As an expected parent or a parent to a newborn child, you must be worried about his safety, at every step. A child spends most of his infancy period sleeping in his crib as an optimal sleep is vital for his growth. So the best crib mattress is the core facility that you need to provide your child with.You must be choosy at this and can’t rely on any product out there. Once he grows a little up, he starts performing some manoeuvres so the bedding should be soft on the delicate body of the child but firm enough to support the same.Let me hold your hand for choosing a perfect mattress that fits well in the crib and suits to your little baby.A crib is the first bed to your child and if it’s comfortable it develops good sleeping habits in the baby. A child is just passing through a growing stage and is more delicate than we think.At the same time, the market is full of crappy products that are not up to the standard in terms of safety. Don’t get trapped with them and only choose a mattress that fulfills the essential criteria.
To ease your job, I jotted down the essential characteristics of the best crib mattress with reviews. Just cross check your mattress with these guidelines before making a purchase. Firmness: Child’s safety is the foremost priority while buying a crib bed mattress and the firmness of the product directly relates to it. The mattress should not lose its shape once the child turns over in the bed. If he/she rolls upside down and the mattress bends in, the babies’ nose is dumped into the bent area and can’t breathe. It might lead the child to suffocation.This suffocation is a big factor for causing SIDS (Sudden infant Death Syndrome). The firmer a mattress is the better. Don’t bother even if the mattress appears stiff to you as your baby is able to adjust with it.So to check the firmness, press the mattress, especially the sides and corners, with your hands, release the pressure and see if the mattress regains its original shape. If yes, then it’s an ideal choice otherwise just discard the idea of buying it.
Size: Choosing a mattress of a right size is a must as it should fit properly inside the crib that you own for your child. The space between the edges of the mattress and wall of the crib shouldn’t be more or less than two fingers.As a general gauge, the ideal measurements should be of 27 ¼ inches in length and 51 3/8 inches in width and the thickness should not be more than 6 inches or less than 3 inches. Chemical Check: A mattress goes through many chemical treatments during the manufacturing process. But before it is out in the market, it should be a cleansed product that is free of any harmful chemical substances. The material used should be non-toxic.Most mattresses nowadays use Vinyl Layer for adding waterproofing characteristics to the product. But Vinyl is highly toxic in nature and hazardous to the environment. Cover of The Mattress: The cover must be hypo-allergenic. As the cover will be in constant touch with the baby, you should be extra careful choosing one. It should have 233+ thread count and make of cotton fabric.
The cotton cover is washable and easy to clean. If the desired cover is not available with the product itself, make sure it is available as a separate option. Warranty: Although not a mandatory requirement in terms of child’s safety and comfort but it shows the authenticity of the brand. If the manufacturer is confident enough for following the manufacturing standards, he won’t hesitate to offer a warranty period. I suggest products with a warranty/guarantee period of a minimum of 6 months.Two types of mattresses are broadly ruling the market. The Foam Mattress and The Innerspring Mattress. Basically, these are the construction types of the fillings inside the product that is directly related to comfort, durability, lifetime and a baby’s health. Let’s explore them further:This is an economic and cheaper option and lighter in weight as well. As the name suggests, “Foam” is used as the filling material that is obtained by adding chemicals to the polyurethane which increases its viscosity level and density.
The best feature of the foam is that it gets soft once it is exposed to some sort of heat and gets its shape back once it cools down. So once your baby sleeps on it, it absorbs the body heat and conforms itself according to the body contour that provides comfort and optimal support to the child.Sometimes the density is not mentioned by the manufacturer. In such situation, the weight could be the saviour. A heavier mattress of the same size is denser than the one with lesser weight. No matter which product you choose the density should not be less than 1.5 pounds per cubic foot.The innerspring mattress doesn’t mean a special kind of filling material. The filling can be anything such as coir, buckwheat, latex etc. Plus, a steel skeleton, in the form of coils or springs, is inserted to add extra support, firmness, and flexibility.The springs squeeze and stretch with your baby’s movements providing support at every move.To govern the firmness of an innerspring mattress number of turns or coils is considered as the main factor.
The higher the number of turns the better it is. As a rule of thumb, a good standard size innerspring mattress should possess 200+ coils.The answer is obvious. So far, you know the nitty-gritty that makes a safest crib mattress. Before choosing one for your tiny angle must cross-check the specifications with the recommendations in this article.If your current mattress is not made up to the standard, it is wise replacing it immediately.As an alternative, I have made the process fairly automatic for you. I have handpicked some of the top rated mattress available in the market that is made up to the quality standards. Below is the list before you, just pick any of them and your gift to your baby.We’d all love to greet our newborn with a palatial crib in a spacious nursery. The sad reality is if you live in the city or have a small apartment this is just not possible. This leaves many parents worrying about how to fit a crib into a small space.Fortunately, cribs today come in all shapes and sizes.
