Obaby
Grace Inspire Cot Bed
7.5/10 overall£195
A budget-friendly convertible cot bed with a three-position base and teething rails, converting to a junior bed later.
The verdict
The Obaby Grace Inspire is a budget slatted-sides cot bed with a three-position base and teething rails, priced at £195, converting later to a junior bed. It undercuts the Mia and Valencia by a wide margin, making it sensible for a first nursery on a tighter budget or a second cot elsewhere — those wanting solid hardwood durability should look at Boori or Stokke instead.
The Grace Inspire sits at the value end of the cot bed market — a simple slatted-sides cot with a three-position adjustable base, teething rails on the top edges, and a conversion kit to turn it into a toddler-height junior bed once the drop-side panel comes off. It's sold in a handful of printed and plain finish options rather than a single neutral palette, which is unusual at this price point.
Against premium options like the Stokke Sleepi or Boori Eton Convertible Plus, the build is noticeably lighter — it's MDF and pine composite rather than solid hardwood, and the finish is a painted coat rather than a lacquered veneer, so it shows wear on the rails faster if a teething baby chews on them heavily. It also doesn't extend into a full-size single bed the way some higher-tier convertible ranges do; the junior bed conversion is a fixed size for toddlers only.
What it does well is assembly and price: flat-pack with a clear instruction sheet, doable by one person in under an hour, and it undercuts the Mamas & Papas Mia and Silver Cross Valencia by a wide margin while covering the same core span from newborn (with a separate mattress) through toddlerhood. The mattress itself is sold separately, as with nearly every cot bed in this category.
A sensible pick for a first nursery on a tighter budget, or a second cot for grandparents' house, where the extra rigidity and finish quality of a premium hardwood cot matters less than getting a safe, compliant cot bed for well under half the price of the market leaders.
Specs
- weight
- 19.5kg
- material
- MDF/pine composite
- dimensions
- 144 x 78 x 93cm
- converts_to
- Junior toddler bed
- mattress_size
- 140 x 70cm (sold separately)
- base_positions
- 3-position adjustable base
How we scored it
Build Quality & Longevity
Sturdiness and how well it holds up, including converting for reuse.
MDF/pine composite and a painted finish wear faster on the teething rails than the solid hardwood used by Boori or Stokke.
Assembly Ease
How straightforward it is to put together at home.
Value for Money
Cost relative to build quality and features.
Roughly half the price of the Mamas & Papas Mia or Silver Cross Valencia for the same core newborn-to-toddler span.
Weighted by importance for this category — see our editorial policy for how we test.
How it compares
|  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £195 | £299.00 (was £379.00) | £699.00 | £553.99 |
| Overall score | 7.5/10 | 7.6/10 | 7.6/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Assembly | — | Required, tools included | — | Flat-pack, instructions included |
| Material | — | Solid wood and MDF panels | Solid birch wood | Solid New Zealand pine |
| Certifications | — | — | BS EN 716 compliant | BS EN 716 compliant |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Obaby Grace Inspire made from?+
MDF and pine composite with a painted finish, rather than solid hardwood, so it shows wear on the teething rails faster than the Stokke Sleepi or Boori Eton if a teething baby chews on them heavily.
Does the Obaby Grace Inspire come with a mattress?+
No, the mattress is sold separately, as with nearly every cot bed in this category.
How easy is the Obaby Grace Inspire to assemble?+
It's flat-pack with a clear instruction sheet, doable by one person in under an hour.
Does the Obaby Grace Inspire convert into a full-size bed?+
No — it converts into a junior bed once the drop-side panel comes off, but the junior bed conversion is a fixed size for toddlers only, unlike some higher-tier convertible ranges that extend into a full single bed.