Australian Cot Standards

The process of planning your nursery brings happiness, excitement and a series of decisions that require thought. There is much to consider and it’s important that you focus on creating a safe and comfortable baby nursery for you and your new arrival, a space where you can pass the long days and nights.

At Tasman Eco, we are proud to create products that pass strict Australian standards, where families have complete peace of mind when purchasing a baby cot and other key pieces for their baby nursery. Australian standards represent security and safety, where companies like Tasman Eco take accountability and responsibility for the products sold, including baby cots, chests, bassinets and baby mattresses.

Standards can change and evolve over time, ensuring that the product quality remains high, ensuring that manufacturers maintain a strict safety standards over time.

What do standards look like? 

When looking to purchase a cot, you must check that the baby cot or product complies with the Australian standard, or country standard from where you are purchasing the product. If it does, great! If not, look for a cot that does meet the required standard. If a cot doesn’t meet the Australian standard, you could put your baby at risk. You can see previously recalled cots in Australia here.

When looking for the most appropriate safety standard, in Australia, it will look something like this; AS/NZS 2172:2013.

The Australian standard, AS/NZS 2172:2013 is the most recent standard, in which Australian cots must comply with.

If this seems a little confusing to you, we’ve broken it down a little further to help you understand what the combination of these letters and numbers mean;

AS/NZS: Australian and New Zealand Standards

2172: The number reference for the set of standards you are looking at.

2013: The year that the standards were published.

Australian Baby Cot Standards 

Tasman Eco has tested each of their baby cots against the AS/NZS 2172:2013, they are called Australian/New Zealand Standards; Cots for household use – Safety requirements. 

These standards exist to ensure that the cot and/or product is a safe place for a baby to sleep, that the product is easy to use and functional, also in assessing the product on the materials used, the design, construction, and product performance.

Standard Baby Cot

A standard baby cot must meet the following dimensions and design features;

1. If the cot has an adjustable base height, the vertical distance between the base of the mattress and the top of your cot’s dropside and/or fixed side;
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   • • When the cot base is at the cot height, or at the lower position;
       • It should not be less than 600mm when the dropside has not been put down or dropped.
       • It should not be less than 250mm when the dropside has been put down or dropped.
     • When the cot base is at the bassinet height, or in it’s highest position; 
       • It should not be less than 400mm when the dropside has not been put down or dropped.
       • It should not be less than 250mm when the dropside has been put down or dropped.

2. The distance between the mattress at it’s centred position and any of the cot sides/ends is no more than 20mm. This is to ensure that the child cannot be trapped between the cot sides and the mattress.
3. An adult should be able to easily reach into the cot, with the ability to put the baby in and out of the cot, without too much strain. The cot bed rails should also be enough where the baby can’t climb out of their baby cot.
4. If you have a dropside cot, the dropside should move up and down easily, where the dropside can lock safely into place. The dropside should not be flimsy, it needs to be sturdy and part of the cot.
5. The cot panels, also known as slats, should have a safe distance between each, the recommended distance being no less than 50mm. The panels must be no more than 50mm apart to ensure that the baby’s arms and legs cannot be caught between the panels.
6. If the baby cot is made of timber, the manufacturer must not have used any harmful chemicals. The timber should be safe and gentle to touch, for both babies and parents.
7. There shouldn’t be any parts that stick out from the main structure of the cot, however if there is, these should be less than 5mm.
8. Your baby’s mattress represents a very important part of the child’s safety. The cot mattress should be firm, using materials that help your little one sleep comfortably, promoting good air circulation. Your mattress should be correctly sized for your cot, you can find the recommended mattress size on the cot base. The space between the mattress and the walls of the cot should be kept to a minimum, the space should be less than 20mm, this prevents the likelihood of your child being caught in a gap if rolling.  Learn more about choosing a mattress here and you can check out the Tasman Eco mattress collection here.

All Tasman Eco standard baby cots meet Australian standard, AS/NZS 2172:2013. Tasman Eco is committed to designing and manufacturing nursery furniture, giving parents and families the peace of mind they are buying with safety front of mind. Explore the Tasman Eco cot collection here.

