What size bed for a baby?

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What size bed for a baby?

Getting ready to become parents and furnish your future baby's room? Rêves & Merveilles can help you make the right choice, as there are many different crib sizes to suit your desires and your home. Whether you're looking for a cradle, a bassinet, a classic 60 x 120 cm cot with bars, or a 70 x 140 cm cot that can grow with you, it's not always easy to find the right size.

Why is it important to choose the right crib size?

After spending 9 months in the womb, the crib is baby's first bed. So it's essential to choose the right size cradle to guarantee baby's safety, comfort, sleep quality and well-being.

A cradle generally measures 40 x 90 cm or 45 x 90 cm. This small size allows baby to feel cocooned, protected and soothed, just as he did in his mother's womb. Also, for your child's safety, it's important to stress that a cradle that's too big or too small can be dangerous. If the cradle is too big, baby could move around on the mattress in a risky way. Conversely, a cradle that's too small will limit baby's movements and be detrimental to his development.
Finally, even if a cradle is the perfect cot for a newborn baby, its use is short-lived. In fact, the cradle will only be used for 3 to 6 months.

What are the standard crib dimensions?

For a nursery or a child's bedroom, the standard cot size is 60 x 120 cm. This is the classic crib with bars, offering enough space for your child while being perfectly safe.

Another option is to choose a 70 x 140 cm cot from birth, which your child will be able to keep for longer, as this cot is often supplied with a conversion kit, making it possible for the cot to evolve. Your child will be able to keep it until he or she switches to a full-size bed, either 90 x 190 cm or 90 x 200 cm. Today, some parents even buy their children 120 x 200 cm beds, as this size of cot allows them to keep the bed even longer.

What are the different types of beds and their dimensions?

To meet every need, our exclusive range of baby and toddler beds offers many different types of beds, all perfectly sized for your child's age. As you can imagine, all the cribs, cots and cots for toddlers selected by Rêves & Merveilles offer maximum comfort and safety for your child's sleep. Here are the different types of cribs available:

Cradle

The cradle is 40 x 90 cm or 40 x 95 cm. It's baby's first bed when he leaves the maternity ward, and can be used until he's 5 or 6 months old, depending on his size and weight.

In addition to its aesthetic qualities, as the cradle is often a major element in the decoration of a nursery, the cradle also has the advantage of sometimes being offered with a rocking movement that will lull baby to sleep. Also, wheels sometimes enable it to be moved easily from one room to another (office, bathroom, dining room etc.) and finally, let's not forget the cododo cradles that attach to the parents' beds. Cododos are perfect, provided they comply strictly with current safety standards.

Our online boutique Rêves & Merveilles is the place to find the most beautiful baby cribs.

Bassinet

The bassinet is the smallest of the cribs. Designed to be carried anywhere, anytime, the bassinet is often made of wicker or rattan. This size of crib is around 35 to 45 cm wide and 70 to 85 cm long. Light as a basket, the bassinet is perfect for baby's first weeks or months of life. But be sure to comply with safety standards.

Crib with bars

The crib with bars is the safest crib option and the most widely chosen by families. The crib's bars allow the child to observe the world around him, while preventing him from falling out of bed.
There are 2 sizes of cot bed:

  • 60 x 120 cm, suitable for children up to 3 years of age,
  • the 70 x 140 cm size, for children aged 0 to 6, is often offered with an evolving version.

Whatever size crib you choose, Rêves et Merveilles advises you to choose a model that meets all current safety standards in terms of spacing between bars, height, choice of materials and use of non-toxic paints. Beware of the old white or natural wood crib found at a flea market or in an attic! Safety comes first. Even for an umbrella bed.
Another tip: always choose a bed with a height-adjustable base to suit your child's age - your back will thank you!

The structure with vertical bed rails on the sides creates a secure space for your baby, while allowing air to circulate. To this type of crib, we recommend you add a cot bumper that will make a lovely, cozy cocoon for your baby.

Crib bed

The evolving cot is the ideal child's bed, because it adapts to your child's growth and means you don't have to change cots every 3 years, whether in the baby's bedroom or the child's bedroom. In fact, and still for the same price, an evolving crib changes, stretches and transforms to accompany each stage of your little one's development.

Some evolving crib models, like the Oliver Furniture Mini+ evolving crib, are a marvel of ingenuity. This baby bed evolves from a cot to a junior bed and then to a classic bed. Your child can keep it until he's 10! Not bad, eh?

