Cot beds can be difficult to assemble, especially if you haven’t seen it beforehand. It doesn’t matter how good the assembly instructions are, mistakes can still be made and it can be a frustrating process.
Luckily, we’ve compiled these top tips from our years of experience to help you avoid the some common mistakes.
1) Get the instructions
Sounds obvious, but many people do ignore them. The instructions contain vitally important information about keeping your baby safe while they sleep. Despite the fact some might not be that helpful, if you don’t have the original instructions for your cot bed, make sure to get hold of them. This is especially important if you’re using a second-hand cot bed. Most manuals are available online.
2) Get some help
Most cot beds are quite large and it’s far easier to plan to assemble them with two people, even though some can be done single-handedly. Most instruction manuals tell you to assemble the cot bed with it standing up, but we found assembling the cot on its side is usually much easier.
3) Use your judgement
If the cot bed looks wrong, or is difficult to use, you’ve probably assembled it wrong. If the base seems really high, you more than likely put it together upside down. If the parts should, but don’t seem to fit together, try to turn the part or switch the direction it’s facing.
4) Don’t use too much force
Never bang dowels in with a hammer as we found they can go straight through to the other side of the wood.
The bolt/nut hold the parts together and over tightening is likely to crack the wood and alter the shape of cot which can cause varies issue with your cot bed. i.e. a stiff drop side. Avoid power tools that could that over tighten bolts.
5) Cot bed adjustment tips
When adjusting the height of the base, take one of the sides off, so you can see more of the fixings and get a better grip on the components. When adjusting the height of the base, it’s often useful to loosen the sides first and then retighten them afterwards. Otherwise, the base is clamped tightly in place and it’s difficult to get to all the fixings and manoeuvre the components loose.
Watch assembly video
Not sure if you done it right? Check our Assembly Instructions page for assembly a video of the product, brand or similar product to see if that will help. Click here to visit our Assembly Instructions page.
The instructions may not be very clear on how to operate the drop side. Giving it a gentle nudge with your shin after you lift it up is usually the easiest way to operate the side smoothly.
