Nursery shopping is quite the thing. Parents in the UK regularly research products on American websites, buy from international furniture makers and retailers, and take recommendations from friends and family living across the Atlantic. What they discover sometimes is that the same piece of furniture can have a completely different name depending on which side of the Atlantic the furniture maker or retailer is on.
A crib in the UK is not a crib in the US. A British cot bed has an American equivalent that goes by a different name. A chest of drawers, a wardrobe, and a changing unit all have American counterparts that are described differently. When a piece of furniture you are looking at in a US retailer's catalogue does not appear under the same search term in a British one, the item may well exist, just under a different name. We've put together this guide to resolve that confusion definitively. It covers every major category of nursery furniture and accessories, explains the difference between the UK and US terms for each one, and provides the practical clarity needed to shop confidently across both markets.
Sleeping Furniture
This is the category where the terminology difference is most significant and most consequential. The key terms are not just different, they are inverted in a way that may be confusing. A UK parent searching for a US equivalent of what they are used to, using the name they know, may find something completely different.
1. Cot (UK) = Crib (US)
In the UK, a cot is the standard sleeping space for a baby from birth through to approximately two years. It has four slatted sides, a mattress base that typically adjusts to two or more heights, and is the primary sleep piece in a nursery. The standard UK cot takes a mattress of 60cm x 120cm. In the United States, exactly the same piece of furniture is called a crib. American cribs are broadly equivalent to British cots: four slatted sides, adjustable mattress height, designed for babies and young toddlers. Standard US crib mattresses measure 27.25" x 51.625" (approximately 71cm x 132cm). The core rule: what the UK calls a cot, the US calls a crib. If you are searching on a US website for what you would call a cot in the UK, search for crib.
2. Crib (UK) = Bassinet (US)
In the UK, a crib refers to a smaller, typically portable sleeping space designed for use in the first few weeks or months of a baby's life. British cribs can be made from palm leaf, wicker, or wood, and are often designed to sit beside the parents' bed for convenient night feeds. They are shorter than a standard cot, typically around 90cm in length, and are generally suitable until a baby is around three to four months old or begins rolling. In the United States, this smaller newborn sleeping space is called a bassinet. American bassinets tend to be made from materials such as mesh, fabric, or plastic, rather than the wicker or palm leaf of British cribs, but they serve the same purpose. They are compact, positioned at bed height for easy access, and designed for the early weeks. To summarise: UK crib = US bassinet. UK cot = US crib. The terms are not simply different; they describe different objects within their own national context.
3. Cot Bed (UK) = Convertible Crib (US)
A cot bed is a larger version of the standard UK cot, typically measuring 70cm x 140cm, designed to convert into a toddler bed by removing one or both sides. A cot bed can be used from birth and, once converted, is often suitable until a child is four or five years old. The American equivalent is called a convertible crib. US convertible cribs function on the same principle: they begin as enclosed sleeping spaces for infants and can be adapted, often through the purchase of a conversion kit, into toddler beds and sometimes full-sized beds. As with standard cots and cribs, mattress sizes differ between the UK and US versions.
4. Moses Basket (UK) = Moses Basket or Bassinet (US)
The term moses basket is used in both the UK and the US and refers to the same thing: a small, woven sleeping basket for newborns. The US, however, also uses the term bassinet to describe a moses basket, adding to the ambiguity created by the crib/bassinet situation described above. In American usage, bassinet can refer to either a moses basket-style woven basket or a small standalone sleeping unit on a stand. The context usually clarifies which is meant, but you should know that the term is broader in American usage than the more specific British crib.
5. Bedside Crib (UK) = Bedside Bassinet or Co-Sleeper (US)
A bedside crib, also called a side-sleeper or next-to-me crib in the UK, is a small crib designed to attach to or sit flush against the side of the parents' bed, with one side open or lowered to allow easy access during night feeds. In the US, the same product is described as a bedside bassinet or co-sleeper. The terms co-sleeper and bedside bassinet are both in common American use; in the UK, bedside crib or next-to-me crib is the more typical description.
6. Travel Cot (UK) = Pack-and-Play, Playard or Playpen (US)
A travel cot in the UK is a portable, fold-flat sleeping space used when staying away from home. It typically has fabric sides on a metal or plastic frame and collapses into a bag for transport. In the US, the same product is most commonly called a pack-and-play, a term originating from the Graco brand name that has become generic. The term playpen is also used in the US, though this can sometimes describe a freestanding play enclosure rather than a sleep-specific product. The UK term playpen typically refers only to a play enclosure, not a sleep space.
Changing and Storage Furniture
Alongside the fact that babies need multiple changes daily, they also accumulate so much stuff very quickly, hence the need for functional and sufficient storage solutions. There are also a number of variations in the terms here.
1. Changing Unit (UK) = Changing Table (US)
In the UK, the piece of furniture used for nappy changes is called a changing unit. In the US, it is called a changing table. Both terms describe an elevated surface at a comfortable working height, usually with raised edges to prevent a baby from rolling off, and often with storage for nappies, wipes, and accessories beneath or beside the changing surface.
