All latex or latex/coil combo mattress for 3yr old (hoping to last long term!)

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

I’m looking for a mattress for my daughter who will be turning 3. I have been reading the forum for days, but I think I’ve gotten a bit overloaded with info, and now I’m feeling a bit lost.

My criteria - as natural as possible (organic everything a big plus), something that can last for a long time (I had the same mattress from age 6-age 23…doesn’t have to have that kind of longevity, but 10 yrs + would be awesome), something that is ok for me or dad to lay with her on, as we often lay in bed with her for books, middle of the night needs, etc., and we would like to spend less than $1000 total, including any foundation. (Much less would be great!!, but not sure possible.)

I was originally going to go with the Pure Echo from greenmattress.com, but after speaking with Kathy there, she recommended I move to the Natural Escape instead - to allow for adults to lay in the bed and for longer life span of mattress (I think the difference there is the Echo is not pocketed coil but the Natural Escape is). But, I’m not sure if I full latex might be a better choice? Maybe the Q3 Nest Bedding Latex Mattress Jr Latex from Nest Bedding? But, if it’s listed as a Jr bed, does that mean adults shouldn’t sleep on it?
So basically, I am having a hard time deciding between full latex and coil with latex on top. Any reason you would suggest going with one over the other for our situation?

Thanks so much for all of your information and help!

2

I used to sell the Pure Echo, and I have had some warranty issues with it. Its why I switched to the solid latex, the Q3 Nest Bedding Latex Mattress Jr and yes, ideally its for kids. Its only 6" of latex, firm and zoned, so not enough for 2 adults to use as a full time mattress. But you could co-sleep with it. Just my two cents.

3

Hi dhanley,

You may have read this already but post #2 here and the posts it links to have more information about mattresses and children and “safe” materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to many of the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good mattress choices for children although there would also be many others that would fit the same general guidelines as well.

The Natural Escape uses natural Talalay latex and would probably be a more “comfortable” choice if you are also going to be using the mattress from time to time because of the pocket coils and the latex. It also has firmer edge support that can help if you are sitting on the side of the mattress for “story time” but I would confirm that it was firm enough for a child (medium or firmer is usually the best choice for children). It’s also two sided which can add to the useful life of a mattress but of course it’s also a little more than the budget range you were looking at. The choice between an all latex mattress and a pocket coil latex hybrid would be a preference choice and not so much a “better/worse” choice because the weakest link of a mattress is generally in the comfort layers not the support materials or components. You can see some comments about how a latex support core compares to an innerspring or pocket coil support core in post #13 here.

As Joe mentioned the Q3 Jr Latex would also make a very suitable choice for a child. It uses blended Dunlop latex which like all latex is certainly a “safe” material (it’s Oeko-Tex certified) but it isn’t 100% natural if that’s an important criteria for you.

The reason the it may not be suitable for many adults wouldn’t be because of any durability issues but because it’s only 6" thick and this may not be thick enough and may be too firm for many adults unless they are in much lighter than average weight ranges and prefer a firm mattress (which means that they probably don’t sleep on their sides).

I should also comment that while wool can form visible impressions as it compresses (particularly if you tend to sleep in one area of the mattress) … this generally doesn’t affect support/alignment because wool becomes firmer as it compresses unlike foam materials which generally become softer over time which can lead to the loss of comfort and support. Having said that I don’t think that I would choose the Pure Echo for someone that was in a higher weight range because the wool could compress more into the coils over time even with a good insulator and this could become uncomfortable and could also become a warranty issue for higher weight ranges.

All of the mattresses you are considering along with many others listed in the children’s topics I linked would certainly make a very suitable choice for a child but most of the differences between them would be based on your own preferences, budget, and on lifestyle choices that are important to you regarding the use of natural or synthetic materials.

While there is no way to quantify how long any mattress will last for any particular person, if a mattress is well inside a suitable comfort/support range and isn’t close to the edge of being too soft when it is new and meets the minimum quality specs that are suggested in the guidelines here then it would be reasonable to expect a useful lifetime in the range of 7 - 10 years and with materials that are higher quality and more durable than the minimums like latex or higher density memory foam or polyfoam (in the comfort layers especially) or that are two sided it would likely be in the higher end of the range or even longer.

It’s always more realistic to think of about 10 years as a maximum reasonable expectation for any mattress no matter what the quality or durability of the materials and then treat any additional time after that as “bonus time” because after about 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress will often be the changing needs and preferences of the person sleeping on the mattress (which would apply to a child as well as they grow older and begin to develop) and even if a mattress is still in good condition after a decade … a mattress that was suitable for someone 10 years earlier may not be the best “match” any longer.

Phoenix

4

Thanks for your thoughtful response.
After reading that and many if your links, I think we’re moving in the direction of a ‘natural as possible’ all latex mattress. If you could give me some minimum specifications of an all latex bed that we should look for to meet the following requirements, that would be awesome!
-firm enough for child
-durable enough for an adult to sleep in there with child frequently
-flexible (ability to add topper?) enough to be used into her teenage years
-as natural as possible
And any specific brand/model you could recommend would be great too!

Thank you!

5

Hi dhanley,

In general I would suggest a medium to medium firm range.

I would use the quality/durability guidelines in the previous post I linked.

