Comparison cots

— Classic. The simplest and most familiar design of a crib with high walls and a small functional set. Such cribs are simple and, as a result, inexpensive but reliable.

— Cradle. This category includes cribs intended exclusively for newborn children. One of their key features is the small size of the mattress and the presence of a rocking mechanism.

— Bedside. Cribs for babies with the constructive possibility of removing the sidewall, which are installed close to the parental bed and are usually attached to it with special holders. The baby in such a crib sleeps separately from the parents and at the same time is at arm's length from the mother, which solves the problem of co-sleeping and night feedings. For placement at the same level with the parental bed in the models of bedside type usually provides the possibility of adjusting the mattress height. The bedside cribs accustom the baby to a separate place to sleep, while parents can keep the baby close to them and not worry about the baby during the night sleep.

— Round convertible crib. Cribs that can be of 2 types due to their construction: round cradle and oval classic cradle. The convenient design makes the models very attractive in appearance and usable for a long time.

— Convertible. The main feature of mo...st convertible cribs is the ability to expand the sleeping space, so they can be used much longer than regular cribs (in some models up to middle school years). There is also usually an opening sidewall (see below). In addition, such cribs are often equipped with chests of drawers and changing tables.

— Loft bed. Single beds for teenagers, in which the sleeping area is raised above the floor to a fairly large height. Some of these models look like a bunk bed with the bottom bed removed, others — as a low cabinet with a sleeping place on the "roof". Note that loft beds are often combined pieces of furniture, supplemented with cabinets, drawers, desk, etc.

— Teen themed. Beds for older children (usually of primary and secondary school age) with original design in a particular theme. One of the most popular options is a bed in the form of a racing car, with wheel-like legs. In addition, there are other design options such as an airplane, a fairy tale castle, etc. In any case, such a bed looks unusual and is often more interesting for the child than furniture in a standard neutral design.

— Bunk bed. Beds with two sleeping places located one above the other. Such a bed can be very useful if the family has two children of approximately the same age (twins, yearlings), and there is not enough space for two separate beds.

The material from which the crib is made affects both the usability and the features of it.

— Wood. The most common material today: wood is relatively cheap, looks good and has a nice touch, so it does not need to be covered with other materials (like metal cribs, which are usually covered with fabric). It has average characteristics in terms of strength, weight and cost, which allows it to be used in both cribs and cradles (refer to "Type").

— Plastic. The main advantage of plastic is its low weight and cost, due to which it is used mainly in cradles. However, its strength is usually lower than that of wood.

— Metal. The main advantage of metal is its high strength. On the other hand, it is unpleasant to the touch (cold), and it does not look very suitable for cribs. Therefore, only a frame is usually made of metal, on which walls and the base made of fabric and/or mesh are stretched.

— Wood/plastic. An option found mainly in themed teenage beds (see "Type"). In such models, the crib is made of wood, which provides it with the necessary strength, and for the decorative finish are used parts of inexpensive and easy to produce plastic (which in addition can be given almost any color).

Regardless of the material, when buying, you should pay attention to the compliance of the crib with sanitary and hygienic standards.

The type of mechanism that provides rocking of the crib (if any — many models do not provide rocking).

— Skids. Such cribs are equipped with curved skids, similar to those used in rocking chairs. Standing on such skids, the crib is capable of rocking. If such a crib is equipped with wheels, they are made removable — usually the crib stands on the skids, and the wheels are installed when it needs to be moved or fixed to prevent it from rocking. Skids are the simplest and most reliable, but they also have their disadvantages: the baby turning in his sleep, will rock the crib, which can wake up himself; to fix the crib in a stable position, it is necessary to install wheels, which is very laborious and inconvenient. In addition, the skids are poorly combined with the floor, especially parquet and laminate, because they can damage it, and therefore put such cribs is best on carpeting.

— Pendulum. In such models, the base is fixed on the floor, and the rest of the crib, thanks to special hinges, can rock. For a longitudinal pendulum, the rocking goes along the crib, and for a transverse pendulum — across. There are also universal pendulums, the location of which is formed during assembly. Anyway, the pendulum mechanism has a lower risk of tipping if the baby...starts to rock the bed, in addition, the pendulum, unlike the skids, does not affect the floor covering. On the other hand, the pendulum mechanism is more complicated and somewhat less reliable.

