Hello, hello! How are you all? Hope everyone is having a brilliant summer – have you managed to squeeze in a lovely holiday? Lots has been going on here behind the scenes as I’ve been working on launching a new venture – more on that to come soon – and Jules is in the process of changing jobs so we have spent the summer in London. Mimi is growing so, so fast and we have well and truly left the newborn days behind us; she has hit the six month point with a very quick crawl so I think my next interiors project will be baby-proofing our flat (that’s a project I’d prefer skip to be honest).
I have had lots of questions since posting pictures of Mimi’s nursery (you can see the full tour here) about how she has been getting on in her own room. We actually moved her in there when she was four months old, a couple of months earlier than is recommended, as she started sleeping through the night when she was eight weeks (lucky us, I know!) and having her in our room meant we disturbed her when we came to bed and she disturbed my sleep as I woke with every tiny noise she made so it wasn’t really working for either of us. Also, she started to become quite mobile at four months old and was busting out of her co-sleeper – we had the Snuzpod, which was brilliant – so it felt like the right time to move her to her big girl cot, the beautiful Sebra Kili cot bed* (see how we made that transition at the bottom of this post). We got the cot from Houseology and although they have since sold out they do have some other rather lovely kids furniture and accessories including this baby rocker that’s the most stylish baby item I’ve ever seen! You can see Mimi happily rocking in hers here.
It goes without saying that the Sebra cot is beautiful and I won’t deny that the Danish aesthetic was the main thing that attracted me to it. However, I was very interested to know whether the design would live up to the practical demands that would be placed on it. I couldn’t find any thorough reviews of it online so I hope this will be useful to anyone considering getting it for their own child. Before I go on, I do want to acknowledge that Mimi sleeps incredibly well – I know sleep can be a very sensitive subject with parents so I just want to make clear that I know how lucky we both are and I don’t want anyone to think that I am making light of the issue.
Garbo & Friends cot bumper from Smallable.
Anyhoo, back to the cot. Other than how beautiful it looks (it genuinely is the first thing anyone comments on as soon as they walk into the nursery) the second thing that appealed to me about the cot was its smaller than average size. I really wanted to have a day bed in the nursery for feeding during the day and if family wanted to stay so we didn’t have a huge amount of space and some cots are flipping huge! The Sebra Kili cot bed is the perfect size for a small room but doesn’t feel restrictive for Mimi. Also, it is designed to grow with your baby as the sides are removable so it can become a toddler bed and the ends stretch out to become a junior bed until the age of about seven with a mattress extension piece. This justifies the high price tag, in my mind, as there’s no need to invest in a toddler or junior bed.
Before Mimi was born I really had no idea how I would use any of the ‘baby stuff’ and I kind of thought I wouldn’t use the cot at all until she was ready to move into her own room at six months old. However, the base of the cot is adjustable so that you can have it at its highest level and easily reach a newborn. That made it the perfect place to safely pop her down when she was teeny tiny if I needed to be hands free or to dress her there. Look at this cute picture of the one and only time I managed to put her down there for a nap when she was teeny. As she got a bit more alert she loved lying there watching a moving mobile so that gave me precious time to do the million other things I had fallen behind with. As she began to move around and learning to roll she loved playing in there and exploring how to use the sides of the cot as launchpads for movement. It was definitely a very well used space.
Once Mimi moved into her own room and we made the tricky transition from co-sleeper crib to full size cot we lowered the mattress base and I really began to appreciate the design. Unlike most other cots the bars don’t go all the way round at mattress level so it feels so much cosier and less exposed. We stayed with family recently and she slept in a traditional cot with bars and she woke up so many times with stray hands and feet getting caught between them and she got so distracted being able to see straight into the room. I really, really love that the Sebra cot’s sides are blocked in and I think it made the transition from crib to cot so much easier.
Mimi’s nursery. You can see the full nursery tour here.
By adding a really sturdy thick foam bumper* this has become the perfect cot for Mimi; she loves it and sleeps so well. The bumper stops her banging her head, which is what she was doing when she first moved into the cot as she moves around so much in her sleep and whilst she’s settling herself. It also makes it feel more cosy and she often rests her back against it and sleeps on her side or wedged into the corner. So cute.
