Cradle or basket
It is not certain that the cradle or basket you yourself lay in as a child meets today's safety requirements. The side walls should be at least 27.5 centimeters high. From the mattress up to the edge of the side wall, there should be at least 20 centimeters.
When the child is able to sit, crawl or pull itself up, it can easily fall out and injure itself. Then it's time to replace the basket or cradle with a cot.
Baby or cot
Cots are intended from birth until the child is around 2.5 years old. The first thing you should do when buying a cot is to check if it is sturdy. Feel free to push the bed back and forth a little to get an impression of how stable it will be with an active child in it.
Important distances
Then check if the bed meets the requirements for safe distances. The distance from the bed base and up the side walls, as well as between the bars in the bed base, must be a maximum of 2.5 centimetres. This way the child avoids getting their feet stuck.
The distance between the sprinklers in a cot should be no more than 6 centimeters. Then the child risks getting its head stuck and suffocating. From the bottom of the bed up to the edge of the bed should be at least 60 centimetres, so that the child is unable to climb over the edge.
When should you lower the bottom?
Many cots have a base that is adjustable in height. When the bed is in the top position, there should be at least 30 centimetres from the bed base and up to the edge. This position is only intended for small babies, so it is easy to lift the baby in and out of bed.
You should switch to the lowest and safest position, with 60 centimetres between bottom and top, as soon as your child tries to sit or stand up.
From child to junior
When your child starts to show signs of climbing out of bed, you should change to a junior bed. You can also remove one of the sides of the crib, if the bed is designed for this.