Choosing furniture for your new baby can be a very exciting process. Unless you’ve had a child before though, it can also be a very daunting process too. There are a huge amount of different mini cot bed options that are available for your new son or daughter, and you should know the differences between each before making your selection.
In terms of cots, the different options cater to different ages and sizes of babies. At this early stage of life, a baby’s size and capabilities change very considerably and very quickly too. To make sure that your baby is as comfortable as they can be, it’s always good to understand the differences between what each cot type has to offer.
What is a cot? A cot is a small, usually wooden-framed bed for babies and very young children. They are designed to keep the baby as safe as possible, with high sides to ensure that they can’t fall out.
What are the main differences between a cot and a cot bed? Cots and cot beds aren’t hugely different – they both serve the same purpose. Cots come in a number of different sizes and tend to not be as large as cot beds. They are also cheaper than cot beds. One of the major advantages of choosing a regular cot is that you can choose what size you’d like, depending on how much room you want it to use up.
A cot bed, on the other hand, is slightly larger than a normal cot. It has some added versatility when compared to a regular cot. For example, there is usually a headboard, footboard, and sometimes even built-in storage underneath the cot bed.
Cot Bed Design Ideas
Given that cot beds come in a number of different variations, there are a number of different designs that you can choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the top design ideas for a mini baby cot bed.
Dropped Side Cot Bed – as the name suggests, this refers to a cot bed that on which one side has lower railings than the other. This allows you to have better access to the cot bed when you’re standing up – it’s far easier to place your baby in and take your baby out of a cot bed that has a dropped side. They do of course come with their disadvantages though, including that your baby or child could fall out more easily.
Fixed Railing Cot Bed – A cot bed that has fixed railings is one that tends to have all four sides of the bed fully built up to the same height. If you have a newborn baby or a very young child, this is recommended as they stop your child from being able to fall out of the cot and injure themselves.
Sleigh Cot Bed – A sleigh cot bed is one that has specially designed head and footboards that make the bed look like a sleigh. Sleigh cot beds come in a few different variations, including standard railings and dropped railing models.