I chose this cot bumper from my favourite kids’ store Smallable because I really wanted to use wallpaper in Mimi’s room as I can remember my own when I was a small child and all the stories I would make up based on the characters in the design. However, we didn’t really have the time to paper the nursery so this bumper feels like a really good alternative. The beautiful detailed illustrations are quirky and unique and I can see us basing bed time stories around the funny characters for years to come as the bumper can be used when it becomes a toddler bed, too. Sometimes, I hang around out of sight when I put her to bed or down for a nap and watch her stroking the bumper and chatting as though she’s trying to play with the funny animals in the drawings. She’s too much!
I was very nervous about making the transition from Mimi’s small co-sleeper crib to a full size cot, I’m always worried that the good sleep spell will be broken, so these were the steps I took:
- When Mimi grew out of her swaddle bag at about 12 weeks we decided it was time to go “swaddle-free”, which was a major step as she had slept in it since week two and I’m pretty sure it was the biggest contributing factor to her sleeping through the night. She thrashed around like a baby dolphin without the swaddle but she was also in a Sleepyhead so that helped and after a few nights she was pretty settled again.
- At about 16 weeks we decided to take away the Sleepyhead as she was just getting too big for it and started to look uncomfortable. Therefore, we put her into a sleeping bag straight into the co-sleeper crib. Again, it definitely unsettled her and she thrashed around and woke herself up but after a few nights she was ok.
- At 18 weeks when Mimi learnt to roll we decided it was time to start the process of moving her into her big cot in her own room. The first thing we did was place the crib into the big cot so that she could get used to being in different surroundings but still have the comfort of her familiar crib. We also hung the mobile she had had over her crib in our room over her big cot, as well as taking her light show and the same toy. This worked really well and I don’t think she even noticed that she’d changed rooms.
- At 22 weeks (I should have done this a lot sooner!) I realised that the reason Mimi was waking up so early was that she was desperate to roll over in the crib, still placed inside the big cot, but couldn’t as the crib was too small for her to move around in. I made the decision that the crib had to go and we needed to finally rip the plaster off and put her in to the cot properly.
- The first week in the cot was quite unsettled as she was learning to crawl at this time so she would wake herself up by moving around so much and start doing laps of the cot. Also, because she had been so used to being so snug in the Sleepyhead and then the small crib she couldn’t get over the fact that she suddenly had so much space. She never really cried or got upset to the point of me needing to go to her during the night but she was more tired during the day as she had had less sleep than normal. I was also tired as I would wake when she did and stay awake worrying about her. The best decision we made was to get a cot bumper as this stopped her banging her head when she moved around and gave her a feeling of cosiness again. Since we put the cot bumper in she has not woken once during the night and she is so happy in her cot.
I mean, just look at her (and that dreamy cot!).
If you do have any questions about the cot please do leave a comment or pop me an email. Obviously, I haven’t tried it out as a toddler or junior bed yet but I would highly recommend it as a cot for a baby. We are both very, very happy with it.
Katy x
*Sebra cot c/o Houseology
*Cot bumper c/o Smallable
Such lovely nursery! I wish I had space for two of these cots as toddler beds.
I just wonder, how do you cooe with night feeds? Isn’t it tiring to walk between the rooms?
She’s adorable!
Author
Ah, thank you! I think so too 🙂
Mimi stopped feeding during the night from about 8 weeks – bizarre, I know – and started sleeping 7pm-6am so I haven’t had to do night feeds since then, which is why her going into her own room earlier than normal has really worked for us. X
Wow that’s amazing! Do you mind if I ask if you followed any sort of routine? I’m expecting my first baby and would love any advice!
Author
Hello Jessica. To be honest, I didn’t read anything or follow any particular advice when she was tiny. I just tried to be really consistent; when she woke and cried in the night I would feed her back to sleep and then always place her back in her co-sleeper – that was it really. I guess the consistency helped to make her a good sleeper but I think she’s just a naturally good sleeper anyway. When she turned six months I did sleep training for her naps, which involved putting her down in her cot awake and controlled crying. I think the best thing is to get past the first couple of months and once you know more about your baby you can begin to figure out a way of making it work for both of you. Good luck with new babe! x
Oh, Mimi is an angel! So adorable. Love the cot and that bumper is magical; the illustrations are wonderful. I have a six week old and so I’ve read your tips for transitioning to a full size cot with interest. I like the idea of moving his new born mobile and toy with him. What lightshow do you use? Maybe I’ll start using one of those now and keep it with him until he’s Mimi’s age. Thanks in advance for any help! x
What a lovely cot. Would love one!
