✯ A cot bed is a cot with removable sides and a removable end panel that can be converted into a toddler-sized bed.
✯ Young children can outgrow a cot by the time they reach two or three years old. The big advantage with a cot bed is that it will last years longer than a cot, because you can use it as a junior bed.
✯ Most cot beds will last until a child is five or six years old. But this will depend on their weight, and how much wear and tear they put the bed through.
✯ Cot beds are larger than cots – generally around 70cm wide compared to 60 cm – so they give your baby a bit more space to roll about and stretch their arms, and 140 cm long compared to 120 cm so they have more length to avail of as they grow.
✯ If you have the space, it might make logical and economic sense to buy a cot bed from the outset as it will last longer.
✯ Beware of cheaper MDF cots as they can contain many more chemicals used during their manufacturing. Choose a high-quality manufacturer such as Geuther who pass the stringent German and European tests for harmful wood treating and bonding chemicals that can be used in furniture manufacturing.
