The Crib Mattress
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Tue, May 18, 2010
Mattresses are too personal a purchase and far too important for baby to just throw any mattress in a crib. The crib mattress is one of the most important purchases a parent will make for their baby. Think about it. Baby will have just come out of a watery hammock. Baby's bones will be softer and growing faster than at any other time of their life and they will be spending about 70% of their time on that mattress. Even as a toddler, baby will spend about 50% of their time on the mattress parents select. Babies need more back and body support than us adults. Experts say firmer is better and, since babies will sleep anywhere, you don't have to worry about the mattress being too firm.
There are three major mattress categories: innerspring, foam, and "green" or ecologically friendlier mattresses. "Green" mattresses may be innerspring, foam, natural or organic.
Which is best for baby? All three styles of crib mattress are fine for baby. All mattresses sold in the U.S. must pass the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that regulates the chemicals in the mattress and, the mattresses must be tested by a third party independent testing lab to ensure that they pass. Crib mattresses must also pass two different Federal flammability standards.
Innerspring Mattresses
95% of us adults sleep on an innerspring mattress. Many parents are most comfortable with this type mattress for their baby.
The best innerspring mattresses have both more layers and better quality layers.
The heart of the innerspring mattress is the spring. The best spring is the one with the most steel and not necessarily the one with the most coils- thicker steel coils in combination with quantity of coils is what counts. Springs with border rods have more steel and provide greater firmness, durability, and edge support which is important for toddlers when they walk around the mattress holding on to the crib rails.
On top of the spring is the insulator pad that prevents the softer cushioning layers from sinking into the coils. It prevents that coil ‘feel'. A high quality insulator is mandatory to a higher quality innerspring mattress. The very best mattresses have two insulators that may include a permalator wire insulator in addition to a high quality insulator pad.
Next come the cushioning layers that add comfort but, shouldn't diminish desired firmness. Better mattresses often have two cushioning layers. Non-allergenic foam and cotton are common cushioning layers. Polyester is also used as a cushioning layer.
Foam Mattresses
Foam mattresses are lighter weight and make for slightly easier sheet changes.
Better quality foam mattresses have firmer foam, heavier weight foam, and they return to their original flat shape faster when the weight is removed from the mattress.
"Green" or Ecologically Friendlier Mattresses
"Green" or ecologically friendlier mattresses may be better for the environment but, are not necessarily better for baby than other styles of mattresses. The "green" components in a mattress are usually more costly than their counterparts in other styles of mattresses.
"Green" mattresses use more ecologically friendlier components than the average mattress. They may be foam mattresses made with plant oils or, innerspring mattresses with layers made with natural materials. There are no industry standards for calling a mattress natural or organic so you and your customers have to decide for yourselves what percent of a mattress's components must be natural or organic for you to consider it a natural or organic mattress. Read labels and literature very closely to determine actual mattress components and separate claims from fact.
The best quality "green" innerspring mattresses, just like regular innerspring mattresses, have more layers and better quality layers. The layers just happen to be more natural or organic. The best quality "green" foam mattresses are firmer, heavier weight, and more resilient - the same as regular foam mattresses. The best quality natural or organic mattresses have the highest percent of natural or organic components with 100% being optimum. There is no such thing as natural or organic steel or plastic, and just because a mattress calls itself natural or organic doesn't mean that it is 100% natural or organic.
All mattresses have covers. Vinyl is the most common, easiest to clean, and most cost-efficient cover material. The strongest vinyl covers have the most reinforced layers - five, three, or two. Some "green" mattresses come with covers of bamboo yarn or organic cotton and they may or may not be waterproof. Waterproofing on a cloth covered mattress may be a plastic on the top surface or polyurethane on the back surface of the mattress cover leaving a more natural material closest to baby. Any material used to make a mattress cover waterproof is not natural or organic.
Lastly, mattresses often have vents and binding. Cloth binding generally offers stronger seams than vinyl binding and, vents allow the mattress to breathe and refresh itself.
A popular mattress feature today is the dual firmness mattress where one side is firmer for the infant and the other side is firm but, a little more comfortable for a toddler? This feature is especially popular with parents buying convertible cribs. Memory foam on the less firm side of a dual firmness mattress is also popular.
In summary, the crib mattress is so important for baby that a parent will do baby a favor by saving money on other items and buying the best mattress they can afford.
The best innerspring crib mattress has a spring unit with thicker coils, border rods, and overall more steel than other innerspring mattresses. It has two insulators- a permalator and a high quality insulator pad. It has at least two cushioning layers on each side. The cover has multiple reinforced layers. The mattress will also usually have cloth binding and vents.
The best foam mattress has foam that is firmer, heavier weight, and more resilient than lower cost foam mattresses. The cover has multiple reinforced layers. Cloth binding and eyelet vents ensure strong seams and mattress freshness.
The best "green" mattress has 100% all natural or 100% all organic components - no steel, no plastic, no polyester, no waterproofing.
>article provided courtesy of Colgate Mattress