The number of different levels of base installation provided in the design of the crib. This height is different for different ages. So, in the first months of life, the baby is not even able to turn over independently, the risk of falling out of the crib is minimal, and therefore at this time you can set the mattress higher, so that it was more convenient to lean over to the baby. Later, when the baby is able to roll over and then sit and stand, the mattress can be lowered to minimize the risk of falling out. The more levels of mattress depth adjustment are provided in the design, the wider the possibilities for setting its optimal height. In addition, some cribs have a removable sidewall, which allows you to move them to the parent's bed. And the adjustment of the base allows you to maximally equalize the height of the bed and crib.

The type of crib base design.

— Slatted. It consists of a set of cross slats on which the mattress is placed. This construction is resistant to dampness, which, for obvious reasons, occurs in the crib regularly — moisture is not retained in the crib itself, it is enough just to dry the mattress. Also, the slatted design improves air circulation, which is very important for the comfort of the baby. On the other hand, the strength of the slatted crib is somewhat lower than a solid.

— Solid. It is a solid surface. Solid bases are more durable, but less convenient for drying (see above).

The design of the end walls of the crib.

— Slatted. As the name implies, they consist of vertical slats. The advantage of such a design is that you and your baby can see each other, hang various toys; in addition, the slats can be used as supports for the baby to sit down or stand up. On the other hand, in such cribs the baby is exposed to draft, so for slatted end walls special fabric walls are produced, which can be installed as protection.

— Solid. Such walls do not have openings, slats, etc., and therefore do not allow you to see the baby — on the other hand, they provide the best protection against draft.

— Slatted/solid. This may refer to two options. The first is when one wall is solid and the second is slatted or with large openings. In this way, the design combines the graceful appearance of a slatted wall with additional protection against draft. The second option — when part of the wall is made solid, and part is made in the form of slats. This design is used for aesthetic reasons, but in practical terms it does not differ from a conventional slatted wall.

— Mesh. End walls in the form of frames covered with a fine mesh. Compared to slatted walls, such walls provide somewhat better protection against draft and at the same time allow the parent and baby to see each other. On the other h...and, such a wall is not suitable as an additional support for a baby.

The type of sidewalls of the crib.

— Slatted. They consist of vertical slats, for more details on the advantages and disadvantages of this design, refer to "Endwalls".

— Solid. A solid surface with no recesses or holes. For more information on the advantages and disadvantages of this design, refer to "Endwalls".

— Mesh. This wall is a frame with a mesh installed in it. It provides slightly better protection against drafts than a slatted wall; on the other hand, it is poorly suited as a support for the baby. It is used rather rarely, usually when it is difficult to install slats.

— Slatted/solid. This means that one sidewall is solid and the other is slatted. Such a crib is usually placed with a solid sidewall against the wall. Thus, parents can see the baby through the front wall, the baby can use the slats as a support for standing up, and the solid back wall protects it from drafts and contact with the wall.

— Solid/mesh. Solid walls, usually made of dense fabric, supplemented with mesh inserts. These inserts are designed to improve ventilation and to allow parents to see the baby better.

Possibility to remove the sidewall of the crib. The removable sidewall will come in handy when the baby is grown up enough to go to sleep and get up on his/her own and no longer needs fall protection. With the same purpose, such sidewalls are somewhat less convenient than opening sidewalls (see above), because the removed sidewall has to be stored somewhere. However, it is very difficult to equip a classic crib with an opening sidewall due to the lack of space, so removable ones have to be used.

The ability to change the height of the side wall within certain limits. Sidewall adjustment will be useful, first of all, when the baby grows up, and it becomes inconvenient to get him/her through a high wall (see "Number of base levels"). Adjusting the height will make it easier for you to access the baby: if necessary, the wall can be lowered in a few seconds, and putting the baby back in place again. The locks of such sidewalls are made to prevent the baby from opening them on his/her own. Also, the variable sidewall height can partially replace the adjustable matress height.