Compact Cots

Similar to standard baby cots, compact cots follow the same standards, see these below;

1. If the cot has an adjustable base height, the vertical distance between the base of the mattress and the top of your cot’s dropside and/or fixed side;

• When the cot base is at the cot height, or at the lower position;
  • It should not be less than 600mm when the dropside has not been put down or dropped.
  • It should not be less than 250mm when the dropside has been put down or dropped.
• When the cot base is at the bassinet height, or in it’s highest position; 
  • It should not be less than 400mm when the dropside has not been put down or dropped.
  • It should not be less than 250mm when the dropside has been put down or dropped.

2. The distance between the mattress at its centred position and any of the cot sides/ends is no more than 20mm. This is to ensure that the child cannot be trapped between the cot sides and the mattress.
3. An adult should be able to easily reach into the cot, with the ability to put the baby in and out of the cot, without too much strain. The cot bed rails should also be enough where the baby can’t climb out of their baby cot.
4. The cot panels, also known as slats, should have a safe distance between each, the recommended distance being no less than 50mm. The panels must be no more than 50mm apart to ensure that the baby’s arms and legs cannot be caught between the panels.
5. If the baby cot is made of timber, the manufacturer must not have used any harmful chemicals. The timber should be safe and gentle to touch, for both babies and parents.
6. There shouldn’t be any parts that stick out from the main structure of the cot, however if there is, these should be less than 5mm.
7. Your baby’s mattress represents a very important part of the child’s safety. The cot mattress should be firm, using materials that help your little one sleep comfortably, promoting good air circulation. Your mattress should be correctly sized for your cot, you can find the recommended mattress size on the cot base. The space between the mattress and the walls of the cot should be kept to a minimum, the space should be less than 20mm, this prevents the likelihood of your child being caught in a gap if rolling.  Learn more about choosing a mattress here and you can check out the Tasman Eco mattress collection here.

All Tasman Eco compact baby cots meet Australian standard, AS/NZS 2172:2013. Tasman Eco is committed to designing and manufacturing nursery furniture, giving parents and families the peace of mind they are buying with safety front of mind. Explore the Tasman Eco compact cot collection here.

Dropside Cots

Dropside cots were considered unsafe at one point, however, it should be known that dropside cots are safe and are actually a great option for parents when looking for a baby cot. We’ve answered some key questions below;

Dropside cots are not banned in Australia. Australia has a fantastic global reputation when it comes to safety in baby products. The Australian standard AS/NZS 2172: 2013, identify dropside cots as safe, if they meet the guidelines outlined in the standard. Dropside cots are regulated safely in most countries, except for the United States, who have banned the use of dropside cots. The United States banned dropside cots due to the lack of quality in construction and the standard they had used was ineffective in testing the use of a dropside cot. The Australian standard, AS/NZS 2172: 2013, has ensured that dropside cots are a safe and secure option for families searching for a new baby cot.

Tasman Eco have created their dropside cots to look and feel great to use. The meet all Australian standards and have been certified and tested extensively and independently by the SGS Group. Explore the Tasman Eco cot collection here.

Decorating your nursery

Once you’ve chosen your cot, it is a great time to begin thinking of how you are going to set-up and create your nursery space. Here are some additional details to consider;

• The cot shouldn’t be positioned close to any loose or easy-to-grab items, like blinds or curtain cords. This is to ensure their little hands don’t get caught or stuck, and that any items that don’t belong in the cot, make their way to the cot.
• Don’t position the cot too close to loose blinds and curtain cords that small fingers could reach, grip onto and pull down or get caught up in.
• It is important to regularly check how tight the cot bolts are, as part of a regular maintenance check.
• If the cot has wheels at the base of the cot, ensure they have breaks to prevent any movement of the cot when wanting to keep it in position.
• Cot bumpers and soft furnishings in Australia are not recommended in your baby’s cot. Cot bumpers and soft furnishings may cause the baby to overheat, may cover the baby’s face and obstruct breathing.

When choosing a cot, or any piece of furniture for your nursery, the standards represent a really important part of the process and as a customer, you deserve the very best level of quality and safety for you and your little one. Read our complete guide on how to design your baby nursery.

By Carla Cenatiempo

May 6, 2022

By Carla Cenatiempo

May 6, 2022

Carla is the Marketing Lead at Tasman Eco, she's been with the business for almost 3 years now and loves being able to work with Australian families every day. It’s really important for her to share both quality and valuable content on nursery furnitures, with families to ensure they have peace of mind when growing their family amongst all of the noise in the space. Highlighting the importance of selecting the right baby cot and bassinet as part of the nursery setup, she focuses on providing information that helps families make informed decisions for their comfort and safety.