The best cot beds of 2026
Four cot beds that last from birth into the toddler years, from a full-size 140 x 70cm model to mini cot beds for small rooms, plus which ones come with a mattress.
A cot bed is a cot whose sides come off, so it can turn into a small toddler bed when your child is ready. One frame can take them from their first nights to around age four, so if you have the space, buying one from the start saves replacing a cot later.
Size shapes most of the choice. A full-size cot bed takes a 140 x 70cm mattress and gives a growing toddler more room. A smaller cot bed takes 120 x 60cm and is easier to fit into a small nursery, or into your bedroom for the first six months, when your baby should sleep in the same room as you. Either way, the mattress has to match the frame exactly.
Feature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Best for Most families | Storage, with a mattress included | Small rooms | Small rooms that need storage |
| Mattress size | Mattress size 140 x 70cm | 120 x 60cm | 120 x 60cm | 120 x 60cm |
| Mattress included | Mattress included Yes, 8cm fibre | Yes, 6cm foam | No | No |
| Under-bed drawer | Under-bed drawer No | Yes, on runners | No | Yes, sits on the floor |
| After the cot stage | After the cot stage Toddler bed to about 4, then a sofa | Toddler bed with guard rail, to about 3 | Junior bed, to about 3 to 4 | Toddler bed, then a sofa from about 4 |
Cot bed size: full-size or mini cot bed?
Measure where the cot bed will go before you choose, including your bedroom if your baby will sleep there from birth.
- Full-size cot bed, 140 x 70cm mattress: more room to stretch out and a longer-lasting toddler bed. The frame is bigger than the mattress, so measure for the frame.
- Mini cot bed, 120 x 60cm mattress: the same mattress size as most standard cots. The 120 x 60cm cot beds here need about 125 x 65cm of floor, which suits a small nursery or the space beside your bed, but a toddler outgrows them sooner.
Get a mattress that fits exactly
Buy the mattress size the instructions give and check it fits snugly, with no gaps around the edges. Which? puts the limit at 3cm at any point. Instructions can cap the depth too: the Alba takes one mattress no thicker than 10cm. Never stack two mattresses or pad out a gap.
The Lullaby Trust's checks work for any cot mattress: firm, flat, waterproof and a good fit, with your baby's head sinking no more than a few millimetres. If a cover is washable or water-repellent rather than waterproof, a fitted waterproof protector keeps the mattress clean and dry. Our guide to choosing a cot mattress goes through these checks, and our pick of the best cot mattresses covers both sizes.
Finally, look for BS EN 716, the cot safety standard, in the instructions or listing; a cot bed should also meet BS 8509 for its bed mode. Every cot bed in this list states BS EN 716, and all but the Jacob also name BS 8509.
The best cot beds
Four cot beds, starting with the one we'd suggest to most families.
1. Tutti Bambini Alba cot bed and mattress bundle
The Alba bundle is the cot bed we'd suggest to most families: a full-size 140 x 70cm cot bed sold with its own 8cm fibre mattress, so the fit is sorted before it arrives. It's one of the best-selling convertible cots at the moment.
Why did we choose this product?
It works as a cot from birth, then the sides come off to make a toddler bed and, later, a small sofa, with three base heights along the way. Owners describe the frame as solid and sturdy, and say two people can build it in 30 to 40 minutes. The mattress cover is water-repellent and goes in the wash at 60°C.
Keep in mind
A full-size frame needs more floor space than the 120 x 60cm cot beds below, so measure first, especially if it's going in your bedroom from birth. Several owners found a few screw holes didn't line up, so take assembly slowly rather than forcing the bolts. The cover isn't described as waterproof, so a fitted waterproof protector is worth adding.
Features that may help you
•Best for: most families wanting a matched cot bed and mattress
•Mattress: included, 140 x 70 x 8cm fibre
•Modes: cot, toddler bed (about 18 months to 4 years), then sofa
•Base heights: 3
•Standards: EN 716-1 (cot) and BS 8509 (bed)
2. Love For Sleep Jacob cot bed with drawer
The Jacob is a complete set in one box: a 120 x 60cm pine cot bed, a 6cm foam mattress, a large drawer underneath and a wooden guard rail for when it becomes a toddler bed. It has far more owner reviews than any other cot bed here, and parents often say it's a good size for a smaller room.
Why did we choose this product?
Choose it if storage matters as much as the cot. The drawer runs on runners, has a dust cover and holds plenty of sheets, sleeping bags and spare clothes within reach for night-time changes. There are teething rails and three base heights, and the seller states the cot meets EN 716-1 and the mattress EN 16890, the cot mattress standard the Lullaby Trust lists. Some owners build it alone in about an hour.
