortable sleep space as they transition from infancy to early childhood.

It is also worth noting that a cot bed is not the same as a toddler bed. A toddler bed is a smaller bed designed specifically for toddlers transitioning from cots or cribs to regular beds. It typically has low sides or guardrails to prevent accidental falls.

A crib, also known as a cot in the UK, is a specially designed bed for infants and young babies. It provides a safe and secure sleeping environment for children up to the age of around two years old. A crib typically features high, protective sides and slatted bars or panels to prevent the baby from falling out or getting stuck.

In the UK, the term "cot" is more commonly used, whereas "crib" is favoured in American English. However, both terms describe the same type of children’s bed.

The main difference between a cot and a cot bed is that a cot bed has removable sides and an end panel, with the option of converting it into a bed as your baby turns into a toddler. Cot beds are also slightly larger too with a size of 70 x 140 cm compared to a cot size of 60 x 120 cm.

If you're looking to transition your child from a cot to a bed, we also have a wide range of toddler beds available that could be a perfect choice.

Of course, our cots and cot beds are incredibly safe. All of our cots and cot beds go through rigorous EU safety testing to ensure they are safe for your child to use.

Some safety features of our cot and cot beds include having more wriggle room for your child to move freely, and having protective railings to protect your child as they sleep.

For more help deciding the right bed size for your child, we have a kids bed guide that will offer more information and advice to help you decide.

Both our cots and cot beds can be used from birth to around three years of age. The main difference is that our cot beds can be used for a little longer, so around four years old, or whenever your child feels ready to move to a toddler bed.

At Happy Beds, our cots and cot beds do not come with mattresses included. Both cots and cot beds need bespoke mattresses to fit. Cots take a mattress size of 60 x 120 cm, and cot beds take a mattress size of 70 x 140 cm.

We have a wide range of kids mattresses available, including both cot and toddler mattresses that are the size needed to fit these products.