How to Transition Baby from a Bedside Crib to a Cot

Most babies leave the bedside crib somewhere between four and six months, and the trigger is movement rather than the calendar. Once your baby can roll both ways, push up on hands and knees, or pull on the crib sides, a bedside crib stops being safe, because its low sides and small sleep surface are made for a newborn who still stays where you put them. The switch itself is not complicated. The part parents find hardest is the first few nights in a bigger, emptier bed, and that is the part a plan helps with.

Signs Your Baby Is Ready to Leave the Bedside Crib

There is no single morning when a baby is suddenly "ready". What you get is a run of small signals, and they tend to arrive in this order:

• Rolling, front to back and back to front. This is usually the first real signal, and it can arrive closer to four months than six.
• Pushing up on hands and knees. Once your baby can lift their chest off the mattress, they can move themselves against the sides of a crib.
• Pulling on the sides or the rim. A baby who grips the crib edge is already testing whether it will hold their weight.
• Sitting unaided, even briefly. Sitting changes the centre of gravity, and a crib's low sides stop containing a baby who can do it.
• Running out of room. If your baby's head and feet are close to both ends, or they keep waking wedged against the side, the crib is simply too small.

Manufacturers generally quote around six months or a 9kg weight limit for bedside cribs, so read your own model's manual rather than assuming. A baby who rolls at four months has outgrown the crib at four months, no matter what the sticker says. If you are still deciding whether a bedside crib is the right first bed at all, our guide to next to me cribs covers how they attach and what to look for.

Why Movement Matters More Than the Calendar

The UK guidance is clear about where a baby should sleep. The Lullaby Trust says the safest place for a baby to sleep is their own clear, flat, firm sleep space, used in the same room as you, and it advises room sharing for at least the first six months. The NHS safe sleep advice points to the same setup, and it is the reason you move to a cot rather than straight to a bed in another room.

A cot meets that guidance in a way a bedside crib cannot once your baby is mobile. The cot has higher sides, a larger and firmer sleep surface, and no open side that a rolling baby can press against. Practically, that means your baby stays in your room but gets a bed that matches what they can now do. Our baby sleep safety guide walks through the rest of the safer sleep rules, including what should never go in the cot.

Parents often ask whether it is worth stretching the crib for another month to avoid the disruption. The honest answer is that it depends on the baby in front of you. A baby who is not moving yet and sleeps well in the crib is not in a rush. A baby who has started rolling is, because the risk has changed rather than the age.

Choosing a Cot or Cot Bed Before You Move

Two frames cover most of the market. A cot is a fixed frame that takes a 140 x 70cm mattress and lasts until your child can climb. A cot bed does the same job but converts, usually by removing one side and dropping the base to the lowest setting, into a toddler bed that lasts another few years. A cot bed costs more up front and saves you buying a second bed, which is why most parents who are moving out of a crib choose one.

Sizing is the detail that catches people out. Full-size cot beds take 140 x 70cm, while mini and compact versions usually take 120 x 60cm. Measure the gap beside your bed before you order, since a cot bed only delivers the "cot in your room" benefit if it physically fits there.

Tutti Bambini Rio 2-in-1 Cot Bed & Changer (First pick). A 2-in-1 cot bed with a cot-top changer that clips on at waist height, useful when your back is still recovering. Three base heights and a reported 30-minute assembly. Around £179.00 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

Tutti Bambini Modena 3-in-1 Convertible Cot Bed (Best for long-term use). Converts from cot to toddler bed to a low daybed, which stretches the frame well past the cot stage. Solid oak with a white finish and three mattress positions. Around £225.00 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

Obaby Grace Mini Cot Bed (Best for small rooms). A compact 120 x 60cm frame for small bedrooms, which is the size most bedside cribs leave behind. Converts to a toddler bed and has three base heights. Around £127.99 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

Obaby Stamford Luxe Sleigh Cot Bed (Best premium frame). Sleigh-style frame in warm grey with a curved headboard and footboard. Multiple base heights and a conversion to a toddler bed when the time comes. Around £339.00 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

If you would rather compare more frames side by side, our roundup of the best cot beds in the UK covers the wider market. Worth knowing: a cot bed that converts will later face the same question you are dealing with now, and we cover that in when to move a child from a cot to a bed.

The Mattress Matters More Than the Frame

A cot is only as good as the surface inside it. The Lullaby Trust's position is that the sleep surface should be firm and flat, and the mattress should fit the cot tightly so there are no gaps around the edges. That rules out reusing the bedside crib mattress, which is a different size and a different shape, and it rules out a soft or sagging second-hand mattress you cannot inspect.

Match the size to the frame first, then choose the construction. A sprung mattress gives more give under a heavier baby, a fibre mattress is lighter to lift when you change the sheet, and a natural-fibre mattress costs more but handles moisture and temperature differently. All four below are 140 x 70cm, so they suit the cot beds above.

