Folding cots in daycare centres pose repeated safety risks to children

Several manufacturers’ folding cots have caused dangerous incidents in Finnish daycare centres, including cases where children’s fingers have been caught in hinges, Yle reports. The latest incident occurred on Tuesday in Vantaa, where a child became trapped between a folding cot and a wall.

The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) has recorded multiple safety incidents linked to these cots over the past decade. A partial list obtained by Yle covers cases from 2015 to 2025, though Tukes notes the compilation is not exhaustive. Media reports suggest additional unreported incidents.

At least three prior cases mirror Tuesday’s accident. In 2015, a child was trapped in a cot at Huhtasuon daycare in Jyväskylä; in 2021, a similar incident occurred in the Turku region (daycare unnamed); and in 2025, a child was caught in a cot at Tesoman daycare in Tampere. The cots involved were from different manufacturers. In two other cases, children’s fingers were pinched in the hinges of cots from the same manufacturer.

While Tukes cannot ban all folding cots outright—such a measure would require EU-level legislation—it can order the recall of non-compliant products. However, the agency has not taken this step in the five documented cases, as investigations found no regulatory safety defects attributable to the manufacturers. In some instances, user error or changes in legislation affected oversight. For example, one cot was supplied directly to a daycare, placing it outside Tukes’ regulatory scope at the time.

The Accident Investigation Board of Finland (Otkes) issued a rare hazard warning to Tukes and the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) on Thursday. While not legally binding, the alert aims to prompt preventive action before Otkes concludes its investigation. “The purpose is information-sharing and early warning to prevent further accidents,” said Pipsa Korkolainen, Tukes’ lead specialist.