Cradle Mattress
A cradle mattress has a harder job than its size suggests. It has to sit firm and flat in a small space, hold that shape through the months your baby is most fragile, and let air move through rather than trapping it. Ours come in four sizes, from 380 x 800mm to 410 x 910mm, with a co sleeper size as well, and all of them are tested to the Australian standard.
Sizes, and how to measure
Most of these purchases go wrong on size rather than on quality. Rocking bassinets, bedside sleepers and cradles are not built to a common measurement, and 20mm out either rattles around in the frame or will not lie flat. Measure the internal base of your cradle, corner to corner, and work from that number rather than the outside dimensions.
The Breathe Eze cradle mattress is made in four sizes:
- 380 x 800mm
- 380 x 840mm
- 410 x 910mm
- 440 x 850mm
The Co Sleeper Cradle Mattress is a separate item, sized for bedside sleepers where it needs to sit level with the adult bed.
If your cradle came with something originally, that is the best template you have, so measure it rather than the frame. If you land between two of our sizes, send us both numbers and we will tell you which fits. We would rather answer an email than process a return.
What to look for
This is a simple product that is easy to get wrong. These are the things that matter.
- Firmness you can feel under a flat palm. Australian safe sleeping guidance is consistent on this, and anything that feels comfortable to an adult hand is usually too soft for an infant.
- An exact fit with no gaps at the sides. If you can get more than two fingers between the edge and the cradle wall, it is too small for the frame.
- Airflow through the core rather than just a breathable cover. What it is made of matters more than what it is wrapped in.
- A cover that comes off. You will be cleaning it more than you expect, and that is the difference between a wash and a replacement.
- An even surface with no dip in the middle. That matters most when you are reusing something for a second child.
The Breathe Eze Cradle Mattress
The standard option in our range, $64.95 across all four sizes.
The core is a Breathe Eze bonded fibre pad. It holds a level surface and lets air pass through the body of the pad rather than trapping it underneath your baby. That same core runs through our cot range, so the two behave the same way.
It is allergy and dust mite resistant, which is worth knowing if allergies run in your family, and the cover is removable for washing. Firmness is tested to AS/NZS 8811-1:2013, the Australian sleep surface test.
The Co Sleeper Cradle Mattress
A different shape for a different job, at $99.00. Bedside sleepers sit flush against an adult bed, so this one has to stay level and stay put rather than shifting when the side is dropped.
Construction is the same as above. If you are shopping for a bedside sleeper rather than a freestanding cradle, this is the one you want, and it is worth confirming your internal measurements first because co sleeper frames vary more than cradles do.
Firmness and the Australian standard
Everything we make for this stage is firm, and that is deliberate rather than a cost decision. Solid support keeps your baby’s spine in a neutral position and the sleeping surface flat. Soft foam conforms to a baby’s shape, which is exactly what you do not want at this age.
We test to AS/NZS 8811-1:2013, the sleep surface test for firmness. That test is why there is no plush option here at any price point, and it is applied to the $64.95 pad exactly as it is to the rest of the range.
Why we do not use foam
We do not use foam in our fibre mattresses at all. We believe it can give off fumes that may affect a baby’s respiratory system, and this is the stage where your baby is smallest and closest to the surface they sleep on.
The Breathe Eze fibre is polyester, which is non toxic, non harmful and low VOC. The fibres are large and strong by design, which makes them non respirable, so nothing becomes airborne inside an enclosed frame. It is anti-microbial as well as dust and mite allergy resistant.
Breathability and airflow
This is a small enclosed space, so air moves through it less freely than through a full size cot, and the mattress is where you can do something about that.
The bonded fibre core lets air pass through rather than being trapped between your baby and a solid base. Better airflow helps regulate temperature overnight. That matters in an Australian summer, and it matters again in winter when the instinct is to over-bundle.
Cleaning and everyday care
You will clean this more often than anything else in the nursery, because the newborn months are the messiest. The cover comes off, which is the important part.
Wipe the surface with warm water and a mild detergent, then let it dry completely before the cover goes back on. A cover replaced over a damp core is how problems start. Skip bleach and abrasive cleaners. For anything significant, take the cover off and wash it rather than working around it.
A protector is worth the small cost. It sits underneath the fitted sheet, takes the overnight spills, and keeps everything below it clean for far longer. Most parents keep one protector and two cradle sheets in rotation, which is enough to always have a clean set while another is in the wash.
Replacing rather than buying new
Plenty of people arrive here replacing something rather than buying a cradle outright, often for a second child. The questions are the same either way.
Check the surface is still even, with no dip where your first child slept, and check the cover is intact and cleans up properly. Something that has held its shape has plenty of life left in it, and reusing it is a sensible saving. A core that has given way underneath is a different matter, and no protector will make up for that. If you are unsure, replace it. At $64.95 that is an easy decision.
What comes next
A cradle is a short stage. Most babies move to a cot somewhere between three and six months, and the sizing question starts again. Our cot range covers every standard Australian frame in the same construction, and our bassinet range covers the smaller frames if that is where you are starting.
If you want to understand how Breathe Eze works before you choose, our mattress guide sets out the differences across the range. And if you are not sure which size fits your cradle, send us the internal measurements and we will confirm it for you.
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Breathe Eze Cradle Mattress
$64.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Co Sleeper Cradle Mattress