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 Buyer's guide to baby mattresses Whether you buy a Moses basket, crib, cot or cotbed, you'll need to think about a mattress. Here's how to buy the right one What is a baby mattress?So you’ve chosen a bed for your baby... now what about a baby mattress?
There are many different options to choose from, in terms of style and whether you need something to fit a Moses basket, crib, cot, cotbed, travel cot or a pram/carrycot. There are even baby mattresses for hanging cradles. Once you know what type of bed you’re buying the mattress for, you can choose from different fabrics and construction. The main baby mattress types are foam, sprung, pocket sprung, natural fibre, or even a combination of any of the above. You may find that the bed you buy already comes with a mattress, but don’t feel obliged to use that one just because it’s included in the price. It’s important that you buy a mattress that you are really happy with, given how many hours your baby will spend on it. Should you buy new or secondhand?It’s best to always buy a new mattress for your baby, and that includes when more baby brothers and sisters come along. Your baby needs a firm, clean and supportive mattress. The danger with a secondhand mattress is that it can have lost its shape and may contain hidden bacteria and dust mites.
It will also probably be less comfortable. Sadly, there’s evidence to suggest that SIDS, or cot death, is linked to secondhand mattresses. FSID’s Sleep simple sleep safe resource states, “Ideally you should buy a new mattress for each new baby. If you are not able to do this, use the one you have, as long as it was made with a completely waterproof cover and has no tears, cracks or holes. Clean and dry it thoroughly.” Make sure that any mattress you buy conforms to both BS 1877 Part 10 1997 for safety and performance and BS 7177 1996 for flammability. Mattresses that meet the relevant BS standards give you the confidence that what you’re buying for your baby is safe. What size do you need?Some retailers refer to ‘standard’ and ‘continental’ size types for baby cot mattresses, but there are a wide variety of dimensions out there so it’s vital that you make sure you buy the correct size. The gap between the mattress and cot sides and ends should not be more than 4cm when the mattress is pushed tightly to one side or there’s a risk that your baby’s limbs could get trapped.
There may be a sticker with your cot or basket that recommends the ideal size, whilst some shops list their mattresses by brand of cot or pram. If you’re not sure, accurately measure the interior length and width of the basket or cot base once it’s assembled. Generally, the depth of the mattress should not exceed 10cm for cots and it will be thinner for Moses baskets. There are plenty of companies out there online who will supply you with a made-to-measure mattress if you can’t find the exact size you are looking for. What type do you want?Whichever type of mattress you choose, it needs to be firm. Imagine if your baby turns over – he can’t easily move himself if his face sinks into a squishy mattress, so he needs a more solid sleep surface than us grown-ups. Squeeze the edges and the centre of the mattress to ensure that support is there. You can choose from the following types, which generally increase in price: Foam – the cheapest option providing a core of foam, often encased in a wipeable, waterpoof cover (look for non-toxic PVC).
Choose a high-density foam providing good support and comfort. Some foam mattresses also have ventilation holes. Sprung – made with sturdy coils offering firm support. Pocket sprung – constructed from individual steel springs sewn into small fabric pockets. Each spring can then individually respond to the contours of your baby’s body. Natural fibre – such as coir, coconut, latex, mohair, lambswool, cashmere or silk, which are recommended for their properties of moisture absorption. PurFlo - a hollow mattress, made by PurFlo, that has good air circulation and is similar price to a pocket sprung mattress. Depending on the type of mattress you opt for, turn it regularly to maintain its shape and/or rotate it head to foot so both ends are used equally. Do you need a cover?All baby mattresses are covered with an outer fabric layer. FSID’s recommends that the outside of the mattress should be waterproof, so most covers have a waterproof side and a fabric side.
But not all of these covers will be removable for washing. If it isn’t removable, do remember to frequently wipe clear the PVC surface and vacuum or sponge-clean the bottom cotton cover of the mattress base. You can also buy a separate spare mattress cover to make it easier to keep your mattress clean and deal with those inevitable nappy explosions. Ideally, choose a mattress with a removable cover that can be washed at 60 degrees as that is the temperature needed to kill the dreaded dust mites. Some mattresses also come with moveable waterproof sleeves (within the cover) to protect the core. Specialist baby mattress manufacturers will allow you to select different types of fabric covers, such as: ‘Intelligent’ or ‘moisture-management’ fabrics (look for labels such as CoolMax® or CoolPlus) that help prevent your child from overheating Anti-fungal fabrics that help protect against allergies (Amicor ®) Organic, fair trade or even scented fabric What you choose will depend on personal preference, how long you plan to use the mattress and your budget.