Choosing a crib mattress for your baby or a toddler can be quite a challenge. If you need help finding the right crib mattress, our ultimate guide can help you make the right decision.
Choosing a mattress for yourself can be difficult, but finding the right one for your baby or a toddler can turn out to be an even bigger challenge. Due to their unique sleep cycle, babies and toddlers spend more time sleeping than adults, so their mattresses are going to get a lot of use. Newborn babies sleep from 10 to 18 hours per day, and overall, children will sleep over around 40 percent of their childhood, so having a quality sleep routine is essential for their growth and early development.
When shopping for a baby bed mattress, different factors need to be taken into consideration; comfort is not anymore on top of the priority list, now safety comes first. Nowadays crib mattresses must meet certain safety standards; the federal government determined their thickness and size. That means that you can buy a crib from one brand, and the mattress from another one because most brands follow the minimal and maximum sizes that are prescribed.
Construction-wise, most of the crib mattresses can be split into three main categories: innerspring, foam and organic materials. They can be designed particularly for toddlers or infants, but there are also models that are flippable, so that both sides can be used during different stages in children’s life.
Since babies can not talk, they can not advise you or help you with the final decision, that is why we have prepared reviews of our top picks and a buyer’s guide that summarizes everything you should pay attention to when choosing a bed for your newborn baby or a toddler.
Highlights:
The Newton Crib mattress is a first mattress that is completely washable and breathable, its Wovenair core is 90 percent air and 10 percent food-grade polymer, wrapped up in a 3D cover that is also highly breathable. That means that, if your baby rolls over onto her stomach during the night she can breathe right through it, which lowers the risk of suffocation more than with any other mattress. For many parents that it the key feature that could seal the deal.
Another great feature is that this mattress is double-sided, one side is more firm and designed for infants, while the other one is softer to suit better toddlers needs. This way you are saving your money, and getting a 2 in 1 mattress, now that is a real long-term investment.
The Newton Wovenair crib mattress is hypoallergenic, non-toxic, does not contain metal springs, glue or polyurethane foam, it is 100 % recyclable, and it does not release harmful substances, which got him the Greenguard Gold certification. Also, it provides a high level of temperature regulation, so no overheating can occur. Both cover and core of the mattress are washable, the cover is machine washable, but the base core should be washed only manually in a bathtub. Avoid washing both components with hot water, because it can shrink them a bit, also do not use heat to dry them out; the best way is to let them air-dry. The Newton mattress weights 11 pounds, and its dimensions are 52 x 28 x 5.5 inches.
Highlights:
Another excellent double-sided mattress is the Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer, providing two different levels of firmness for different needs of infants and toddlers. Extra firm side for babies to prevent SIDS and support the muscular development, and a softer one for toddlers. After the first year and a half, you can turn it around on a more softer surface that will suit toddler’s support needs. Mattresses for toddler beds need to have a milder level of firmness, but the soft side of this mattress is not the softest one out there. So if you are buying this mattress for a kid that is already a toddler, keep in mind that it might feel a little too firm at first.
This eco-friendly crib mattress is made from plant-based foam infused with oils, which is wrapped up with a layer of woven fire barrier, and then covered with a medical grade knit fabric that is hypoallergenic and water resistant. The cover is not removable but is easy to clean up with a damp cloth or a sponge. SafeSewn seams are on the sides to ease the change of the sheet, and to provide bed bug and dust mite resistance. The heat regulation is not provided with any special feature.
This mattress comes with a simple design, solid construction, affordable price, and a lifetime warranty. It weighs only 10 pounds, and its dimensions are 52 x 27.5 x 5 inches.
Highlights:
The Emily Natural Crib Mattress is another flippable mattress, but its both sides have the same level of firmness and composition. The bed is firm enough so that it can hardly develop any indentations, keeping the surface even and firm so that the baby can easily roll over. This innerspring mattress contains natural materials only; it’s made from organic cotton, organic latex, and eco-wool quilted cover. Synthetic materials could affect and aggravate children’s allergies or eczema, so this company takes care not just about comfort but about your children’s health as well.
Many companies use chemicals to develop flame barrier covers for mattresses, but those ingredients and their off-gassing are dangerous and should be avoided. That is why My Green Mattress has a completely natural solution that is safe and also feels good. Their eco-wool from flocks in California and Southern Oregon is woven into the cotton cover to provide a flame barrier and a wall for all kinds of dust mites, mold, etc. The wool is flame resistant, but it still can be inflamed and start to smolder, there are no chances that it will burst to fire because the fire cannot spread over the wool, that is why this material is used as natural flame resistance. The wool also helps with heat regulation, keeping the mattress cold during the summer, and warm during the winter.
