All items · Baby & children
Cots, carrycots and cot mattresses
Also covers: moses basket, crib, travel cot, cot bed
Can you donate cots, carrycots and cot mattresses to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
Why shops may refuse it
Hygiene rules and safe-sleep guidance mean used cot mattresses in particular can't be resold.
What to do instead
Cot frames without mattresses are sometimes accepted — ask first. Mattresses go to the council recycling centre.
Charity by charity
74 mentions- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Mattresses including cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Covers Moses baskets, cots and cribs.
Their wording
“Moses baskets; cots; cribs; car seats”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, cribs, moses baskets or highchairs”
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Can't accept
Listed together with prams and pushchairs.
Their wording
“Prams, pushchairs or cots/cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Includes moses baskets; the quote does not separately mention cot mattresses.
Their wording
“Cots, moses baskets, potties and baby baths”
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Can't accept
Cots, carrycots, moses baskets, playpens
Their wording
“Cots, carrycots, moses baskets and playpens”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Old travel cots or moses baskets with no stand”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“children's car seats, prams, highchairs and cots”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Baby/toddler beds and cots”
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Can't accept
Includes moses baskets and travel cots.
Their wording
“Prams / pushchairs / moses baskets/cots inc travel cots”
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Can't accept
Also listed elsewhere on the same page as part of 'Pram/Cot'.
Their wording
“Travel Cots”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, cot mattresses, Moses’s baskets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Prams, buggies, walkers, cots, baby toys and high chairs”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Prams, pushchairs or cots/cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Same bullet as the prams/pushchairs exclusion; 'cots' named explicitly.
Their wording
“Baby paraphernalia (prams, cots, baths, buggies, etc)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Children's items (car seats, pushchairs/prams, cots, mattresses, high chairs)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots and nursery equipment”
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Can't accept
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland category-wide rule
Applies to all baby & children items
Their wording
“Baby furniture and equipment”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Moses baskets, carry cots, playpens, high chairs. Cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Nursery/baby furniture (including highchairs, cots, Moses baskets & baby mattresses)”
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Can't accept
Same list also gives 'Repainted Cots' as not accepted; furniture page separately states "Children's cots, cribs, bassinets & high chairs" are not accepted.
Their wording
“Cot, Crib and Moses Basket Mattresses Repainted Cots”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, carry cots, playpens”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cot, crib or moses basket mattresses.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cot mattresses.”
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Can't accept
Cots not accepted for safety reasons.
Their wording
“Nursery Prams, cots and pushchairs - For safety reasons, we can't guarantee that these are suitable for babies.”
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Can't accept
General mattress rules (pristine condition, fire label) also apply.
Their wording
“used cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots”
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Can't accept
Repainted cots are also refused separately: "Repainted cots (safety reasons). Cots that have been repainted may contain lead or other substances that may be harmful if chewed."
Their wording
“Cot, crib or Moses basket mattresses (wellbeing reasons). There is research that showed an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome when using another family’s second-hand baby mattress, but no proven link yet.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Children’s car seats or booster seats, cot mattresses and cot bumpers”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“cots, carry cots”
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Can't accept
Covers cot, moses basket and travel cot mattresses.
Their wording
“child mattresses (cots, moses baskets, travel cots)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“cots”
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Can't accept
'Large nursery items' is a general term; cots and moses baskets are the explicit items named.
Their wording
“Large nursery items, cots, moses baskets”
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Can't accept
Shown when searching 'Cots' (the 'Cot Mattress' entry gives identical wording).
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item because of children’s safety concerns. We have to meet strict safety standards, so we can’t take items if there’s any chance they might be damaged, faulty, or not meet current regulations.”
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Can't accept
Cots and carry cots are also listed as not accepted.
Their wording
“Cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
'Mattresses' listed under children's items as not accepted, distinct from general bed mattresses accepted at the furniture store.
Their wording
“Children’s items: Car seats, soft toys without a CE label, mattresses, and prams or pushchairs that haven’t undergone safety checks.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots/Travel cots”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Child safety seats, prams, pushchairs, cots and carry cots, cot mattresses and bumpers, baby slings”
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Can't accept
Cots listed among items the Furniture Centre cannot accept.
Their wording
“Beds including motorised beds, bed mattresses (even with fire safety label), cots, mattress toppers, pet beds, sofa beds”
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Can't accept
Quote specifically refers to 'old-style' cots; the page does not separately state whether newer/current-design cots are treated differently.
Their wording
“Old-style cots”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cot & carry cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Cots, cot mattresses and carry cots listed under items the charity cannot take.
