The short answer
Since 19 January 2026, suppliers of household cots and other infant sleep products have had to comply with Australia’s new mandatory safety and information standards. They cover construction and performance as well as instructions and warnings. A cot’s claimed compliance is useful, but it does not tell you whether you have chosen the right mattress, assembled the cot correctly or kept the sleep space clear.
This is a buyer’s explanation of the published rules, checked against ACCC Product Safety on 29 September 2026. We have not laboratory-tested or certified any cot.
Which rules apply now?
Australia introduced two infant sleep product mandatory standards in July 2024, with supplier compliance required from 19 January 2026. One concerns safety: design, construction, performance and testing. The other concerns information: warnings and instructions supplied with the product, on packaging and in online listings where required.
The scope is wider than household cots. It includes bassinets, cradles, co-sleepers and portable folding cots marketed for infant sleep. Some inclined products that are not sold as sleep spaces, such as bouncers, still need the information warnings. Our safe sleeping guide explains why a soothing product and a sleep product are not interchangeable.
For a household cot, the mandatory standard permits compliance using specified requirements from AS/NZS 2172:2013 or listed overseas standards. That is a supplier compliance route, not a shortcut for a consumer to judge a cot by a single printed code. The ACCC standard summary gives the current options and product scope. Older pages or packaging may quote previous editions, so use the current ACCC page when checking a claim.
What the safety standard is trying to prevent
The ACCC’s cot guide identifies falls, entrapment and suffocation among the risks. Its buyer checklist points to a stable, sturdy cot; sides of adequate height; no hazardous gaps or footholds; a distinct secure lock on a drop side; and statements of the recommended mattress size and thickness.
This is why a cot’s most photogenic features are not the first ones to inspect. A conversion kit matters only if the cot is sound in the configuration you will use today. A drop side must close and lock every time. A base height must be changed as your child starts to sit, pull up or stand, following the product instructions. The ACCC also advises keeping a cot clear of blind cords, heaters and electrical appliances.
Labels and instructions are part of the product
Before buying, find the exact model’s assembly instructions, the mattress dimensions and thickness it requires, and the permanent safety warnings. The new information standard is intended to give those details to buyers, including online. If a retailer’s listing skips them, ask for the manufacturer’s documentation. If you are comparing a used cot, obtain the original instructions and check the product’s condition and recall status as well.
The ACCC’s household cot guide says that for a second-hand cot you should check for recalls, sound parts and the instructions needed for safe assembly. The scope of the new supplier standards has exceptions for most second-hand goods, as the standard page explains. That exception does not make an old cot a sensible buy without inspection.
The mattress is a separate decision
The cot and mattress have to work together. The ACCC says to use only the mattress size and thickness designed for the cot. Do not fill a gap with towels or add another mattress to raise the surface. Our cot mattress size guide covers the fit check in detail. Red Nose advises a firm, flat, clean mattress in good condition, with no pillows or soft additions in the sleep space.
If you are considering a folding cot, use its supplied mattress as instructed rather than assuming a household cot mattress will fit. The same product-safety principle applies across formats, but the specifications differ.
How to use our cot reviews
The Baby Bench’s cot field compares published build, conversion, assembly, parts support and value. A Bench Score does not certify a product against the mandatory standard. Where a manufacturer publishes a standards claim, we can report the claim; we have not performed the underlying laboratory test. Read the exact model review and the manufacturer’s current instructions together.
Use a simple order of operations: check the model and recalls, verify its instructions and mattress dimensions, inspect the cot and every mechanism, then compare conversion paths and price. If any safety-critical information is missing, get it from the supplier before you buy.
Checked 29 September 2026. For current rules, product scope and recalls, go directly to ACCC Product Safety.
Evidence record
Sources checked
This guide draws on the following primary sources. Rules and guidance can change, so check the linked authority before relying on a detail.