What Should I Look for in a Child's Mattress?

Concerned parents often contact us to ask us for help choosing a mattress for a child’s bed. Because children do a lot of their growing while they sleep, the mattress you choose for them is very important to ensure proper development. With all the options available, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed. Here are a few points to consider.

1. Mattresses Have a Lifespan!

It is generally suggested that mattresses are changed every 10-12 years which really makes sense if you think about it. Using a mattress consistently over a 10 year period will equate to over 30,000 hours of stress on it! The poor mattress must also contend with some of the 4 to 6 cups of fluid which are lost during sleep every night (Plus the odd accident in the case of toddlers!)

Another thing to consider if you are thinking of using a hand-me-down mattress is that modern technologies and materials have come a long way in the last decade. Investing in a new mattress may offer you better value for money and a longer use period.

2. The Materials Matter

There are lots of foam based mattresses on the market now, but these may not be the best choice. Pediatricians recommend avoiding memory foam mattresses particularly because these can be too soft to assist with encouraging proper bone growth. Also, children are too light to make proper use of the body-forming technology and the visco-elastic material used in these mattresses holds in a lot of heat which can be uncomfortable.

Pocket sprung mattresses are another grown-up feature which children do not really require in their mattresses. Pocket sprung mattresses tend to be a little more expensive and are meant for people who share a bed; the coils are not linked and so reduce the amount of disturbance that one person feels when the other moves. Since children typically sleep alone, an open coil (linked) mattress is perfectly sufficient.

With coil mattresses, the thickness or gage of the wire and the coil count are important to consider as more springs and a thicker wire coil will both contribute to a greater degree of support. The filling is another feature that adds to the comfort and support a mattress offers with better quality and deeper wadding making for a more comfortable mattress.
For these reasons, we only stock and recommend a well stuffed, open coil mattress.

3. Higher Price = Better Mattress?

The root of the “How do I choose the best mattress” question, however, always comes back to price. Is it worth spending more money on a mattress?

I honestly do believe it can be if you have followed the advice above and avoided spending money on unnecessary bells and whistles.
For a little more money, you will typically get a higher value mattress. Features that you should expect for a higher priced mattress include better quality filling, more layers of wadding, a larger number of coils, higher gage coils, and all around better construction which will make a more comfortable and longer lasting mattress.

The Children’s Furniture Company stocks two different styles of mattress which gives an example of what you get for the difference in price.

Standard
Price: £ 127
13 gauge 6” open coil spring
Hi-loft quilting
Cotton Ticking (quilting stitched just on top)
Two layers of wadding

Traditional
Price: £146
13 gauge 6” open coil spring
Belgium damask covering
Hand Tufted (stitched all the way through the mattress)
Four layers of wadding

Ultimately, the best mattress for your child will fit in your budget, supply them with enough support for their growing bodies, avoid unnecessary adult features and be comfortable!
Please feel free to comment or to get in touch with any follow up questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!