Tutti Bambini Sprung Cot Bed Mattress 140x70cm (First pick). Sprung core with a quilted outer layer, a hypoallergenic breathable cover and a water-resistant wipeable surface for the inevitable leaks. Around £60.00 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

Mother Nurture Classic Spring Cot Bed Mattress 140x70x10cm (Best for long-term use). Spring design under a hypoallergenic Cosyquilt cover, made in the UK. The 10cm depth suits cot beds with higher base positions. Around £68.34 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

KATY Superior Deluxe Spring Cot Bed Mattress 140x70x10cm (Best for small rooms). British-made sprung mattress with high-density CMHR28 foam and a waterproof membrane under the stockinette cover. Made without antimony, phosphorus or arsenic based fire retardants. Around £89.99 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

The Little Green Sheep Twist Cot Bed Mattress 140x70cm (Best premium frame). Handmade from coconut coir, latex and a wool layer, with a breathable cotton herringbone cover. The natural fibres move moisture away from the sleep surface. Around £219.95 at the time of writing, so check the live price before you commit, because cot prices move with stock.

Whatever you choose, a fitted sheet that stays tucked in matters as much as the mattress itself. Our guide to cot mattresses goes deeper on fillings and firmness, and a room temperature check is worth doing in the same week, because a bigger bed means more air around your baby.

How to Make the Switch: A Two Week Plan

You do not need a strict method to move a baby from a bedside crib to a cot. You need the same bedtime routine, a consistent final location, and enough patience to ride out a bad night or two. This sequence is the one that causes the least disruption.

1. Set the cot up in your room first. Put it beside your bed with the mattress on a high base setting, so you can still lower your baby in without bending far. Room sharing still applies while your baby is under six months.
2. Move the first nap of the day into the cot. Daytime sleep is the easiest to relocate, and it lets your baby meet the cot while sleep pressure is high rather than at 2am.
3. Keep the rest of the routine identical. Same bath, same feed, same sleeping bag, same order of events. Only the final location changes, so the cot inherits the cues that already mean sleep.
4. Use familiar bedding. Sleep with the cot sheet for a night or two so it carries your scent before your baby sleeps on it.
5. Move bedtime into the cot once naps are going well. Settle your baby the way you normally would, then put them down while they are still sleepy rather than fully asleep.
6. Stay close and be boring about it. Sit beside the cot, comfort your baby there rather than lifting them back into your arms, and stretch the distance over the following nights.

Expect the third or fourth night to be the worst one. That is usually where parents decide the cot is not working, when in fact they are one or two nights from the point where it starts to stick. If you are also managing night feeds, it helps to keep those in place and separate from the move, and our guide to making a next to me crib more comfortable is a reminder of how much small adjustments matter to a baby who is used to sleeping right beside you.

Common Mistakes That Set the Transition Back

Most failed transitions share one of four causes, and all four are avoidable.

• Changing the sleep space and the room at the same time. A cot beside your bed is one change. A cot in a new nursery is two, and one is enough for a month.
• Dropping night feeds in the same week. Sleep location and feeding are separate jobs. Doing both at once raises the upset and lowers the odds of either working.
• Giving up on the hard night. A few nights back in the crib resets the whole process and makes the next attempt harder.
• Moving during a leap, illness or teething. Pick a calm stretch if you can. If a hard week hits, pause and start again rather than pushing through it.

One product decision is worth making before you start: keep the white noise and the room temperature consistent, because those two carry over from crib to cot and give your baby something unchanged in the new bed. A white noise machine and a room thermometer are the two pieces of kit that follow a baby from one bed to the next, and a sleeping bag in the right tog removes loose bedding from the cot at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I move my baby from a bedside crib to a cot?

Most babies move between four and six months, or sooner if they start rolling, pushing up on hands and knees or pulling on the sides of the crib. Movement is the deciding factor. A bedside crib is a newborn sleep space, and once your baby is mobile the low sides stop being safe.

Can I use a cot in my bedroom instead of moving my baby to the nursery?

Yes, and it is the safer option for the first six months. The Lullaby Trust advises room sharing for at least the first six months, so a cot beside your bed gives your baby a bigger sleep surface without moving them into a separate room. Many cot beds fit beside a double bed if the room allows.

What size mattress does a cot bed take?

Most full-size cot beds take a 140 x 70cm mattress, and compact and mini cot beds usually take 120 x 60cm. Check the frame's stated size before buying, because a mattress that leaves a gap at the edges is a safety problem, not just an annoyance.

Can I reuse the bedside crib mattress in the cot?

No. Bedside crib mattresses are a different size and shape, and they are not designed to be a firm, flat surface for a mobile baby. A cot needs its own mattress that fits the frame tightly with no gaps at the sides.

How long does the move from crib to cot usually take?

Plan for two to four weeks of consistency. Naps move first, nights follow. Babies who adapt quickly do it in a few days, and babies who have only ever slept right next to you often need longer. Going back and forth is what stretches it out.

What if my baby will not settle in the cot at all?

Check the obvious physical causes first: the room temperature, a mattress that smells unfamiliar, and whether the cot base is set high enough that you can lower your baby in without waking them. Then keep the bedtime routine identical and change only the final location. Pausing during teething or illness is fine, and consistency on either side of the pause is what matters.

For more sleep guides, visit My Baby Now.