There comes a time for when your little bundle of fun becomes too big for the bedside crib (or Moses basket, or cardboard box for you Finnish readers!)

When that time comes, all parents will want a cot! Here’s the thing – in the future there will be ANOTHER time when your now-not-so-little bundle of joy is too big for the cot, and will be wanting a bed!

Wouldn’t it be great if your cot could transform into a perfectly-sized toddler bed?

Well, that’s exactly what you’ll get if you plump for a cot to toddler bed from the new Dover range from Mamas and Papas. The Dover cot covers all the slumbering needs of your little one, from the moment they leave the comfort of the basket/crib/box (or from birth, really!) to the time they are about two years old.

The Dover cot to toddler bed comes in at £299.00, and is just shy of 1.5m long, about 1m high, and 0.75m deep. It is part of Mamas and Papas Dover collection of nursery furniture – simple, minimalist and timeless designs that will fit into almost any room, and look good doing it. Before we talk about the physicality of the cot, though, let’s cover the construction of it.

The Dover arrives, flat packed, in two large cardboard boxes. Inside these boxes you’ll find all the pieces you need to build the box, along with a few large polystyrene blocks and a small box handily labelled “hard ware [sic]”.

Construction is very straight-forward and requires, in theory, only the included allen key – the two headboard pieces are connected by the two long sides, and then the base sits inside this frame, supported by four thick metal brackets. These metal brackets were slightly problematic – I found that when inserted fully into the frame of the bed they did not sit in the centre of the holes on the baseboard of the cot (see image). This meant that I could not get the securing nuts into the holes. A small amount of gentle persuasion from a hammer was enough to drive the the brackets deeper in their holes, which solved the problem. This wasn’t a huge amount of work, but I would imagine that a lot of people might find this somewhat vexing! Luckily only a hammer was needed, and not a drill!

The baseboard of the bed can be set at two heights, a shallower “halfway up” position, for babies that cannot yet sit or stand unaided, and a deeper position that allows a more mobile toddler to remain penned in the cot in the middle of the night. This kind of adaptability is great in a cot, allowing the cot to adapt to the changing needs of a baby.

Furthermore, replacing the barred sides of the cot with the supplied side boards transforms the cot into a dinky little toddler bed – perfect! This reviewer can’t imagine purchasing another sleeping solution, given the Dover.

The cot is classic and stylish, and is made of solid materials. We aren’t talking fine stained wood here, but the veneered boards feel strong and secure, and the added teething rails on the edge of the cot are a welcome addition.

For the price point this is a fine piece of furniture!

In keeping with the minimal style of the cot there are no drawers for storage, but that just maintains the classy minimal look of the cot. There IS plenty of room underneath for any supplementary storage boxes!

In short, the Dover is a lovely cot at an affordable price that will last until your child is old enough for a proper grown up bed.

It is sturdy, strong and stylish and, aside from a little difficulty in construction, is an excellent piece of nursery furniture!

The Mamas and Papas mattress (sold seperately) is the perfect softness for little bodies, and this reviewers little one loves rolling around on it and will continue to do so for years to come.

PS! As a final point, environmentally conscientious parents might find the quantity of old-fashioned polystyrene blocks involved in the packaging of this product off-putting!