An
infant bed (commonly called a
cot in
British English, and, in
American English, a
crib or, far less commonly, a
cradle or
stock) is a small
bed especially for
infants and very young children. Infant beds are a historically recent development intended to contain a child
capable of standing. The cage-like design of infant beds restricts the child to the bed. Around two or three years of age, children are able to climb out and are moved to a
toddler bed to prevent an
injurious fall while escaping the bed.