Decorating your baby's nursery? Our step-by-step cot guide will help you find the right cot or cotbed for your new baby
For ultimate peace of mind, look for the BSI number BSEN 716:2008, which ensures your cot/cotbed meets all current safety standards. Unfortunately not all carry this, so check the following:
Any cot/cotbed, old or new, should have a space between the bars measuring either:
It should have at least 50cm between the top of the mattress and the top of the cot’s sides.
If you’re buying second-hand, check all fixtures are secure, there are no protrusions on the top rail and consider stripping and repainting it. A lot of older models were decorated with lead paint, which is now considered unsafe. You should also buy a new mattress.
As it currently stands, FSID neither advises for or against cot bumpers, but they do want to make parents aware that accidents happen if your child plays with them and they become loose.
Unnerving stories about drop-sides in cots has led the USA to consider banning them but there is no issue in the UK as rigorous testing and safety standards have been met.
