Solid foods and weaning See all baby groups There are many types of cot mattress available. You can choose between foam spring interiors, natural fibres, special anti-allergy fillings, or a combination of any of the above. You may find it difficult to decide which is the best and safest mattress for your baby. But The Lullaby Trust states that it doesn't matter what kind of mattress you use, as long as it: is firm not softfits the cot snugly without any gapsdoesn't sag doesn't have signs of wear and tear Any mattress you choose should conform to BS 1877-10: 1997. It should also be at least 8cm to 10cm deep to support your baby while she sleeps. If the mattress you choose has a fabric cover, vacuum it regularly to keep dust mites at bay. Unless you know the history of a second-hand mattress, buy a new one. This will give you peace of mind.Foam mattressesFoam mattresses are generally the cheapest. They are designed to provide the right support and maintain your baby's natural posture.
They often have a wipe-clean PVC cover or removable, breathable covers on one or both sides. They may also have ventilation holes to help keep your baby cool, but these aren't necessary. lightweight provide good supportgood value for moneygenerally easy to keep clean ConsA PVC cover may make your baby feel a bit clammy in hot weather. May start to lose shape after several years. This may be something to consider if you want to use the mattress for subsequent children.Dirt or grime can be difficult to remove from ventilation holes. Coil spring mattressesThese traditional mattresses have a coiled spring interior with layers of felt and foam padding. They often have a cotton cover on one side and PVC, or other wipe-clean material, on the other side. A spring inner core will support your baby. These mattresses also tend to hold their shape well. If you choose a cot bed, you may prefer a coil spring mattress as they tend to be longer lasting than foam. The space within the spring lattice allows for increased airflow through the mattress.
This helps to regulate a child’s body temperature and to keep the mattress fresh. They are a traditional, popular choice with many parents.In hot weather, you can lay your baby on the cotton cover side to prevent her becoming clammy. More expensive than a foam mattress.The cotton side may be preferred for comfort, but can be more difficult to keep clean, unless your mattress has a removable panel.Pocketed spring mattressesThese mattresses are very similar to coil spring mattresses, but each spring is in its own pocket to provide improved support for longer. Expensive.Probably not cost-effective, unless you have a cot bed that your baby will sleep in for several years, or the mattress will be used for more than one child. Dual Core™ mattressesThe Dual Core™ cot mattress is a patented design that incorporates two cores in one. It aims to meet the needs of your child from when they are first born to when they start school. For your newborn baby, it has a coir and orthopedic foam interior, which provides a flat and firm sleeping surface.
As your baby grows into a toddler and preschooler, the second core incorporates micro-pocketed springs to conform to your child's changing weight and shape. excellent support throughout your baby's early yearsextremely hard-wearingholds its shape well expensiveNatural fibre mattressesNatural fibre mattresses have a core of coconut fibre with other layers of different materials. The fibres are coated in latex for strength and protection, and the natural fibre filling helps air to circulate through the mattress. These mattresses are available with a soft cotton or wipe-clean covering. Good choice if you are concerned about your baby sleeping on synthetic material, or you are concerned about introducing unnecessary chemicals or synthetics into your home. One of the firmest types, so the mattress is long-lasting, and holds its shape well. This could be a sensible choice if you want a mattress that will last for more than one child. More expensive than foam or most spring interior mattresses.
Less widely available than other types of mattress.Hypoallergenic mattressesIf allergies or asthma are a concern in your family, you may want to consider a hypoallergenic mattress for your baby. These come with a quilted top layer that can be easily detached and washed at 60 degrees C to kill the dust mites that may cause allergies. Allergy UK has a list of approved mattress covers and bedding. Good choice if your baby has allergies or asthma. Easy to keep clean. May be more expensive than other kinds of mattress.For most babies, this may be a luxury buy. Track your baby’s development Join now to receive free weekly newsletters tracking your baby’s development and yours throughout your pregnancy. Enter your due date or child's birthday Enter your email address Privacy policy & terms Support for your parenting journey. Delivered to your inbox. My Baby This Week Newsletter Keep up with your baby’s development with personalised weekly newsletters.
Get the latest parenting news, plus expert advice and real-world wisdom. Special Offers from Our Partners Receive discounts, deals and parenting information from BabyCentre’s partners. Log in or sign up to post a comment!Update: As of November 2014, the Madeleine goes by the name Casoli on Mattressman. Aside from the name and the pattern of the cover, the mattress remains the same. Our winter sale continues through the rest of January with plenty of bargains up for grabs! One of our favourite sale mattresses is the Madeleine 1200 by Sealy Posturepedic, which is listed on our site with a Medium firmness rating and a comfort rating of 8 out of 9. The Sealy Madeleine in our Roundtree Way store The Madeleine's soft, quilted surface makes it extra comfortable!My ten-year-old sofa bed from Marks & Spencer had served me well but was just getting a bit dog-eared - so I recently went back to see if the same model was still available.Except the 10cm mattress of my old bed has been switched to just 6cm on the current version.
