10 of the best minimalist baby cots for the simple nursery

Babies come with a lot of stuff and one of the biggest investment buys is probably the cot. The centrepiece of any nursery, you want to get this one right.

In my ongoing ‘Best of’ series I round up the most simple, stylish designs, from compact desks and kitchen bins to coffee tables and design books. I’ve never focused on the kids room before, but today I’m turning my attention to the best minimalist baby cots. With a baby I know how hard it is to find the time to do anything, let alone have a moment to sit down and do your research, so I’ve done the hard work for you and found 10 well-crafted, minimalist designs for the simple, considered home.

It’s so easy with a little one to just throw money at the problem and buy an endless array of equipment, gadgets, products and designs (I’m guilty of those late night emergency Amazon buys too). But with a baby cot, it pays to think carefully about what you want and assess the space you’ve got. A baby grows so quickly, you don’t necessarily want to have forked out a fortune, only for them to grow out of it in a couple of months. There’s plenty of flexible designs now that can adapt and grow with your child to see them from baby cot, through toddler bed, to junior bed. Rather than buy three different designs from the age of 0 to 10, these minimalist cot beds offer a more sustainable approach, offering longevity and durability.

Take our convertible MINI+ cot bed by Oliver Furniture [ad-press product] – described as five beds in one, it offers a complete solution that can be used from birth to nine years of age. It can be set in five different versions and we’ve already got the conversion kit and mattress extension ready for when we need it. The price point is high, but when you divide the cost by nine years it doesn’t seem all that steep. Best of all it offers peace of mind that we won’t have to buy anything else for a while (when Ophelia will probably be choosing her own furniture for her room!).

So here you’ll find 10 of the best minimalist baby cots, ranging in price from just £49 to a little over £900. They’re all characterised by a streamlined form and unfussy, unshowy details. A number of these designs come in a variety of colours, so you don’t always have to stick to plain old white or safe Scandi grey either. Greener choices are indicated where brands have used FSC certified wood or non-toxic paints.

*Please be aware that some of these minimalist baby cots come in two different sizes – normally for a 120 x 60cm or 140 x 70cm mattress. Indicated below and check before you buy. 
1. SNIGLAR cot, £40, IKEA – An affordable design made of hardwearing solid beech, with a cot base can be positioned at two different heights.  
2. Lukas cot bed by Troll, £299, Scandiborn – An elegant design in soft grey or white, made of birch timber sourced locally in Latvia and finished with water-based paint. It offers three base positions and comes with a conversion rail to convert it into a toddler bed. Available in two sizes. 
3. Mini cot, currently on sale, was £129, now £108.36, MoKee – A compact design made in Europe using exclusively FSC-certified beech wood. Available in eight contemporary colours, the design can be customised with a drawer, felt bumpers, a changing mat or mobile. It can be used up until the age of three – a removable panel transforms the baby cot into a toddler bed. MoKee ship direct from their workshops hence the competitive price. *Greener choice
4. Cot bed MINI+ in white and oak by Oliver Furniture, £909, Scandiborn – An adaptable cot bed by renowned Danish brand Oliver Furniture that can transform into a junior bed, serving a child up to the age of nine years old. Oliver Furniture’s designs are produced under sustainable conditions in Europe, using wood sourced from certified forests and treated with non-toxic, water-based lacquer and paint. See it in-situ in Ophelia’s nursery here. *Greener choice
5. Rémi cot by Combelle, £187, Smallable [affiliate link] – A solid beechwood cot with two levels, made from wood produced in sustainably managed forests. Available in seven different colours and two sizes. Comes with a 10 year guarantee. *Greener choice
6. Luna baby cot by Leander, £399, Huggle – A simple, lightweight design with a streamlined form in solid oak and beech. This cot offers two mattress base heights. A bed rail/sofa front can be bought separately to transform the cot into an open bed for use up to three years of age. Available in two sizes. 
7. Snüz Snüzkot Skandi Cot, £349, John Lewis & Partners [affiliate link] – A Scandinavian-inspired design made with a solid beech frame and stainless steel fixings. It offers three mattress base heights and can be converted into a children’s bed for use up to four years old. Purchase a separate extension kit and extension mattress and the bed can be used until they’re 10.
8. Sebra cot bed in grey, £799.95, Scandiborn – A classic Danish design, originally created by Viggo Einfeldt in the 1940s, that’s been given a modern update in variety of contemporary colours. Like the Oliver Furniture MINI+ bed and many other minimalist baby cots, the Sebra cot can be extended, taking it from newborn to six years of age. The frame is treated in an anti-bacterial, non-toxic and environmentally friendly wooden paint. *Greener choice
9. Petite Baby Cot, £89, Mamas & Papas – A compact design perfect for small spaces and the first six months’ of your baby’s life, available in white or grey.
10. Kimi adjustable cot by Charlie Crane, £507, Smallable [affiliate link] – A rounded, organic-shaped cot from French brand Charlie Crane. Designed to be cocoon like, without the bars that characterise most cot designs, the transparent sides prevent the child from trapping their arms or legs, or climbing over the side of the bed. The safety barriers can later be removed to form a toddler bed that can be used up to the age of five. Available in four colours.