Young parents today are way more cautious about what they provide for their babies. It is only natural as parents always strive to give the best for their children. In 2019, more parents are concerned about their babies’ sleep. This includes the environment they sleep in, ensuring babies get sufficient rest and the safety of their babies during sleep. We believe this is a justifiable concern as an average baby spends up to 17 hours sleeping in a day. According to America Sleep Association, most growth and physical development take place in new-borns during sleep hence the necessity.
Trailing this concern, baby mattresses are currently rising in popularity due to its’ safety benefits. In this blog, we will look at important features to consider when purchasing a baby mattress. Before we hop right into the key areas of consideration, let’s first analyze whether or not a baby’s mattress is absolutely necessary.
Here are three importance of a baby mattress:
Baby mattresses aid optimum sleep (for both parent and child)
For the first six months, it is suggested that parents share rooms with their babies. Somehow it has become a common practice for parents to also share their beds. However, this is highly discouraged as parents tend to lose more sleep than they already do, and babies are prone to wake up even from the slightest movement. By sharing a mattress, both parents and children may have their sleep compromised.
Baby mattresses are necessary for hygienic concerns
As children tend to wet and soil beds during their sleep, it is important that mattresses are cleaned frequently. Adult mattresses rarely come with easy cleaning options causing staining of mattresses. Hence, it is important to invest in a smaller, easily cleanable mattress for convenience and continued use of your current mattress. In addition to staining, adult mattresses also tend to hold in odor due to the bulkiness. A smaller mattress suitable helps avoid odor-related issues completely.
Baby mattresses are important for your baby’s spine wellness
While your mattress may be justifiable for your spine and sleep comfort, this is not applicable for your child as babies have a more fragile spine and are concurrently growing at a rapid rate. Investing in a baby mattress would also mean that you’re investing in your child’s spine health.
Now that we’ve discussed why a baby mattress would be a worthy investment, let’s look into key features to consider during the purchase of a baby mattress.
| APPROVE | AVOID |
| Baby-friendly mattress cover | Polyester Fabric |
| Firm mattress | Petrochemical Foams |
| Hypoallergenic | Allergen materials |
| Ventilation | Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) |
Approve
Here are four important key elements that we approve of and believe is absolutely necessary when shopping for a baby mattress.
Baby-friendly mattress cover
Firstly, the mattress cover of a baby mattress should be soft to avoid abrasions. Babies tend to have soft skin that is sensitive, thin and fragile making them prone to abrasions, injuries, and redness. It is important that the cover does not cause irritation to your baby’s skin. It is also important that the fabric of the cover absorbs moisture to encourage a comfortable night’s sleep, especially when your baby wets his/her bed. Most importantly, the covers should come with an option to be removed for cleaning whenever necessary (which would be often).
Firm mattress
A baby’s mattress should also be firm to support your baby’s spine. Firm mattresses also avoid suffocation and a rule of thumb would be ‘if it feels good to you, it’s probably too soft.’ According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a mattress that contours excessively is dangerous. We suggest practicing caution by pressing the center and edges of the bed to make sure they snap back easily, presenting an appropriate level of softness.
Hypoallergenic
Your mattress of choice should definitely be hypoallergenic to avoid health complications. Hypoallergenic mattresses promise resistance against dust mites, mold, and mildew. These allergens open doors to problems such as asthma, sinuses, and allergies. Prevention is always better than cure and by investing in a hypoallergenic mattress, you’re also investing in your child’s wellness.
Ventilation
The next key feature a baby mattress should have is ventilation. Many children adapt various skin problems such as rashes due to the lack of ventilation of their mattress material. A mattress with good ventilation allows babies to be at the best sleeping temperature. This is especially important if you’re residing in a humid country. Placing importance on the bed’s ventilation will promise your child healthy and hygienic sleep.
Avoid
Polyester Fabric
According to Ecology Centre, polyester fabrics lead to health issues such as respiratory tract irritation and skin rashes. Many parents tend to opt for mattresses that come with polyester fabrics due to its low price, but it comes at a high cost of health complications which should be avoided.
Petrochemical Foams
Another cheap baby mattress option is one that comes with petrochemical foams. Derived from polyurethane foams, these materials present health issues such as fertility and neurological complications. Though still legal, these chemicals have been proven to be toxic and health-threatening. Read more on research conducted regarding Flame Retardants in Infants.
Allergen materials
Many mattresses contain allergy-inducing materials (opposite to hypoallergenic mattresses). Such mattresses tend to aggravate sinus issues and any allergies that your child may have. They could also potentially be a catalyst for any allergic issues that your child has yet to show.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Many mattresses now come with PVC surfaces for its waterproof features. While many parents rave about PVC mattresses, they come with high toxicity levels and contain human carcinogens that encourage cancer cell formation
Next up, let’s look into various baby mattresses available in the market.
Latex mattresses
We personally vouch for latex mattresses as we believe it encompasses all that a baby mattress needs to be. Latex mattresses are known for their hypoallergenic properties that could save your child from many health complications. As latex mattresses do tend to contour, investing in good quality ones will reduce suffocation risks. Latex mattresses are also perfect for babies growing in hot and humid countries as they provide good ventilation during sleep.
Foam mattresses
Definitely one of the cheaper options out there, foam mattresses often come a PVC cover. As mentioned earlier, some of these mattresses may contain petrochemical foams that expose your child to many health risks. We advise our readers to conduct more research before opting for one as it’s always better to be safe than sorry. These mattresses tend to be lightweight and firm, which is optimum for a baby’s spine.
Coil Spring mattresses
Also a cheap alternative, coil spring mattresses are popular among new parents. Cotton covers that come with coil spring mattresses are suitable to keep your child cool during warm weather. These forms of mattresses, however, tend to stain easily and are harder to clean. The support it provides is also questionable as they’re more suitable for older children rather than toddlers or newly born babies.
Natural Fibre mattresses
Very much like latex, natural fiber mattresses also tend to be hypoallergenic. Although they tend to be on the pricier side, these mattresses are known to give good support for the spine as they come embedded with springs. Made from materials such as coconut fiber and wool, these mattresses tend to have good air ventilation as well.
WRAPPING UP
As businesses prioritize pushing products out to the market for consumption, many questionable materials and chemicals are added to temporarily please consumers. Research is absolutely necessary when purchasing a baby mattress to reduce risks for your baby. Since information is freely available, we have made it our priority to educate the public on making sound decisions before purchase. We hope this blog has armed you with all the necessary information you may need before purchase and aid you in searching for the best baby mattress. After all, a happy baby makes a happy family.