I previously used this forum to select my king size bed about 2 years ago, and I’m still very happy with it! Now it’s time to select a crib mattress for my baby (ETA 4 weeks!) and I’m behind the curve ball on this one. I was going to go with a well-reviewed, cheap foam mattress until I read some suggestions that a mattress made with natural materials might be more likely to prevent SIDS (although the evidence is sparse on that one)… I’m also a little concerned about offgassing. I read the post on materials for children’s mattresses, and I am most likely to consider innerspring or latex for the breathability. So I’m looking for a natural crib mattress that will be safe for under $300. My problem is that one way I make decisions is by looking at reviews, and a lot of the crib mattresses I am considering (that I found here) don’t have very many reviews so I am somewhat paralyzed by indecision about what’s best.
My coworker previously mentioned Naturepedic, and I could go that direction… It does have reviews, and both the 150 ($299) and 252 ($379) crib mattresses seem good to me, with the 252 being firmer. Both options are dual firmness, which means they can be used later as a toddler bed. I have a 15% Baby Registry completion discount still to use at Amazon, so that helps the price somewhat. What seems like a good competitor is the My Green Mattress crib mattress ($219 for the month of January). It seems very similar to the Naturepedic but on the higher coil count and therefore firmer. It is not dual firmness, so it can’t be used as a toddler mattress. Presumably I might later use some added comfort layer at the toddler stage, right? One other small difference between Naturepedic and My Green Mattress is the corners - the former is square, and the latter is more rounded, leading to possible safety issues.
Both of these are innerspring mattresses with cotton batting. Cotton is more likely to deform over time but is not going to cause allergies and breathes well. As I mentioned, I like to decide with the aid of reviews, and the My Green Mattress crib mattress is a relatively new offering and doesn’t have a ton of reviews, but I like the price and the sale for this month. I know they are founding members of this site - do you think they are a reliable enough mattress company that I could purchase this instead of the Naturepedic even without reviews? One thing about their warranty that concerns me is that only deformations greater than 1.5 inches apply, and 1.5 inches is a lot relative to the size of a baby.
I am also considering latex mattresses based on what I read on this site, specifically the SleepEZ crib mattress ($295) and the Pebble Lite ($295). I’d rather a 6 inch mattress over a 4 inch mattress in general. I believe both could be dual firmness (Pebble explicitly is, and SleepEZ might manufacture it that way if I ask). I’m also concerned about the weight of a latex mattress. The crib I purchased has a metal spring foundation (looks like this one). I’ve contacted the company to see about the safe weight limits, but I remember reading on this forum that a latex crib mattress might need more support. My other concern with latex is allergies. I’ve read conflicting information on the internet about whether or not latex crib mattresses affect babies’ allergies, and it seems to be something of a messaging war between companies. I won’t know in advance if my baby has a latex allergy, and it’s unlikely, but I just want to know if a latex mattress affects people with latex allergies or not.
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Any feedback on the above is very welcome.