Most beds (and especially 70 x 140 cm bar cots) are now available with an evolving version, enabling you to remove one side of the bed, for example, when your child expresses this desire and it seems big enough to avoid any accidents. The evolving bed can even have a second life, transforming itself into a pretty bench in an entrance hall, dining room or guest room when your child no longer needs it. It really is a worthwhile investment, so don't hesitate to choose a quality model.

Montessori bed

The Montessori bed, which lies directly on the floor, was designed by an Italian pediatrician of the same name, who believed that children should make their own experiences, and that this would contribute to their development and well-being.

The child is thus perfectly autonomous in getting in and out of bed, and never runs the risk of falling. This floor bed also allows parents to lie down next to their little one when the evening story comes, for a lovely moment of sharing and tenderness. Often available with a roof, this Montessori hut bed becomes your little one's refuge and cocoon. Be careful, however, not to use it with newborns: it's better to wait until the child is older before allowing him or her such autonomy.

How to choose between a 60x120 cm and a 70x140 cm crib?

Your baby will spend many hours in his cot, especially during his first 12 months. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find your way through all the options and make the right choice, especially when it comes to the size of the bed you choose, whether it's made of solid wood or melamine-coated chipboard.

To help you, we've tried to summarize a few criteria to consider when choosing between a 60 x 120 cm bed and a 70 x 140 cm bed:

  • First of all, the space available in your child's bedroom. In a small bedroom, a 60 x 120 cm bed may be more suitable to conserve space. But if the size of the room allows it, a 70 x 140 cm bed will be the best choice, as you'll be able to keep it for longer.

  • Your child's age and length of use are also essential criteria. Both beds can be used from birth, but only the 70 x 140 cm bed can be kept beyond your child's 2-3 years, giving him more room to move around as he grows. A 70 x 140 cm bed will also offer much greater comfort until your child is around 4-5 years old.

  • Finally, the possibility of upgrading the bed with, for example, a conversion kit is more often offered for 70 x 140 cm size beds, so that they can be kept for longer.

Which mattress to choose for the size of your baby's cot?

At Rêves & Merveilles, we know how stressful baby's arrival and preparations can be. Our biggest concern as parents is whether baby will have a good night's sleep, and whether the mattress chosen will be the most suitable for him or her.

First and foremost, the most important criterion for your child's safety is to choose a mattress perfectly adapted to the shape and size of the crib, so he won't get an arm or leg stuck. Empty spaces should be avoided at all costs.

Aside from the spring mattress, which is rarely used for babies, there are 2 main types of mattress:

  • The foam mattress, which is very light and offers firm support, important for safety.
  • Natural-fiber mattresses are more environmentally friendly. Whether coir, latex or wool, the most important thing is that it's hypoallergenic and anti-transpirant for your baby.

When it comes to safety and standards, be sure to look out for the certifications listed on baby mattress descriptions. The Oeko-Tex or Certipur labels are guarantees of quality, as are all the crib mattresses you'll find on our site.

In conclusion, in addition to baby mattress dimensions, you should also consider choosing a firm, rigid crib mattress to ensure your child's spine is well supported. Foam mattresses, spring mattresses, mattresses made from natural materials (coconut, organic cotton), hypoallergenic mattresses, removable covers, anti-dust mite mattresses - these are just some of the quality criteria you'll find in our selection of crib mattresses.

When to move from a cot to a junior bed?

Moving from a crib to a junior bed is a very important step in your child's life, and it's not always easy to know at what age this transition should take place. Every child is different. Some, because of their size or their desire to explore the world more quickly, will quickly feel cramped in their cot, while others will be fine in it for a longer period.

But it's usually around 2-3 years of age that many children leave their cribs. Indeed, when your child grows too big and his feet start to touch the edges of the bed, the quality of his sleep and his comfort can be affected, so it may be time for a change!

To ease the transition to a junior bed, don't hesitate to add a safety rail, or choose beds that are close to the floor, for example.

What are the advantages of an evolving bed over a standard bed?

As we mentioned earlier, there are many advantages to an evolutionary bed over a standard bed. It's a more economical, practical and durable solution, as it can accompany your child through the various phases of growth and development.

In fact, an evolving bed can be used by your child for longer than a standard bed, and can even be recycled as a pretty bench in a guest room or hallway.

Last but not least, it guarantees your child greater comfort, more space and therefore a better night's sleep. If you have the space available in your child's bedroom, this is our recommendation.

Our article on beds wouldn't be complete without a special mention for our magnificent beds on Rêves et Merveilles, which are as original as they are high quality. Take a look at our selection of mezzanine beds and slide beds.

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