Keep in mind
The drawer is the weak spot: a number of owners say its base board comes loose or breaks, so don't overload it or let a toddler stand on it. Some found screw holes slightly out of line, the instructions short on words or the wood splitting as bolts were tightened, so build it without forcing anything and check for cracks. A few noticed a paint or glue smell, so unpack it early and let the cot and mattress air before your baby sleeps in it. Being 120 x 60cm, it's outgrown sooner than a full-size cot bed.
Features that may help you
•Best for: storage, with a mattress in the box
•Mattress: included, 120 x 60 x 6cm foam
•Storage: large drawer on runners, with a dust cover
•Modes: cot, then toddler bed with the guard rail (to about 3 years)
•Colours: white, pine or grey
3. Obaby Grace Mini cot bed
If space is tight, the Grace Mini is a simple, sturdy 120 x 60cm cot bed from the UK nursery brand Obaby. At about 124 x 67cm it suits a small nursery, and some parents use it beside their own bed for the first months.
Why did we choose this product?
Owners say it's easy to build, even on your own, and feels solid for the price. It has open slatted sides so you can see your baby, teething rails and three base heights, and Obaby lists BS EN 716 and BS 8509. When your child is ready, the sides come off and the ends split to make a junior bed.
Keep in mind
There's no mattress in the box, so budget for a 120 x 60cm one. Quite a few owners mention a strong paint smell at first that took days, sometimes longer, to fade, so build it well before you need it and keep the room aired. Obaby adds a two-year guarantee if you register the cot within 28 days.
Features that may help you
•Best for: small nurseries and room-sharing
•Mattress: not included, needs 120 x 60cm
•Size: about 124 x 66.5cm
•Modes: cot, then junior bed (to about 3 to 4 years)
•Standards: BS EN 716 and BS 8509
4. Tutti Bambini Riley mini cot bed with drawer
The Riley fits under-bed storage into a mini cot bed, handy in a small nursery with little room for a chest of drawers. It takes a 120 x 60cm mattress, sold separately, and needs about 125 x 65cm of floor.
Why did we choose this product?
It has teething rails on both sides, three base heights and a generous drawer underneath, and later converts to a toddler bed and then a small sofa. Tutti Bambini states it meets BS EN 716 and BS 8509. Owners find it straightforward to build and good value, and a couple say the brand quickly sent replacement parts when something arrived missing or damaged.
Keep in mind
The drawer sits on the floor rather than on runners, so it can slide about when you pull it, and Tutti Bambini notes it may catch on a thick carpet. A few owners had parts arrive scratched, chipped or damaged, so check every panel before you build it.
Features that may help you
•Best for: small rooms that need storage
•Mattress: not included, needs 120 x 60cm
•Size: about 125 x 65cm
•Storage: under-bed drawer, no runners
•Modes: cot, toddler bed, then toddler sofa (from about 4 years)
Setting up a cot bed for safe sleep
Start high, then lower the base
Most cot beds have three base heights. The top one makes it easier to lift a tiny baby in and out, but Which? suggests using it only until about three months. Move the base to the lowest position as soon as your baby can sit up, which cot instructions usually call the safest setting, and before they start pulling themselves up to stand.
Keep the cot clear
Put your baby down on their back, with their feet at the foot of the cot, for every sleep. Use a fitted sheet and a baby sleeping bag or a lightweight blanket tucked in firmly no higher than their shoulders. Leave out pillows, duvets, cot bumpers, soft toys, pods and nests: they can cover a baby's face, and bumpers also give an older baby something to climb on.
Choose the spot and keep checking the frame
Keep the cot bed away from radiators and sunny windows, blind and curtain cords, and furniture your baby could use to climb out. The NHS advises keeping the room at 16 to 20°C; our guide to the ideal room temperature for a baby explains how to check.
Building is easier with two people. Follow the instructions exactly; if the base looks oddly high when you've finished, it may be upside down. Check and re-tighten the bolts regularly, and if any part is cracked, splintered by teething, broken or missing, stop using the cot until the maker's replacement arrives.
When to turn the cot into a toddler bed
What your child can do matters more than their age. Once they try to climb out, or can reach over the top rail when standing, it's time to convert, because climbing over the side risks a fall. Makers expect the switch at around 18 months to 2 years, and the cot beds here last as a bed until around three or four.
- Take off one side, or both, as the instructions show. The Jacob comes with a guard rail for the open side; with the others, a bed guard or a soft rug beside the bed helps while your toddler gets used to it.
- Push the bed tight against a wall or leave a 30cm gap, as the Alba's instructions advise, and keep it away from windows, cords and other furniture.
- Pillows and duvets are only for children over 12 months; here's more on when a baby can sleep with a pillow or duvet.
If you'd rather move to a low bed on the floor instead, our toddler floor beds compare sizes, rails and mattress fit.