Lovely post ???? How do you find the sebra mattress? I have just purchased the cot and was looking at alternative mattresses to ensure my baby has the most comfortable experience but am struggling to find any that will fit.
The question marks should have been an emoji 🙂
Author
Hi Becky. I got mine from Houseology but you can get it here too: https://www.themodernnursery.com/products/sebra-baby-and-junior-cot-bed-mattress I got the extension piece too that can be slotted in to make it a junior bed. It’s a great mattress; very firm and comfortable. X
where did you get the bedding for this cot?
Author
I got the fitted sheet from the Natural Baby Shower:https://www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/products/the-little-green-sheep-organic-jersey-fitted-sheet-cot-60x120cm We still use a sleeping bag so don’t have a pillow or duvet yet. Hope that helps! x
Hi Katy, do you know the brand of the bumper? The link has expired and it’s so lovely I’d like to find one for our little one. We are planning on moving our baby from a sleepyhead/snuzpod to a Sebra cot so we will see how it goes!
Thanks, Emma
Author
Oh sorry that the link has expired! It’s made by Garbo and Friends. Hope that helps xx
Is it hard to find sheets for this cot mattress? I live in America and although most places ship here I just want to make sure it’s easy to buy sheets for both baby and junior extended size. When I look on smallable it always seems like the sheets are 10 cm off from the Juno cot mattress.
Let me know what you think! This is so helpful. I was wondering what the extension piece would feel like because it seems so separated but it sounds like they have it figured out from your post (and why wouldn’t the danish have figured it out!)
Author
Hi Jenny. I have found it easy to find sheets for the cot mattress 60x120cm (I think!). It doesn’t really matter if they are slightly too large as the mattress is quite deep so it can wrap round the mattress and this still creates a good fit x
Hi Jenny! I do hope you see this. I am in the US as well and considering the crib but concerned about the sheets, and mattress and wonder if it is too small. Did you get the Sebra? Do you love it?
Hello, thanks for your post!
The mattress is only 10cm height. Does the cot bed come with a mattress box or something?
Thanks,
Jeehee
Author
Hi jeehee,
Sorry, I don’t quite understand your question. The mattress is sold separately – not sure what you mean by mattress box.
Katy
Hi Katy
Thank you for the great review, it is very helpful. May I ask, now that we are 20 months on are your thoughts on the cot still the same. I.E. Do you and Mimi still love it?
Kind regards
Simon
Author
Hi there. Mimi is now nearly 2.5yrs and we are still going very strong with the cot and I don’t intend on turning it into a junior bed until she is at least 3yr. We’ve had absolutely no problems with it; it’s lovely and cosy and very strong (despite her jumping around in it like a mad thing!). I would definitely strongly recommend it x
Hi Katy, thanks for this really helpful review! We are thinking of buying the Juno cot, but one thing I haven’t been able to find out is how high the mattress is off the ground when at its lowest setting? And when it converts to a toddler bed, do the sides of the bed sit here guest than the top of the mattress? Ie, would it be difficult (too high off ground/side in the way) for a toddler to get out of it by themselves? A few friends have recommended to get cot beds that at toddler stage if they wake early they can get out by themselves safely and start playing, rather than having to shout for help to get out! Sorry to make you the defacto experts on all things Juno, but you’re right – there’s very little info online about them and the Sebra website is down!
Author
Hi Louise. We don;t actually plan on converting it to a toddler bed as I don’t want Mimi getting out of bed herself as I don’t think she’ll go sleep ever again if she knows she can get up!!! Although we are lucky as she doesn’t wake before 7am, which is when we all need to be up anyway so we don’t have the problem of an early riser. I think we’ll keep her in the cot until she is about 3 or 3.5yrs and then convert it straight to a junior bed. As a toddler bed though the mattress sits about 10cm below the side of the cot and it is quite high off the ground compared to some other cots but I reckon a toddler would have no problem whatsoever getting down although it may prove tricky getting back in. I will measure how far the base of the cot is from the ground when Mimi wakes and let you know the exact measurement. Hope that helps! X
Sorry, Katy. I should have proofed that comment! That should have read ‘do the sides of the bed sit higher than the top of the mattress?’
