Most baby cots and cotbeds are made from wood and come in various colours, such as natural, brown, and white. Although cot styles may vary, many have evenly spaced bars or slats around the entire cot and others have evenly spaced bars on the sides and solid back and front ends. For the safety of the child, the bars should not be farther than 45 mm to 65 mm apart.

Some cots or cot beds have one or two dropsides. These slide down when prompted from the cribs' exterior and should be secure enough to prevent a baby from moving them. A dropside makes putting babies in and taking them out the cot easier. Along the top of the dropsides or crib sides, some baby cots have a plastic teething rail for a baby's teething pleasure.

Many baby cots and cot beds are available with height adjustable mattress bases. The base of the cots or cotbeds can be lowered as the baby grows. When the baby is small, the base should be as high up as possible, making the baby easier to access. Later, the base can be moved down for the baby who has begun pulling up in the cot and for one who is cruising.

Cot beds are a good investment because they convert into beds. They make the transition from baby cot to cotbed easier for toddlers. Usually, converting a cot to a bed involves removing the dropside from the cotbeds. Sometimes one of the dropsides can be replaced with a shorter safety railing to prevent falls. Depending on a child's size, a cotbed can be used for over four years. Before purchasing a cotbed, it's important to make sure the warranty covers more than two years.

Once a baby cot or cotbed is purchased, the proper mattress must be purchased too. All mattresses do not fit every cot. It's important that the mattress isn't too small for the cot. It should fit perfectly and securely in the cot, so a baby's body parts don't get caught between the mattress and the cot.

After purchasing a cot and mattress, some families invest in a baby travel cot too. A variety of baby travel cots are available. Some come with netted tops and others have handles to make them easier to tote. Because of the collapsible sides and fabric of some, a travel cot can be used as a mobile sleeping area in the home or used as a bed for a baby when traveling. A portable baby travel cot can be used for play and rest. In many cases, with a push of a few buttons, the travel cot can be broken down and loaded into the trunk of a vehicle and used as a sleeping cot or a playpen once you reach your destination.

Baby cots, cotbeds, and baby travel cots should make sleeping safe and comfortable for babies. In addition, purchasing the right cot should make life with a baby easier and more peaceful for parents. Selecting a cot should not be a random act but one that is based on research. Most importantly, before anyone purchases a cot, he or she should make certain the baby cot conforms to the current BS EN 716 safety code.