3 Things You Should Know Before You Buy A Mattress For Your Baby

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3 Things You Should Know Before You Buy A Mattress For Your Baby

Are you overwhelmed by the choices of mattresses for you baby?

We have an expert team who have been creating quality mattresses for babies for 30 years.

Here’s a simple checklist to remember when buying a mattress for your baby.

1. Firm is safest

Soft and squishy is only good for your baby’s cheeks not their mattress.  Check that the mattress is tested to the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 8811-1:2013 – Sleep Surface Test for Firmness) so you know that you reduce the risk of your baby suffocating or blocking their airways.

2. Safe on the inside

What’s on the inside always matters. It is so easy to get wrapped up in new and funky concepts of “natural” things to stuff in a mattress, but they are not always best for your baby. Coconut husks or coir mattresses are not durable, hygienic or supportive. Latex mattresses are heavy, vary considerably in quality, may release gasses if they include a synthetic latex or a blend and are super smelly. Memory foam (in fact all-foam mattresses) is just unsafe for a baby, due to off-gassing from toxic chemicals and lack of support (that sinking feeling).

The most durable mattress for your baby is a good quality Bonnel spring mattress, which offers your baby optimal ergonomic support through their growing body for years to come. The edges and corners of the mattress should be supported with a spring wire, as this helps prevent your child from slipping their legs through the slats of their cot, causing injury.

We pair our innerspring mattresses with a firm breath eze fibre which is tested for breathability and firmness – so you know it is safe. It has no toxic chemicals, is anti-allergenic and naturally fire retardant so there are no added nasties!

3. Keep it clean

Your baby’s mattress should be easy to keep hygienic. Most mattresses are not washable or even able to be spot cleaned safely, but our breathe eze fibre loves water and sunshine. Even better, look for a mattress like our Breathe Eze Bamboo Innerspring Mattress or our Breathe Eze Orthopaedic Innerspring Mattress which had a zip of cover, so you can easily wash the cover in the washing machine.

Hot Tip – rotate your mattresses regularly for some extra loving firmness and don’t forget to give them a morning in the sun from time to time, to stay fresh and clean.

If you are a lover of detailed information, read our BLOG Is your baby’s mattress safe? which will give you all the information you could possibly need to purchase the perfect mattress for your baby or call our expert team on (07) 3208 3555 to help you with your selection.

Join thousands of parents in making the safest choices for their baby with a babyhood Breathe Eze Mattress.

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Getting the size right across a cot, cradle and portacot

The three sleep spaces most families end up with all take different mattresses, and they are not interchangeable. A cradle or bassinet mattress is smaller and usually thinner. A portacot mattress is sized to a folding frame and is often thinner again. A cot mattress is the largest of the three.

The rule that matters is the same in all three cases. Buy the mattress made for that specific product, at the size and depth the manufacturer states, and check the fit once it is in. Red Nose Australia advises no more than a 20mm gap between the mattress and the sides, and the practical version of that check is that no more than two adult finger widths should fit down the edge.

Measure the internal base of your cot before you order rather than working from the external dimensions, and check the stated size on the product page. A mattress that is slightly too small leaves a gap a baby can roll into. One that is slightly too large will bow in the middle, which is just as much of a problem.

Protectors, cleaning and how long a mattress lasts

A protector is the difference between cleaning up a spill and replacing a mattress. If you use one, it needs a tight fit so it cannot bunch up or work loose, and it should be a purpose made protector rather than a towel or a folded sheet.

For cleaning, follow what the manufacturer specifies for that mattress rather than a general rule, because construction varies. Airing a mattress regularly and rotating it end to end helps it wear evenly. If a cover is removable and machine washable, that is worth checking before you buy, because it is the feature you will use most.

On lifespan, a mattress does not have a fixed expiry, but there are clear signs it is done. A dip or hollow where your baby sleeps, edges that have lost their firmness, a cover that will not come clean, or any smell that does not air out. Any of those is a reason to replace it rather than pass it on.

Buying new for each child

Firmness is the property that degrades, and it degrades invisibly. A mattress that still looks fine can have softened enough in the middle to matter. That is why the general advice is a new mattress for each child rather than reusing an older sibling’s, and it is the single place in a nursery budget where it is worth not economising.

You can compare the current range of cot mattresses in one place, and if you want the longer version of what to look for, our guide on choosing a baby mattress covers type, firmness, fit and price.

What else to sort at the same time

If your baby will start beside your bed before moving into the cot, that decision comes first. Our guide covers whether you need a bassinet and how a round bassinet compares with other shapes, and you can browse the current bassinets and cradles range, each of which takes its own mattress size.

The pram is the other early purchase and it deserves the same attention. Our guide to choosing a single pram sets out what to compare, and the full prams and strollers range is here.