Dolls House Bedding Sizes: Double, Single, Junior, Cot & Crib

For most collectors, the categories work like this:

These are fit categories, not universal industry dimensions. Always use the actual measurements shown on the product listing when fit matters.

Bed names are not always used in the same way in the UK and the USA, so international customers should treat the wording as a starting point rather than a guarantee of fit.

• UK Single ≈ US Twin: an American customer looking for miniature Twin bedding would normally start with our Single Bedding range. The terms are broadly equivalent in everyday use, but miniature beds from different makers can still vary in length, width and frame style.
• UK Cot ≈ US Crib: in Britain, the larger infant bed with high sides is normally called a cot; in the USA, the comparable full-size infant bed is normally called a crib.
• Pretty Miniatures Cot and Crib are separate fit groups: within our own 1:12 catalogue, we use Cot for the larger nursery-bed size and Crib for a smaller crib-style size. These names describe our product groups; they should not be translated directly from UK to US terminology without checking the measurements.

For US customers in particular: if you would normally call the bed a Twin, begin with our Single category. If you would normally call a larger railed infant bed a Crib, begin by comparing it with our Cot measurements as well as our smaller Crib range.

The dimensions shown on the individual product listing always take priority over the name.

Before choosing a design or colour, look at the bed itself.

Record:

• the usable sleeping-area width;
• the usable sleeping-area length;
• the height of the mattress;
• the height of any footboard;
• whether the bed has high side rails;
• whether the bedding is intended to tuck inside the frame or drape over it.

A bedding set can be the correct nominal category and still look wrong if the bed frame is unusually narrow, deep, short or heavily enclosed.

For a broader measuring method, see our How to Measure Your Dolls House Before Buying Furniture guide.

A mathematically scaled bed starts with a real-world bed dimension and reduces it by twelve. But real beds are not all the same size, and miniature furniture is made by many different manufacturers and makers.

There are further practical differences in miniature:

• timber or MDF thickness;
• mattress depth;
• headboard and footboard design;
• whether bedding is fitted, loose or deliberately oversized;
• fabric thickness and how it drapes;
• whether pillows and cushions form part of the set;
• the intended visual style of the finished bed.

This means the scale label tells you the general miniature system, while the listed millimetre dimensions tell you whether the bedding will actually work on your bed.

The table below uses examples from current Pretty Miniatures listings. It is included to show the relative difference between the bedding categories, not to establish an industry standard.

Individual designs can differ, and the contents of a bedding set may also vary. Always check the measurements on the exact product you are considering.

The important point is the progression: double, single, junior, cot and crib are genuinely different fit groups. They should not be treated as interchangeable simply because every item is 1:12 scale.

Double Bedding is intended for miniature double beds and is the principal bedding category for adult-style main bedrooms.

A double bedding set usually needs enough width to cover the mattress and create the intended drop down either side of the bed. Depending on the design, you may want:

• a neat, relatively tailored finish;
• a softer overhang;
• bedding that reaches towards the floor;
• a layered look with a separate throw.

What to measure for double bedding

Measure:

1. the mattress or usable bed width;
2. the mattress or sleeping-area length;
3. the height from the top of the mattress to the side of the bed;
4. the height of the footboard, if the cover needs to sit behind or over it.

If your double bed has a very high footboard, the same cover can look shorter than it would on an open-ended bed.

Current Pretty Miniatures double bedding includes designs with covers around 220 × 190 mm, but the product listing should always be treated as the final reference.

You can also browse Double Beds when planning the bed and bedding together.

Single Bedding is designed for 1:12 single beds. For customers in the USA, Single is the category that most closely corresponds to what you would normally call a Twin bed.

That is a terminology guide rather than a size guarantee. A miniature Twin/Single bed from another maker may still differ in width, length or frame proportions, so compare the actual bed measurements with the bedding listing before ordering.

Single beds are commonly used in:

• children's rooms;
• guest bedrooms;
• compact bedrooms;
• shared bedrooms;
• twin-bed layouts.

A single bed may be narrower than a double bed while remaining similar in overall length, so both dimensions matter.

Current Pretty Miniatures single bedding examples include covers around 200 × 160 mm.

