Making the shift from a crib to a bed is a big transition for any toddler and her parents. Once deciding your toddler is ready for this change, there are a few different mattress options to consider. There is no one mattress firmness that is best for a toddler. Each available option varies in firmness but is still a safe and comfortable option for your child. What you choose may depend on your child’s attitude towards change, available space and expense. There are generally two types of crib mattresses, foam and innerspring, each of which are suitable for both infants and toddlers, says Consumer Reports. Both are very firm, which is important as it prevents infants from sinking into them. Many parents choose to simply use their crib mattress on a toddler bed until their child is 2 to 3 years old and ready to move into a larger bed, as toddlers still find this firmness to be comfortable. A toddler bed looks like a regular bed except it is lower to the ground and comes with side rails.
Most crib mattresses fit toddler beds. Some cribs come with the option of purchasing a convertible mattress. These mattresses are extra firm for infants on one side, and softer on the other. According to Consumer Reports, the softer side for toddlers is made of standard foam or springy, viscoelastic memory foam. Convertible mattresses can be used either with a crib that converts into a toddler bed, or with a regular toddler bed. They are generally more expensive than regular crib mattresses. Some parents choose to simply buy their child a twin bed that he can grow into, putting rails on the side if necessary. When purchasing a regular mattress, look for a softer mattress with innersprings. Softer mattresses will conform to a toddler's body, which is much lighter than an adult's. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week
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Should you buy a toddler bed or a single bed? An innerspring mattress or a latex one? Should you place it on an ensemble or a slatted base? And what kind of pillow is right if your child sleeps on his back, side or stomach? Here we consult the experts on how to choose a bed that will best support your child's growing body and spine. Follow these golden rules to ensure a great night's sleep for them (and you). So says Dr Havard Bergby, a paediatric chiropractor at Sydney's Inner West Spinal and Sports Injury Centre. 'As with most things in life, you get what you pay for,' Dr Bergby says. 'When buying a bed for a toddler, parents have to consider the weight and age of the child. The transition from cot to a normal bed should happen between 18 and 36 months, after which a toddler should be in a proper bed with a proper mattress.' Sealy Posturepedic, the world's number-one bedding brand, recommends mattresses with an innerspring system. 'Innerspring mattresses, as opposed to pure foam mattresses, will provide the best skeletal support and conformance to the body while sleeping, and will not degrade with moisture,' says Sealy Australia spokeswoman Kim Bennett.
Dr Bergby agrees that innerspring mattresses are better for kids than ones made of foam or latex. 'Foam simply does not have the same supportive properties as a sprung bed and latex has a tendency of shaping to your body over time,' he says. 'This is not recommended for children due to the fact that their body is constantly changing. So, memory foam beds are definitely not good for children.' Dr Bergby says children do not necessarily need an ensemble - a slatted base can be fine, as long as the slats are no further than five centimetres apart. Dr Bergby generally does not recommend bunk beds, 'mainly because of the many injuries I see as a result of kids either falling from or jumping from the top of a bunk bed. Boys, in particular, tend to love this.' Although they're all the rage, a toddler bed - which is essentially a frame that makes sure a child does not roll out of it at night as well as giving them a similar snug feeling to their cot - is something they will quickly grow too big for.
'A toddler bed can be a good alternative for children who are finding the transition to a ''big'' bed difficult,' says Dr Bergby. 'What mattress you use on the toddler bed is what matters. Between 18 and 36 months a child's spine is rapidly developing and growing, particularly at night. It's imperative that the mattress provides sufficient support to ensure this growth happens naturally. I frequently encounter families where the mum and dad have a $4000 bed, whereas their toddler sleeps on a thin foam mattress.' 'When it comes to sleeping, what matters for a child's spine is support,' says Dr Bergby. 'Both their spine and neck have to be in a neutral position, which minimises stress and allows the spine to grow without any restrictions. A toddler's spine can grow as much as 1.5cm during the night, which mainly comes from the intervertebral discs in between their vertebrae filling up with water. So the mattress has to be soft enough for them to be comfortable, yet firm enough to prevent them from completely sinking into it.'
Dr Bergby says the potential consequence of children sleeping on an unsupportive foam mattress is that their growing spine is placed under stress for prolonged periods of time. 'A growing spine is very flexible and can adapt to stressors in daily life such as falls,' he says. 'However, this flexibility makes the growing spine more susceptible to more permanent deformative issues when placed under a certain load over long periods of time, such as 10-12 hours of sleep per night.' Dr Bergby says it is hard to predict what type of short-term problems might arise from sleeping on a foam mattress in the early years, 'However, there is no question that sleeping on a spring mattress allows for better and more natural development of a growing spine.' For parents who can't afford a good-quality innerspring mattress, Dr Bergby advises buying a second-hand one no more than two years old. 'I suggest to parents planning on having more than one child to buy a good-quality spring mattress and pass it down.
If you buy good quality there is no reason why three kids can't spend two to three years each on it.' By law, all new beds must be treated for dust mites before being sold. However, this does not mean that over time dust mites will not develop - especially given that every night a human body loses up to one litre of body fluid through the skin and mouth, as well as millions of skin flakes. Sealy Australia spokeswoman Kim Bennett says special mattress protectors are a good way to add additional anti-allergenic and moisture-barrier properties to mattresses. 'Most sprays, such as Glen 20, are not recommended as the risk (inhalation of a cocktail of chemicals) versus the benefit (possible removal of bacteria, dust mites etc) is just not feasible,' says Dr Bergby. As such, the best way to avoid worsening a child's asthma and prevent the build-up of dust mites is to: In general, a clean and tidy home (and bedroom) is a good way of controlling the spread of dust mites. How frequently should mattresses be replaced?