Finding the best mattress for your child can be hard work. won’t make specific recommendations. There are, however, recommendations on ways to narrow your search to find the best mattress for your child. One of the easiest ways to begin is to decide what size mattress you should get for your child. Since children start out small, many parents opt for a twin mattress. However, that may not be the best choice. suggests that if space allows, consider a full-size mattress to make storytime and cuddling in bed with your child a bit more comfortable. If your child’s room doubles as a guest room, that’s another reason to think about getting a larger mattress. You also have some choices to make about box springs since they come in different heights. suggests you consider a low profile or bunkie board to keep the overall height of the bed a bit lower. Also keep in mind that your new mattress may last 10 years. Think about what will be best for your child in the future. reports that traditional innerspring mattresses are by far the most popular, and it calls them the “best mattress for most.”
notes that mattress owners generally rate memory foam, air, water and latex mattresses higher than innersprings in comfort, durability and longevity. reports about 20 percent of owners of memory foam mattresses complain about the hardness of their beds and some report an unpleasant odor when the mattress is new. It notes that latex mattresses tend to be springier and durable, but they can be expensive. notes that children of all ages need a mattress that provides comfort and adequate support system. If your children are older, it recommends getting them involved in the buying process. The Better Sleep Council suggests using the acronym SLEEP when trying out a mattress: "Select a mattress; Lie down in your sleep position; Evaluate the level of comfort and support; Educate yourself about each selection; Partners should try each mattress together." notes that hand-me-downs clothes may be cool, but hand-me-down mattresses aren’t such a good idea. If a mattress isn’t good enough for you anymore, it’s not going to provide enough support for your growing child either.
If you’re buying an infant mattress, make sure it’s firm. Infants should sleep on firm mattresses to reduce the risk of SIDS. 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 Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week What Firmness of Mattress Is Best for a Toddler? What Ages Are Toddler Beds Designed For? How to Turn Crib Into Toddler Bed How to Convert a Crib Into a Full Size Bed Safety of Crib Netting Are Memory Foam Mattresses Good for Your Back? Is a Toddler Bed or Twin Bed Better for a 2-Year-Old? The Best Mattress for Large Heavy Side Sleepers The Best Beds for Your Back Pillow Safety for Toddlers Tips for Keeping an 18-Month-Old in a Toddler Bed Mattresses & Back Pain How to Clean a Crib Mattress How Do I Know What Type of Mattress Is Best for Me?
Exercise Ball Work for Lower Back Pain How Old Should a Baby Be Before Using a Pillow? Is Flame-Resistant Clothing Safe for Children? Exercise for Upper Back Pain Is it Safe to Reuse a Crib Mattress?When the time comes for your toddler to graduate from a cot to a bed, the range of options can be bewildering. 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? 'It comes down to the quality of the bed and the size of your child,' Dr Bergby says. 'As long as they haven't grown out of it, a good-quality sprung bed can easily last as long as five years. As a general rule of thumb, change the bed every three years between the ages of 0 tand 10 years, and every five years between the ages of 10 and 20. Latex beds, however, have a tendency of shaping to the body of a child after about one year, so I do not recommend these for anyone under 18 years old. Latex pillows, on the other hand (they must be natural latex), I do recommend, however they need to be replaced every one to two years.' This article was written by Karen Fontaine for Kidspot, Australia's best parenting resource. blog comments powered by