Their wording
“Inflatable toys, soft toys without the CE label or toy guns, prams, pushchairs or buggies (unless brand new), cots, cot mattresses, carry cots or playpens, high chairs or car seats”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, baby gates, and highchairs”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“cots”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, carry cots, playpens, high chairs”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, Prams, or pushchairs”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots, prams/strollers, carriers, car or booster seats”
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Can't accept
From: "there are a few things that we can't sell - damaged or broken toys, children's car seats or booster seats, child cot and pram mattresses."
Their wording
“child cot and pram mattresses”
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Can't accept
Also covers cribs, cradles and carrycots.
Their wording
“cot mattresses, cribs, cradles, and reclined cradles”
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Can't accept
Cot mattresses are also refused (listed separately in the guidance).
Their wording
“Highchairs, cots, carry cots, playpens”
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Can't accept
Listed under 'Children's equipment' items the shops cannot accept.
Their wording
“Cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Listed under "Items that we cannot collect" (furniture collection service, van crews). Cots named as an example of children's items refused.
Their wording
“Children's items such as cots or prams”
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Can't accept
Cot mattresses and Moses baskets
Their wording
“Moses baskets Cot mattresses”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cots and travel cots”
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Can't accept
Also excludes pram mattresses
Their wording
“Cot bumpers, cot mattresses, pram mattresses”
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Can't accept
'Repainted cots' are refused as a separate list item.
Their wording
“Cot, crib or Moses basket mattresses.”
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Can't accept
Given as an example of unaccepted baby/children's equipment
Their wording
“Baby/children's equipment e.g. cots/prams”
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Can't accept
The 'mattresses' here is read as cot mattresses given it is listed directly alongside 'cots' in a baby-equipment list.
Their wording
“Prams, pushchairs/buggies, baby walkers/baby bouncers, high chairs, cots and mattresses and baby slings”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Large nursery items, pushchairs, cots, travel cots and car seats”
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Check first
Cot mattresses and cot bumpers are refused; cots themselves are not addressed.
Their wording
“Children's car seats or booster seats, cot mattresses and cot bumpers”
-
Check first
Covers cots, carry cots and mattresses. Only accepted at a selected number of stores due to required safety checks; contact Customer Service Centre.
Their wording
“Due to the safety checks required for the resale of baby and nursery equipment, we can only accept these in a selected number of stores”
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Check first
Only cot, crib and Moses basket mattresses are refused (plus repainted cots); cots themselves are not otherwise addressed.
Their wording
“Cot, crib or Moses basket mattresses”
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Check first
only accepted new/unused, not used
Their wording
“Used cots, carrycots, cribs, cradles (new items can be sold)”
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Check first
Only accepted if brand new; used cot mattresses are refused.
Their wording
“Cot mattresses (unless brand new)”
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Check first
Only accepted complete and in full working order; broken cribs/cots not taken.
Their wording
“Complete - full sets, working order only.”
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Check first
Repainted and drop-side cots are refused; other cots are not addressed.
Their wording
“Repainted Cots and drop side cots”
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Check first
Unless new or sealed.
Their wording
“prams, pushchairs, buggies, cots, high chairs, cot mattresses”
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Check first
Only accepted with a label; cots/carrycots also require identification (see 'Cots, carry cots, playpens, high chairs – without identification').
Their wording
“Cot mattresses- without label”
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Check first
Must be fairly modern, clean, complete and in good condition, and comply with current British Standards.
Their wording
“Toys, bicycles, tricycles, scooters (no crash helmets or riding hats & no roller blades), train sets & layouts, changing tables, pushchairs, high chairs, walkers, cots (no car seats) adult bicycles. All these must be fairly modern, clean, complete and in good condition. All items will be checked to ensure that they comply with current British Standards before going on sale.”
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Check first
Only cots that have their fixtures are accepted.
Their wording
“Cots with fixtures”
Not mentioned in 79 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Age UK
- Ardgowan Hospice
- Ashgate Hospicecare
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnsley Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- Claire House Children's Hospice
- Cransley Hospice Trust
- Crisis
- DEBRA
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Farleigh Hospice
- Forget Me Not Children's Hospice
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Heart of Kent Hospice
- Helen & Douglas House
- Highland Hospice
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice Isle of Man
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Julia's House
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Katharine House Hospice, Banbury
- Keech Hospice Care
- Lindsey Lodge Hospice
- LOROS Hospice
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Nightingale House Hospice
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Octavia Foundation
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Princess Alice Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Save the Children
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- Shelter
- St Andrew's Hospice (Lanarkshire)
- St Barnabas Hospice (Lincolnshire)
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St Helena Hospice
- St John's Hospice (London)
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
- St Luke's Hospice Basildon & Thurrock
- St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Mary's Hospice
- St Nicholas Hospice Care
- St Raphael's Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- The Children's Trust
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Tynedale Hospice at Home
- Weldmar Hospicecare
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Wisdom Hospice
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)