2. Chest of Drawers (UK) = Dresser (US)
A chest of drawers in the UK is a freestanding storage unit consisting of stacked horizontal drawers. In the US, the same piece of furniture is called a dresser. Both terms describe the same object. In a nursery context, a dresser or chest of drawers frequently doubles as a changing table or changing unit when a changing top is placed on it, which is a practical convention in both countries.
3. Changing Mat (UK) = Changing Pad (US)
A changing mat in the UK is a portable, padded cushion used for changing diapers. In the US, it is called a changing pad.
4. Wardrobe (UK) = Armoire or Closet (US)
A wardrobe in the UK is a freestanding full-height cabinet with space for hanging clothes, typically with shelving above or below. In the US, the closest freestanding equivalent is called an armoire. The term closet in American usage typically refers to a built-in storage space within a wall rather than a freestanding piece of furniture.
5. Nappy (UK) = Diaper (US)
This is not a furniture term, but it shapes the language around changing furniture. What a British parent calls a nappy is called a diaper in the US. A nappy bin in the UK is a diaper pail in the US. A nappy bag is a diaper bag. A nappy changing bag or changing bag is a diaper bag in the US. These terms extend into the names of accessories and storage products associated with the changing station.
Bedding and Textiles
Babies require organic bedding and fabrics to cater to their sensitive skins. There are a number of variations in the terms here too.
1. Sleeping Bag (UK) = Sleep Sack (US)
A baby sleeping bag in the UK is a wearable, zip-up sleeping environment designed to replace loose blankets. It fits over the baby's body like a bag, with arm holes and a zip fastening. The same product can be called a sleep sack in the US. Both terms refer to identical products.
2. Cellular Blanket (UK) = Thermal Blanket (US)
A cellular blanket in the UK is a lightweight cotton blanket with a woven cellular or waffle pattern that creates small holes throughout the fabric. These holes allow air to circulate, reducing the risk of overheating, and are recommended by the Lullaby Trust for safe sleep. In the US, the equivalent product is typically called a thermal blanket.
3. Babygrow or Sleepsuit (UK) = Footed Pyjamas (US)
A babygrow or sleepsuit in the UK is a one-piece garment covering the whole body including the feet, typically worn as sleepwear for babies. The same garment is called footed pyjamas in the US.
4. Blackout Blind (UK) = Blackout Shade or Room-Darkening Shade (US)
A blackout blind in the UK is a window covering that blocks all or nearly all external light, used in nurseries to support sleep during daylight hours. In the US, the equivalent is called a blackout shade or room-darkening shade. The functional product is the same; American terminology distinguishes between room-darkening (which reduces light significantly) and blackout (which blocks it completely).
Getting Around: Travel and Movement
Babies will inevitably have to go outdoors. There are also some variations here.
1. Pram (UK) = Baby Carriage (US)
A pram (short for perambulator) in the UK is a baby transport vehicle in which the baby lies flat, typically used for newborns and young infants who are not yet able to sit up. In the US, the closest equivalent term is baby carriage, though this term is considered old-fashioned in contemporary American usage and has largely been replaced by stroller in everyday speech.
2. Pushchair (UK) = Stroller (US)
A pushchair in the UK is a wheeled seat for a baby or toddler old enough to sit upright, pushed from behind by a handle. The word buggy is used interchangeably in the UK, though buggy more specifically refers to lightweight, compact versions. In the US, the generic term for all wheeled baby transport vehicles, from newborn carriages to toddler seats, is stroller. The British distinction between a pram (for lying infants) and a pushchair (for seated older babies) is not consistently replicated in American terminology, where stroller can describe both. This means a US retailer selling newborn-appropriate strollers with flat recline positions is not mis-describing its product; it is simply applying the American term to a product that a British parent would call a pram.
3. Travel System (UK and US)
The term travel system is used in both the UK and the US and means the same thing in both: a pushchair/stroller chassis that can accept a compatible car seat, allowing the seat to be transferred directly from car to pram without disturbing the baby.
Bonus: Dummy (UK) = Pacifier or Binky (US)
A dummy in the UK is the small silicone or rubber nipple-shaped soother given to a baby for comfort. In the US, it is called a pacifier, or colloquially a binky.
The terminology differences between UK and US nursery furniture and accessories are not necessarily random. Cot and crib are swapped. Crib and bassinet are swapped in the opposite direction. Chest of drawers becomes dresser, wardrobe becomes armoire, changing unit becomes changing table. The products themselves are broadly equivalent, the names simply reflect the different linguistic traditions on either side of the Atlantic.
At The Baby Cot Shop, we serve families from across the world from our Chelsea boutique and our Harrods concession, and we ship internationally. If you have questions about any of the products mentioned in this guide, or want guidance on how our furniture collections translate into your preferred terminology, our team is always happy to help. Contact us.