Do not judge a single bed from width alone

Two beds can have a similar width but different lengths. A short child-style bed may need junior bedding rather than standard single bedding even if the widths appear close.

If the bed is described by its maker as single but has unusually compact dimensions, compare the actual measurements against both the Single Bedding and Junior Bedding options before deciding.

You can browse Single Beds alongside the bedding category.

Junior Bedding is a separate Pretty Miniatures fit group for smaller junior-style beds.

This is one of the areas most likely to cause confusion because junior and single do not mean the same thing.

A junior bed is intended to represent a smaller child's bed and can be both shorter and narrower than a normal single bed.

Current Pretty Miniatures junior bedding examples include covers around 120 × 115 mm, substantially smaller than the single bedding examples.

How to choose between junior and single

Use the bed's physical measurements rather than guessing from the room or the age of the miniature character.

If a product is available in both Junior and Single versions, make sure the correct size option is selected before ordering.

The safest check is:

• measure the usable bed length;
• measure the usable bed width;
• compare both figures with the listed bedding dimensions;
• consider how much overhang you want.

Browse Junior Beds if you are building the bed and bedding combination from scratch.

Cot Bedding is designed for the larger nursery cot size used in the Pretty Miniatures range.

UK and US terminology differs here: in Britain, this larger railed infant bed is normally called a cot, whereas an American customer would commonly call the comparable real-life bed a crib.

For that reason, a US customer searching for miniature crib bedding may actually need our Cot Bedding category rather than our smaller Pretty Miniatures Crib size. Always compare the internal sleeping area before ordering.

A cot is not simply a very small single bed. The surrounding rails or sides affect how the bedding sits, so the internal sleeping area is often more important than the cot's overall external dimensions.

Current Pretty Miniatures cot bedding examples include bed covers around 110 × 70 mm.

What to check on a cot

Measure:

• the internal mattress width;
• the internal mattress length;
• the height of the cot sides;
• whether the cover needs to sit inside the rails;
• whether the set includes bumpers or other fitted pieces.

If cot bumpers are included, compare their length with the internal sides of the cot as well as checking the bed cover.

Crib Bedding is intended for the smaller crib-style nursery beds in the Pretty Miniatures range.

This is where the language can be confusing for US customers. In American English, crib commonly describes the larger infant bed that a UK customer would usually call a cot. In the Pretty Miniatures catalogue, however, Crib is the name of our smaller nursery fit group.

So if you are shopping from the USA, do not choose our Crib category from the name alone. Compare the measurements of your miniature bed with both our Cot Bedding and Crib Bedding ranges.

Current Pretty Miniatures crib bedding examples include bed covers around 70 × 40 mm, making them significantly smaller than current cot bedding examples.

This is why a cot and a crib should not be treated as interchangeable simply because both belong in a nursery.

Cot or crib?

If you are unsure which category your miniature bed belongs to, ignore the regional name temporarily and measure the sleeping area.

For UK customers, our Cot/Crib wording will usually feel familiar. For US customers, remember that the word crib often points to what we would call a cot in Britain.

Compare that measurement with the dimensions on the individual cot and crib bedding listings. The closest physical fit is more useful than trying to force an unfamiliar third-party bed into a category name.

The combined Cot & Crib Bedding collection lets you view both groups together before narrowing the choice.

Suppose a miniature bed has a sleeping area measuring:

• 130 mm long
• 80 mm wide

You find a bedding cover measuring:

• 160 mm long
• 120 mm wide

That would provide approximately:

• 30 mm of extra length overall;
• 40 mm of extra width overall.

If centred, that could give around 20 mm of fabric beyond each side of the 80 mm-wide mattress.

Whether that looks right depends on the bed frame and the style you want. A soft fabric cover may suit that amount of drape, while a bed with deep side rails may need the bedding to sit more tightly inside the frame.

The calculation does not tell you whether the result is attractive. It simply helps you understand what the dimensions will do.

Miniature bedding does not have to match the mattress dimensions exactly.

A cover normally needs some additional width and length so that it can:

• hang down the sides;
• fold back at the top;
• sit over a mattress;
• tuck behind a footboard;
• create natural-looking fabric folds.

The amount of drape is partly a styling choice.

Neat and contemporary

Use a more controlled overhang with cleaner folds.