Hi Katy! Just wanted to ask if you think the bumper is safe and “breathable” for a baby? Ive got a 4month old girl who loves to roll around and I have the same crib as yours, its just that I dont like hearing the banging of her head on the crib, and when I tried to use the sebra bumper, it cushioned her “bumping” but now Im paranoid about her being suffocated with the use of the bumper.. any thoughts on this?
Author
Hi there. I can’t give any expert opinion on suffocation obviously, and I know that it is not recommended to use a bumper for this reason. However, I didn’t start using a bumper until Mimi was about five months old (for the same reason as you that she was bumping her head on the side of the cot all night!) and she could roll both ways by then and was very mobile so I didn’t feel that she was at too much risk as she could move herself out of any odd positions. I hope that makes sense! x
Hi, can you please help advise what mattress sheets you use?
I’ve ordered this cot bed for my son, but can’t find any advise on sheets.
Thank you! x
Author
Hi there. I bought these ones (120x70cm): https://www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/collections/bedding/products/the-little-green-sheep-organic-jersey-fitted-sheet-stokke-cot-70x120cm xx
Can you advise on how you kept Mimi safe as an infant while co sleeping using the cot? I am concerned about safe sleeping while affording easy access for my partner during the night for feeding.
Author
I didn’t co-sleep with her but the Snuz pod that I used for the first few months gave me easy access for night feeding.
Hi Katy,
Would you be able to tell me where that beautiful rug is from?
Thanks!
Author
It’s from Urbanara: https://www.urbanara.co.uk/products/rug-off-white-new-wool-kolong?variant=13711158673510&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9vST1PC34wIVlud3Ch3iKwdtEAQYASABEgJb7PD_BwE x
Hi Katy – thanks for this post! Did you end up trying the junior bed? If so, at what age? And how easy was it for Mimi to get in/out by herself? Really curious about this aspect of the bed and there isn’t much info about it anywhere else. Thanks 🙂
Author
Yes! She’s in that now and we love it. The mattress is set down by about 10cm so no risk of rolling out and it’s nice and long so will definitely last. Go to my Instagram account and you’ll be able to see pictures of it @apartmentapothecary xx
We also have this cot and love it. How did you find the height of the sides when it is lowered. I’m only 5”2 and worried that I’m going to struggle to get our baby girl into the cot. I don’t believe the sides go down. Am I right in thinking that?
Author
I’ve never had a problem with the height of the cot even with the base lowered (I’m 5”4). You can actually remove one of the sides altogether when they’re a toddler though so that might help xx
Hi Katy! I am in the US and have never seen one of these other than online. How did you feel about the quality (chipping etc) and how easy was it to drop the mattress lower as she went from newborn to a toddler? Are there 4 screws that you take out to lower the mattress panel?
Author
Hi there! Very good quality; no chipping other than where Mimi chewed the cot rail when she was teething. Also very easy to drop the mattress. All in all we have loved the cot and Mimi is now using it as a bed and it’s really great – she’s never fallen out of it as it’s a great design x
Hi Katy, thanks for this post and your replies to all the associated comments – they’re super, super helpful! (I hope you’re getting commission from all the associated sales 😉) I’m seriously considering this cot for my baby boy who is 4 months and soon about to make the move from his co-sleeper. My only concern is he is very long (91st percentile) and I’m worried choosing a smaller than average cot may be a mistake. Does it feel like there’s still enough space for baby as they grow, even a baby on the bigger side? Or do you think this is better suited to a smaller baby?
Thanks in advance!!
Author
Hi there! I couldn’t find a thing about the cot when I was considering it so I’m glad this thread helps! Mimi was also a big baby and fairly tall and she always slept brilliantly in it. However, we did get a cot bumper as she used to hit her head on the sides perhaps because it’s slightly smaller than some cots. We had to extend the cot into the junior bed when she was 2.5 yrs as she had got too big for the cot but compared to some friends that was quite late for that move anyway. The extended bed is so brilliant as the mattress is set down by 10cm so she has never rolled out of it and it is long enough that it will last her for at least a couple more years (she’s now 4). Hope that helps! x
Thinking to get this bed for my daughter and love that I found your review.
I can see the side of the bed is higher than normal cot. Does it make the baby climb out of bed at a early age?