There are some great portable and mini cribs that are safe, functional and stylish. Most importantly of all, they will make your baby feel right at home in the smallest of apartments and condos.After a great deal of research, we have compiled a list of the 5 best mini cribs of 2017.The Bloom Urban Mini is one of the more stylish small cribs on the market. It really earns the tag “mini” because at just 36.5” wide, it’s smaller than a pack n play! This makes it perfect for apartments, condos and rooms with small spaces.One particularly great thing about the Alma Mini is you can use it like a bassinet. It’s large, lockable wheels allow you to move it right up to the side of your bed. You can also wheel it from room to room. It would get stuck as it’s compact size can fit through narrow doorways and cramped hallways without a hitch.As well as having wheels, the Bloom Alma is also a collapsible crib. It’s really easy to fold up and transport. This makes it a real space saver when your little one’s awake.
You can also put it in the trunk and take it with you to the grandparents!The only real downside to this one is the price. It’s more than twice the price of other mini baby cribs. And that’s just for the “Frame”, the mattress and sheets need to be purchased separately.However, this is perhaps the best portable crib on the market. And it’s collapsible too. If these two features are important to you, it’s probably worth the extra money.The Child Craft London Mini is another great small crib. At 43.3” long, it’s around 9” shorter than a standard sized crib. This makes it ideal for when space is at a premium (such as with twins).What I really like about this model is it has a wire spring base. Most modern designs have a flimsy board under the mattress to provide support. Over time, the wood can warp and is not responsive to a baby’s position.Wire spring bases were popular around 30 years ago. They were probably phased out due to cost issues. So, it’s nice to see Child Craft bringing them back.
The Bloom Alma is also a convertible mini crib. It converts to a twin bed so it will grow with your baby. Meaning you can use it for longer and get good value for money.Another big plus this is a low profile crib. After my assisted delivery, I realized just how painful it is grabbing a baby from a crib. This model is slightly lower. 5-foot tall mothers have commented on how easy this makes things.The only drawback with the London Mini is it has no wheels. There is a 3” thick mattress included in the price.DaVinci makes stunning cribs. Their Emily Mini Crib is another example of their stylish yet functional designs. At just 38” by 28” by 28” it’s a perfect crib for small spaces.What really sets this design apart is it has three adjustable mattress levels. Most small cribs have just the two. The highest level allows your newborn to be at eye level so you don’t need a bassinet.The Davinci Emily can be used up to 50lbs. This is a bit longer than other mini cribs so you get more bang for your buck.
Parents have reported their toddlers sleeping using this one until they’re two years old. As always, it depends on the size and inclination of your baby!If this had wheels or could fold it would be the perfect crib for apartments and condos. It is relatively light, so many parents are scooting it from one room to another without problems.For its low price, the Davinci Emily could well be the best mini crib for the money!The Aiden is a great mini crib from Dream on Me. It’s a really compact crib which only takes up 2′ by 3′ of floor space. This makes it one of the best cribs for small spaces.The Aiden Mini Crib also grows with your baby as it converts to a toddler bed and then a twin size bed (rails not included). This is good news as most mini cribs only last until one year old.Another big plus is it’s made from solid pine wood and not the flimsy particle boarding that most modern cribs have.A lot of mini cribs only have two adjustable mattress heights, too. The “Aiden” has three so you can use it with newborns.
This removes the need to buy a bassinet and helps save money.As with a lot of small baby cribs, there is a 1” mattress included. Many parents find it too flimsy and we suggest buying the Dream On Me portable mattress instead.Not having wheels is a drawback, but it’s lightweight and easy to move around.For the price, the Aiden Mini Crib definitely punches well above its weight.The Delta Portable Mini Crib is 35% smaller than standard cribs, so it’s a real space saver.It also has lots of great features apart from its small stature. It folds and has wheels so you can save a lot of space. You can also move the crib easily from room to room which is a feature many parents love. Being nice and compact it will easily fit through narrow doorways and hallways.The 2 position mattress transforms the crib into a bassinet, playpen and changer. Unlike similar designs, the front gate can move up and down. It locks in both positions so it’s easy and safe to move your baby in and out of. This also allows you to used the crib as a changing table if need be.