It is recommended to flip and rotate it every few months to keep it comfortable, and to take care of your mattress. This mattress comes with a warranty period of 10 years, and a 100 nights sleep trial period. It weighs a bit more due to the innerspring core, a total of 24.1 pounds, and its dimensions are 52 x 27.2 x 6 inches.
Highlights:
As one of the most durable crib mattresses, we represent you double-sided Beautyrest Beginnings Sleepy Whispers. The core of this mattress consists of 231 luxury pocketed coil springs and a 9 gauge border wire to reinforce the edges and secure that they will stay firm and supportive. Toddlers side has a layer of convoluted foam, while on the side for newborns is a layer of supportive comfort foam, firm enough to reduce the risk of SIDS significantly. Both layers are wrapped with a 100% natural cotton fire protection and encased into a superior woven cover that is hypoallergenic, stain and water resistant so that it keeps the foam clean no matter what happens. Temperature regulation is provided with small metal rings on sides, and those are actually air holes that are replacing warm air with the cooler one.
If you are looking for a mattress that will grow with your child, with features of an organic mattress and by much more affordable price, then Sleepy Whispers could be your ideal choice. This crib mattress comes with a limited lifetime manufacturer warranty, it weighs 21.6 pounds, so it is among heavier crib mattresses, but that is only because of his innerspring core that secures even and firm base. Its dimensions are 52 x 27.5 x 6 inches.
Highlights:
Although Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams is not designed with two sides of different firmness level, do not write it off so quickly. This brand gained parents trust and their affection around 30 years ago when they created the famous „Baby On Board“ sign, since then, their products became an inevitable part of each household with children due to their high reputation among manufacturers of safety products for babies. This brand is not just a mattress-only brand, they are really dedicated to the development of high-quality baby products, and know the needs of their target group very well.
This crib mattress is lightweight, with a core that is made from dense thermobonded polyester fibers and built to last, firm enough to support newborns and toddlers, without too much bounce or sinkage. The core is covered with a vinyl material that is hypoallergenic, water, stain and tear-resistant, and also very easy to clean-up. The edges are solid, providing excellent support without sinkage, so the chances of entrapment or injuries are as low as they can be. Toddlers especially move a lot, exploring the inner space of the crib, so it is essential that their surroundings are entirely safe. One potential „flaw“ is the absence of any heat regulation features, so this mattress is not the most breathable one on the market.
The Heavenly Dreams weighs only 7.5 pounds, which makes him super lightweight crib mattress. With that in mind, changing the sheets and flipping the mattress will probably never be easier and faster. Its dimensions are 52.5 x 27.5 x 5.5 inches, and it comes with an average retail price below 100$, which makes him a great and cheap crib mattress.
After we have represented you our best choices, now it is time to dig deeper into details and introduce you to the features of three main types of crib mattresses based on their construction and composition.
When expecting a baby, one of the most exciting things that you could do is furnishing baby’s nursery room. Parents are a huge target group of shoppers, and they, of course, want only the best for their child, so they can easily get carried away and get lost among colorful patterns and cute cozy stuff. Shopping for your baby can be an exciting and challenging experience. You want your baby to be safe and comfortable, but you can not try out the mattress instead of her, and obviously baby cannot tell you her opinion because she does not speak. Sometimes, it is so easy to start overthinking and complicating, but for babies, safety comes first, so let’s just take a minute and forget about clouds, birdies and all those oh-so-cute pattern designs, and go through the basic and most important factors that you should keep in mind.
SIDS stands for sudden infant death syndrome, an unexplained death that usually occurs during sleep. That is why the right choice of crib mattress is essential for children’s sake. According to American SIDS Institute, although the SIDS is at an all-time low, around 4,000 newborns and infants die each year in the US, due to SIDS. That is the primary death cause among children who are between one month and one year old. The exact reasons are unknown, but some of the most common symptoms that are connected to SIDS, affect these most vulnerable groups of children:
Besides these health problems, some environmental features and factors can lead babies to get more susceptible to SIDS:
There are some measures of precautions that parents need to follow to reduce the risk of SIDS:
We hope our reviews and buyer’s guide were helpful, as you know, shopping for a crib mattress is nothing like shopping for a standard mattress. Crib mattresses for babies have a much more significant role in their lives, and they could actually save them, so bear that in mind when buying a crib mattress.
She would be a morning person if mornings started at noon. Art historian, taurus, coffee lover, traveler, F1 fan who hates to drive, and well experienced insomniac with one life goal, to sleep like a coala for up to 20 hours per day.