As I'm reluctant to pay more than a grand for something with what seems to be a lower spec than it used to be a decade ago, I set about researching alternatives.There are certain questions you'll need to ask at the outset, such as what type of mattress you want. Pocket sprung are generally good, with the more springs the better. Memory foam tends to divide sleepers more with its lasting impression that moulds to the body. Sitting pretty: Choosing the right sofa-bed can be a bit of minefieldAlso, what type of sofa cushions do you want on the sofa itself? Softer ones that you need to plump daily or more durable ones that do not require much attention?It is also worth making a decision about the sofa-bed mechanism, with my preferred option being the sofa converting into a bed in one easy movement with wooden slats to provide additional back support.Interior designer Sarah Ward, of Sarah Ward Associates, recommends investing money so that you get the exact product you want to ensure the comfort of your guests.
She said: 'The thickness of the mattress and the mechanism will dictate the overall height of the sofa. A corner will unit make the product seem more generous and luxurious. And remember that the bed size will be governed by the seating area within the arms of the sofa.'Sofa Workshop prides itself on its bespoke service. There are set sofa-bed designs to choose from but these can then be altered according to your requirements - for example, if you want higher arms, it will build these for you. And while it has a choice of fabrics, you can even use your own. So say you bought some fabric from Laura Ashley, you can ask for the sofa to be covered in that material - so long as it is upholstery fabric and adheres to fire regulations. However, the depth of the cheapest mattress option available from Sofa Workshop is just 2.5cms. Sofa Workshop insists this is for one-off guest use and that the everyday sofa-bed mechanism has a 10cm thick mattress and wooden slats. However, it is not pocket sprung.
The mattress on the Sofa Workshop Jude sofa-bed is 10cm thick and is on wooden slats.Hitting Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street at peak shopping time was always going to be a bad move. But strapped for time, I headed to the furniture department at the top of the central London store. I've had an Abbey sofa-bed from Marks for the past 10 years, and I have been more than pleased with it - but it has done a good stint and it is time for it to be replaced. After choosing a different fabric, I was about to pay when I decided to check on the size of the mattress. It was a deal breaker as it is no longer 10cm, but a mere 6cm. An M&S spokesperson said: 'Our Abbey sofa range is a firm favourite with our customers and we have sold it for over 15 years. We are always looking at ways to improve our products, and our Abbey sofa-bed now has a fully sprung base and slimmer mattress that offers better support and more comfort.' The M&S Abbey sofa-bed has seen its mattress shrink in size from 10cm to 6cm.
Bishopstrow storage sofa-bed, £1,887, www.willowandhall.co.ukFrom the moment I walked into Willow & Hall's stunning showroom in Chiswick, I knew that the experience of buying a sofa-bed had turned a corner. A keen and energetic showroom assistant began with showing me the three types of mattresses on offer, from the 14cm open spring model with interconnected springs and pocket sprung mattress with individual springs (which is more suited to two people) through to a memory foam base at 12cm, which is apparently the most popular option. The easy mechanism means conversion into a bed is with one easy fold out movement. There is also a choice of cushions - luxury ones that need plumping every day or more hard wearing ones. This design also comes with storage under the chaise, offering a perfect place for pillows and duvets. Ordering on the website isn't smooth as it could be. The mattress on the Willow and Hall Bishopstrow chaise storage sofa-bed has an impressive 14cm mattress.Some of Heal's sofas are stunning and so it was disappointment to see they don't all translate into sofa-beds.
So while some of their sofa-beds are large and full of plump cushions, their sofa-beds have a more modern and angular feel. For example, the Cumulous corner sofa is not available in a sofa bed format. Heal's seems to be missing a trick on this front and if this product was available, it would have been at the top of my list. A spokesman for Heal's said: 'All our sofa-beds have pocket sprung mattresses, of varying size depending on the style. They are designed in Denmark and whereas standard sofa-beds can be either a bed or a sofa, our styles are more multifunctional - for example the Knap sofa bed can be a sofa, a day bed (half up, half down) or a bed. You can also vary the seat back recline between full upright and gentle recline offing many ways of using these versatile pieces of furniture.' The sofa-beds at Heal's have pocket sprung mattresses, of 'varying size depending on the style'.John Lewis offers an alternative to the traditional sofa-bed design. The bed is pulled out from the main unit and a sheet can be put over the whole area including the chaise unit.
The foam mattress is aimed at occasional use and the chaise end unit offers a storage area. The mattress is 8cm deep. Jo Unsworth, upholstery buyer at John Lewis said 'Customers may not always have a spare room available, so are increasingly keen to ensure that their sofa-beds are as aesthetically pleasing as possible, which is partly why this model is one of our most popular. This sofa-bed is also particularly comfortable, due to its thick mattress, so a good buy for a customer looking for a sofa-bed that will be used on a regular basis. It also has internal storage to allow bedding to be stored in and is available in a number of sizes and a huge array of different fabrics.' The mattress on the John Lewis Sacha large sofa bed is 8cm thick.If you don't have several thousand pounds to spend on a sofa-bed with a pocket sprung mattress and wooden slats, you need not give up on your search for a comfortable solution. One option is this sofa-bed from Ikea, which comes with a 10cm foam mattress and costs less than £200.