What do UK sources say about lead paint on a vintage cot from before 1973?

What does Which? actually write about pre-1973 cot paint?

On its 31 October 2025 second-hand baby-products page, Which? says of cots and nursery furniture: "Be wary if it's vintage. If the cot or nursery furniture was made before 1973 it may contain toxic lead-based paint so would need to be painted over with modern paint, according to government guidance." That is the whole institutional line this article uses for the year 1973.

MayTally has not found, and does not invent, a GOV.UK page that sets a cot-specific lead-paint year or a DIY strip recipe. Which? attributes the 1973 point to "government guidance" without linking a cot regulation. Treat 1973 as Which?'s cited year, not as a statute we have verified on GOV.UK.

RoSPA's bedtime hub does not print the year 1973. It says: "Older cots may contain lead based paint which is poisonous." NCT's reuse page does not print a lead year either; it asks whether a used cot is less than 10 years old and lists other frame checks.

How do I work out whether a painted cot is a pre-1973 piece?

1. 1
   Ask for a date you can photograph A maker stamp, a receipt, or a model you can look up. "It's antique" is not a year. Which?'s warning is tied to made before 1973, not to a style of turned post.
2. 2
   Look for a current British Standard mark Lullaby Trust currently lists BS EN 716-1:2017 for cots. Norfolk NHS says if the cot is old or a family heirloom, "make sure it would pass today's safety standards". A pre-1973 frame will not carry a 2017 stamp unless someone added one later — and a later sticker is not the original test.
3. 3
   Do not invent a strip method Which? writes painted over with modern paint, citing government guidance. This page does not add sanding, chemical strippers, or a home lead-test kit as a fix. Those methods are not in the Which?, RoSPA, NCT or Norfolk NHS lines quoted here.
4. 4
   Search the model on GOV.UK if you have one Use the OPSS recall list. Heirloom pieces often have no model. No listing means no recall on file, which is the usual result for an unlabelled vintage frame — and is not an all-clear.

What else do RoSPA and NCT say about an older painted cot?

Lead paint is only one line. RoSPA and NCT publish frame checks that still apply when the paint colour is modern.

Which? also names BS EN 716 for cots and folding cots, BS EN 1130-1 for cribs and cradles, and BS 8509 for children's beds. A Victorian-style frame without any of those marks sits outside those boxes.

What does NHS Norfolk say about a family-heirloom cot?

Just One Norfolk's "What do I really need for my baby?" page says that if you are buying a second-hand crib, cot or pram you should buy a new mattress that conforms to BS EN 16890, buy from smoke-free homes only, check condition and skip visible damage, and: "If the cot you are buying is old, or a family heirloom, make sure it would pass today's safety standards."

They do not publish a lead-paint year. They do not publish a DIY refinish method. "Today's standards" on a Lullaby Trust reading is the current cot number BS EN 716-1:2017, plus their mattress list — and they still say there is no SIDS standard.

What do these pages not test on an heirloom cot?

• They do not test your particular paint. Which? says a pre-1973 piece *may* contain lead-based paint. That is not a lab result for the cot in the loft.
• They do not set a US-style 1973 ban. The year in Which? is about paint. Do not import a US regulator's 1973 rule onto a UK frame.
• They do not give a strip-and-repaint how-to. Which? says painted over with modern paint, citing government guidance. This article stops there.
• They do not call a refinished heirloom an all-clear. Norfolk NHS still wants today's standards. Lullaby Trust still wants the relevant British Standard on the product.

What is a fair reading of those pages, and what is not?

In shortIn short: Which? supplies the pre-1973 paint year and a "paint over with modern paint" line attributed to government guidance. RoSPA names poisonous lead paint on older cots, plus stickers and drop sides. NCT adds age, corner posts and a tighter bar figure. Norfolk NHS wants heirlooms to meet today's standards. None of those pages hand you a DIY strip method or a MayTally "clear to use" stamp.