Soft and traditional

Allow more visible fabric at the sides and foot of the bed.

Layered styling

Use a main bedding set plus a separate throw or cushions rather than relying on one oversized cover.

This is why the phrase "fits the mattress" does not always mean the cover should be exactly the same size as the mattress.

The frame matters almost as much as the mattress.

A bedding cover may behave differently on:

• an open-ended divan;
• a bed with a high footboard;
• a sleigh bed;
• a four-poster bed;
• a bed with substantial side rails;
• a cot with enclosed sides.

If the bedding must pass behind a footboard, measure the usable distance between the headboard and footboard rather than the full external bed length.

If the bedding will sit over side rails, decide whether you want those rails visible or covered.

Photographs are useful for style, but they do not replace a measurement check.

A full bedding set and a throw serve different purposes.

A bedding set may include some combination of:

• main bed cover;
• pillows;
• larger back pillows;
• scatter cushions;
• sheets or additional layers;
• cot bumpers on some nursery designs.

A throw is usually a decorative top layer.

Pretty Miniatures keeps throws in separate categories:

• Double Throws
• Single Throws

A throw can be used to add colour, texture or contrast without replacing the complete bedding set.

Check the individual listing to see exactly what is included. Product photographs may show surrounding furniture or styling accessories that are not part of the bedding set.

You do not need a Pretty Miniatures bed to use Pretty Miniatures bedding.

For another maker's bed, treat it as a simple measurement exercise:

1. Measure the usable mattress or sleeping area.
2. Measure the full internal bed length if there is a footboard.
3. Decide how much side drape you want.
4. Compare those figures with the bedding listing.
5. If two categories appear close, use the exact product dimensions rather than the category name.

This is particularly important for older, handmade or vintage dolls house furniture, where the maker may have used proportions that differ from modern commercial ranges.

Buying only by scale

Both products may be 1:12, but that does not make a double cover suitable for a junior bed.

Assuming single and junior are interchangeable

Junior bedding is a distinct smaller fit group in the Pretty Miniatures catalogue.

Treating cot and crib terminology as universal

UK and US wording differs, and Pretty Miniatures also uses Cot and Crib as separate catalogue fit groups. A US “crib” may correspond more closely to our Cot size, so use the measurements rather than the name alone.

Measuring the outside of the bed

Decorative frame thickness can make the external dimensions larger than the actual sleeping area.

Forgetting the footboard

A high footboard can change the usable length and the way the cover hangs.

Looking only at photographs

Camera angle, pillows and styling can make bedding appear larger or smaller than it is.

Ignoring the listing contents

Some sets contain more cushions, pillows or bumpers than others.

Expecting every design in a category to have identical dimensions

Use the measurements of the exact item you intend to buy.

Before ordering, check:

• ☐ The dolls house/bed is the scale you expect
• ☐ Bed type: double, single (US Twin), junior, cot or crib
• ☐ Usable sleeping-area width
• ☐ Usable sleeping-area length
• ☐ Mattress height
• ☐ Footboard height and position
• ☐ Side rails or cot sides
• ☐ Desired amount of fabric drape
• ☐ Product cover width
• ☐ Product cover length
• ☐ Pillow/cushion dimensions if important
• ☐ Cot bumper dimensions where supplied
• ☐ Exact contents of the set
• ☐ Correct size variant selected where a design has more than one option

For an adult-style main bedroom:

• Double Bedding
• Double Throws
• Main Bedroom

For standard single beds:

• Single Bedding
• Single Throws
• Single Beds

For smaller children's beds:

• Junior Bedding
• Junior Beds

For nurseries:

• Cot Bedding
• Crib Bedding
• Cot & Crib Bedding
• Children's Bedroom & Nursery

Scale gets you into the correct miniature system. Measurements determine the fit.

Use the category name as your starting point, but check the exact width and length shown on the individual bedding listing before ordering.

That approach is particularly valuable when mixing furniture and bedding from different makers, working with older dolls house furniture or choosing between neighbouring sizes such as Single and Junior or Cot and Crib.

Related guides

• What Is 1:12 Scale? Dolls House Scale Guide
• How to Measure Your Dolls House Before Buying Furniture
• How to Choose 1:12 Dolls House Furniture for Every Room