You don’t like to get too hot — or too cold - -when you’re sleeping, right? The same goes for baby. The Sleepi Crib Mattress ensures a comfortable sleep with a special water-resistant cover and a durable, non-toxic Damask cloth cover. It even comes with waterproof backing (so drool and sweat won’t ruin baby’s mattress!). Just be sure to buy the Stokke Sleepi Crib too, since this mattress was made to fit with it. We love getting a good deal, so when we saw just how many years’ mom and dad can get out of this Serta Perfect Nature Mattress, we were pumped! One side is made for baby, and when you’re ready, just flip it over and it’s ready to go as a toddler bed. For less than $100, the Kolcraft Pure Sleep Therapeutic 150 Mattress gives you everything you’d ever want (and need!) for a comfortable night’s sleep for baby (like a coil-interwoven spring system, a waterproof cover, hypoallergenic design and the right combo of comfort and firmness). How’s that for a dollar well spent?
Bumpers are a no-no, but the raised, firm sides on the SafeSleep Breathable mattress offers added support for baby without putting baby at risk for SIDS. Plus, it’s breathable and free of harmful chemicals, so that should help you get some peaceful sleep yourself. You won’t believe this, but the Coco Mat from NaturalMat is made from only certified organic coir (from coconut husks around the world) — which makes it 100 percent natural, organic and safe. But that’s not all: It’s also wrapped in lambswool, lavender, lemon and eucalyptus. So, if we had to imagine baby sleeping on a cloud, we’d definitely picture this! There’s no price-tag on ensuring your baby’s safety while she sleeps, which is why we love the Naturepedic Organic Ultra 252 Seamless Dual Firmness Mattress. It’s eco-friendly (made without vinyl, PVC, phthalates, lead and antimicrobial biocides) and comes with a heavy duty interior — so even after years of use and reuse, the mattress’ firmness never fades!
And what’s not to love about a company whose motto is: No compromise? Let’s be honest: Diaper blowouts at 2 in the morning aren’t anybody’s favorite, but when it comes time to strip the sheets and put new bedding in baby’s crib, you’ll be thankful you bought this Lullaby Earth Super Lightweight Baby & Crib Toddler Mattress. It weighs just seven pounds (yes!) so you won’t break a sweat changing sheets. Plus, More from The Bump: More About How to Buy a Crib Mattress 10 Cribs We Love Are Crib Bumpers Safe? Guidelines to Sleeping Safe with Infants: Adapted from: Maximizing the chances of Safe Infant Sleep in the Solitary and Cosleeping (Specifically, Bed-sharing) Contexts, by James J. McKenna, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Anthropology, Director, Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory, University of Notre Dame. Below is a summary that highlights some of the issues to be concerned with as you make your own decisions about where and how your infant should sleep.
What constitutes a "safe sleep environment" irrespective of where the infant sleeps? Safe infant sleep ultimately begins with a healthy gestation. Specifically, safe infant sleep begins without the fetus being exposed to maternal smoke during pregnancy. A second factor that has a strong influence on safe infant sleep is breastfeeding. Breastfeeding significantly helps to protect infants from death including deaths from SIDS/SUDI and from secondary disease and/or congenital conditions. Post-natally safe infant sleep begins especially with the presence of an informed, breastfeeding, committed mother, or an informed and committed father. Regardless of whether an infant sleeps on the same surface as his or her parents, on a same-surface co-sleeper, in a bassinet or in a separate crib, in the same room as their parents or in a separate room, all infants should follow these same guidelines: infants should always sleep on their backs, on firm surfaces, on clean surfaces, in the absence of (secondhand) smoke
, under light (comfortable) blanketing, and their heads should never be covered. The bed should not have any stuffed animals or pillows around the infant and never should an infant be placed to sleep on top of a pillow or otherwise soft bedding. Sheepskins or other fluffy material and especially beanbag mattresses should never be used with infants. Waterbeds can be especially dangerous to infants too, and no matter the type of mattress, it should always tightly intersect the bed-frame to leave no gaps or space. Infants should never sleep on couches or sofas with or without adults as they can slip down (face first) into the crevice or get wedged against the back of a couch where they may suffocate. Bedsharing: It is important to be aware that adult beds were not designed to assure infants safety! It is important to realize that the physical and social conditions under which infant-parent cosleeping occur, in all it's diverse forms, can and will determine the risks or benefits of this behavior.
What goes on in bed is what matters. Bottlefeeding babies should always sleep alongside the mother on a separate surface rather than in the bed. If bedsharing, ideally, both parents should agree and feel comfortable with the decision. Each bed-sharer should agree that he or she is equally responsible for the infant and acknowledge before sleeping that they are aware that the infant is present in the bed space. Do not place an infant in the bed with a sleeping adult who is not aware that the infant is in the bed with them. My feeling is that both parents should think of themselves as primary caregivers. Infants a year or less should not sleep with other/older child siblings -- but always with a person who can take responsibility for the infant being in the bed. Persons taking sedatives, medications or drugs, or intoxicated from alcohol or other substances, or otherwise excessively unable to arouse easily from sleep should not cosleep on the same surface with the infant.