I told my wife before the birth of our first child that I'd make all the nursery furniture. No idea why, just on a whim, with no experience in woodworking she though it was a bit mad Since then I've kept my word. This is the cot i made. It has two drawers the width of the cot which Is enough room for all the cot linens and blankets.
The fold down front I was a bit concerned it would act as a ladder however two children through it and zero escapes.Making custom spring loaded latches which were concealed into the gate frame was a fun challenge.
A great way to learn to do mortice and tenon joints is to make a cot with rectangular bars, not to mention learning to use a router and a round over bit for each edge of each paling.
If I had my time again I'd invest In a spray gun. Painting those railings by hand took way too long.
A mistake I made was an error in design. The vertical posts are solid with the bed base. Which is great for strength however I couldn't fit it through the house and into baby's room. We had to manoeuvre it through the window before final assembly.