Any mattress that uses good quality and durable materials that would still be in relatively good condition when they become teenagers but is too firm for their needs and preferences when they get older and begin to develop adult proportions and preferences would make a good base mattress for a softer topper.

This part would be a matter of knowing the specifics of the materials in the mattress. The previous post I linked (post #2 here) and the posts it links to has much more information about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials. If “natural” is important to you for reasons other than “safety” then some examples of all or “mostly” natural mattress materials would include natural fibers (cotton, wool, linen etc), 100% natural latex, and steel (although in strict terms it’s not “natural”).

I’m always happy to help with “how” to choose, act as a fact check, help with any specific questions you may have, and to help you identify any lower quality materials or “weak links” in a mattress relative to body type, budget range, and circumstances.so that you can make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses but I don’t make specific recommendations for materials (which is a preference choice not a “better/worse” choice) or specific manufacturers or mattresses because there are too many unknowns, variables and individual preferences and criteria involved. Outside of PPP … a mattress is only as good as it’s construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label.

While I do recommend the members here “as a group”, there are also many other retailers/manufacturers across the country that are transparent about the materials they use in their mattresses and make good quality/value mattresses that aren’t members of the site (at least yet) that may also be well worth considering if they compare well to the other finalists you are looking at.

Once you are down to finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any weak links or lower quality materials in their design and if there are no clear winners between them then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on your material preferences, your conversations with each of them, their prices, the return/exchange options they have, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

6

Thank you!
Ok, last question. After reading the quality/durability guidelines, it seems any of the ‘made for kids’ mattresses I’m looking at won’t be good for long term or bed sharing as they seem to mostly be 6"-7". Would you recommend a minimum mattress thickness for us? All I saw mentioned in the guidelines was a minimum of 6", with no more of 1" unknown material. Should I be looking for 8"-10" total height bed instead?
Sorry if that info is in what you linked, if so I wasn’t able to discern it. I have what i saw mentioned in another post here, “analysis paralysis!”

7

Hi dhanley,

The quality/durability guidelines don’t mention anything about the total thickness of a mattress (only about the thickness of individual layers which can be part of identifying any weak links in the mattress) because the thickness of a mattress isn’t really a meaningful factor in terms of its durability or useful life.

The thickness of a mattress is just a side effect of the design and by itself isn’t particularly meaningful because whether a thicker or thinner mattress would be better or worse for any particular person or child will depend on the specifics of the materials and components inside it. There is more about the effect of thickness in post #14 here but any mattress that is suitable in terms of firmness (medium or medium firm) and uses materials that are “durable enough” and “safe enough” would make a suitable choice for a child regardless of its thickness and all the rest would be preferences. Even a mattress that is only 4" - 6" thick that fit these criteria would make a suitable choice for a child and then you could add additional softness/thickness if and when they need it.

Some adults that have lighter body weights and that are stomach or back sleepers or prefer a firmer mattress could also do very well on some 6" mattresses in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) while other adults that may be in higher weight ranges or that are side sleepers may need some additional softness or may need or prefer a thicker mattress that is a better match for them in terms of PPP. As long as your mattress uses durable materials and hasn’t developed soft spots or impressions by the time they get older then it will still be in relatively good condition so you could add a softer topper if and when they need it as they develop into more adult proportions and weight ranges.

You may be getting overly involved with specs or “theory” or more technical information which can often lead to information overload and “paralysis by analysis”. While too little basic information can lead to poor choices … too much information or a tendency to overemphasize “specs” or “theory” that has little meaning to you in “real life” can be just as likely to lead to poor choices as well. You need “just enough” information to identify the main criteria that are important to you and to recognize the retailers or manufacturers that already know what you would otherwise need to learn about their mattresses and have your (and your child’s) best interests at heart. The knowledge and experience of the retailer/manufacturers you are dealing with can be one of the most important parts of a successful purchase and avoiding “paralysis by analysis”.

What your final choice will really come down to is …

  1. Making sure that the mattress you choose is a good match in terms of PPP (medium or medium firm).

  2. Making sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering so it will last into their teens with the possible addition of a softer topper if they need it when they start to mature.
    .

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 along with all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you including the use of natural materials, the price, the importance of any return or exchange options that may be available to you and the costs involved, and how suitable the mattress will be for the “other uses” that you plan to use it for (some co-sleeping or sitting on the edge for “story time” etc).

Phoenix

8

Ok, just keeping you updated! We had to stop our mattress hunt for a while, but now we’re hoping to have a new one in the next few weeks.
I’ve narrowed down from a million options to just four.
Flexus 9"
Spindle Abscond 10"
Sleeping Organic The Leaf
Sleep EZ Organic 9" Latex

Any input to help me narrow down would be awesome, but if I’ve reached that coveted point where all are good choices and pretty similar in features, I guess I can just flip a coin! :slight_smile:
Thank you!

9

Hi dhanley,

All of your finalists have a similar design and I would agree that you’ve reached the point where any of your finalists would be a good choice.

The only additional comment I would make is that a 6" latex mattress would also be more than enough for a child and would probably be fine for an adult on occasion as well (and for some adults may also be fine on a more regular basis) and this would also lower your costs although 9" may be more “comfortable” for most adults on a more regular basis.

I would make your final choice based on your phone conversations with each of them along with all the objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them.

Phoenix