My daughter just turned 3. Big girl bed time. My parents will buy her a mattress IF it is from Sleepy’s (a friend is a manager, so price would be cost - or slightly above - i assume.) I have read the forums and recommendations. I, personally, would much prefer buying factory direct or local (philadelphia.)
Priorities, as with most parents posting here are: Eco friendly: mainly for the health of my child but also for the health of factory workers. Flame Retardants: I don’t like that these can be absorbed! Support, and Ability to last for a while.
Reading through the guides here, I most like, innerspring support layer with natural latex comfort layer—but am willing to budge on the natural latex if necessary.
The big question: does such a thing exist at Sleepy’s?
There is more information in post #2 here about mattresses for children. There are many links describing “safe” materials including a link to some additional comments and some general firmness guidelines for children in post #2 here. It’s quite a bit of information but it covers everything you would want to know about your question.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones. I know you’re limited by the choices being placed in front of you, but these guidelines will still be assistive for you.
While I don’t have the ability to maintain a complete list of the items carried at any particular point in time at Sleepy’s, the brands the carry generally don’t meet the durability guidelines recommended, even for growing children. So, in this case I’d tell you to use the mattress shopping tutorial and the durability guidelines in the aforementioned post about mattresses for children to make your best possible choice of the items presented to you.
Thanks Phoenix,
I spent a good portion of the day reading through your site – very helpful! thanks But still find myself caught trying to pick the best of the … unknown. In many of the links here about mattresses for children it is repeated not to buy memory foam. I assume that would be due to harmful chemicals in them. Is gel foam the same?
Is Serta any better than than the S&F or Sealy’s? While this sounds good not sure how much greenwashing is going on.
My reasoning for not recommending memory foam as an application for young children was listed in my previous reply. Here is a direct link to that post. “Gel foam” is usually just a marketing term for a polyfoam or memory foam using gel additives.
As I mentioned in my first reply, the brands carried at Sleepy’s (and many of the major chains) don’t meet the durability guidelines recommended. The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay which is why I would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely (along with the major retailers that focus on them as well) regardless of how they may feel in a showroom along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the type and quality/durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here along with post #3 here and post #12 here and post #404 here).
Since you said you are limited to choices at that particular store because of your circumstance, I would again refer you back to the mattress shopping tutorial and go through the steps to find the most durable product you can in terms of componentry, keeping within the guidelines I linked to previously about appropriate comfort ranges for children.
As far as the Serta page you linked to, this isn’t greenwashing, but a statement about the materials used. They don’t relate specifics to each mattress, but many of the things thy mention are the exact same things done by other mattress companies, and much of what they relate doesn’t have an impact upon quality or durability. The statement about not using PBDEs, etc., is a reference to their announcement that their polyfoams is CertiPUR-US certified, as is the polyfoam used by most brands. The rest is more about their policies for facility management and recycling- again, none of which relates/describes the quality of the componentry.
Thanks Phoenix,
You’ve helped me make my case, I’m going to price shop local places and hopefully buy something better. I was looking at Verlo, but since they all contain gel foam I may have to hike out to Magic Sleeper to get something better for my kid. Is there anyone in particular I should ask for? Reading through the forum some people received less than knowledgable sales associates, yet you seem to speak highly of the place. Otherwise, I’d love to stay closer to the city, but all the place listed on the bottom half of this list seem to have very few options. Mattress shopping seems harder than it needs to be! Though I do enjoy being informed, so again thanks
I’m glad to hear you’re expanding your list of options.
As you probably know Magic Sleeper is one of the members of this site which means that I think highly of them and that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. I don’t have the name of anyone in particular with whom you should speak.
Yes, mattress shopping is made difficult on purpose by the industry as a whole. They rely upon the general lack of knowledge of shoppers looking for a new product, and there is research to point out that people can become so frustrated and confused when shopping at a store for a mattress that they simply give up and select a product to get the process over. But I think it’s worth a few hours of reading for a product that has such a direct impact upon one’s health.
I’m looking forward to your comments and feedback after your visit.
So we landed on a Verlo mattress. spring base, 2 layers of cotton bonded Jones pad on top (we added a 2nd layer to keep the latex from sinking into the springs), (2) 1" layers of Talalay latex on top (95% natural), with a plush cover that is a thin Certipur Polyfoam. He said this should be good till she’s about 10, then she’ll need something softer. Does that seem accurate?
Couple other questions:
• The standard spring is a full 386 14 gauge dual tempered 5 twist. He highly recommended a $65 upgrade to a 713 16.5 gauge coil, saying it will last much longer, thinner, but more of 'em. I was under the impression that the lower the number, heavier the wire, the better. Is this a worthwhile upgrade? Note: toddler, does like jumping on bed.
• Also recommended a Leggett and Platt mattress protector: Platinum Standard, gortex microfiber with 10 year stain protection. Necessary? I know most guarantees on beds are BS, wasn’t sure about this one. And does this kill the eco friendliness of my layers of natural latex by adding synthetics to the mix?
I don’t have enough complete information to make meaningful comments for you on the mattress you’re mentioning. The latex would either be a 100% NR or a 70/30 SBR/NR blend. Either type would be a good quality material. I’m not sure what you mean by a “thin CertiPUR layer”. I’m guessing you’re referring to the quilt panel that has a layer of polyfoam in it. How thick is the piece of foam(s) in the layer. What is the density of those foams? CertiPUR-US refers to the certification of the foam, but doesn’t tell anything about the density/quality. I’m guessing the foam is 1.5 lb. in density based upon previous conversations I’ve had with Verlo, but I’d want to know for sure.
What is the design of each spring unit? Is it an LFK? Marshall coil? Continuous coil? Spring counts are more of a by-product of the overall design of the spring, so that’s not a reliable indicator of innerspring quality/durability. In general, the spring unit will not be the weak link within a mattress.
I strongly recommend some type of mattress protector to keep a healthy sleep environment for your child. If you’re looking for a list of a few more mattress protectors, including some more “natural” options, then you can go to this mattress protectors post #89 here. Most of the stain protection guarantees on protectors like this apply when you buy the mattress and the protector together. If the protector fails, the protector is replaced and then you’re usually instructed in methods to try and clean the mattress (or a cleaning kit may even be sent out to you). If that fails, the protector company will often replace your mattress, because stains do void your warranty. You have to read these warranties completely, as many of them require you to contact them within a very short time of the stain happening.
If you can reply with a few more specifics about the mattress you’re considering, I can then provide a bit more complete feedback.
Hi Phoenix,
Got a couple answers (I think):
The layer of Polyfoam I was referring to is in the quilting. Just called and spoke to the owner who wasn’t completely sure of the density, but said it is either 1.8 or 2.2 lb, but definitely more than 1.5.
For the Springs, he said the 396 is Leggett and Platt Verticoil, the 713 is Lauraflex (sp?).
Still wondering if it’s worth the $65 upgrade.
For the latex he said it is not Talalay, as I was told originally, but a Dunlop process organic natural latex.
He recommended I call back monday if I have any more questions. Does this help clarify anything?
I’m glad they were able to provide you a bit more information.
Not that this is the case necessarily, but when a retailer tells me their foam is better than what I’m asking about, but then can’t tell me what it is, it makes me suspicious. It could simply be a case of a salesperson not knowing their specifications, or it could be something else. With other inquiries I’ve made the quilt foam was common to be 1. 5lb., so I’m going to make that assumption unless you find out something definitive.
[quote]For the Springs, he said the 396 is Leggett and Platt Verticoil, the 713 is Lauraflex (sp?).
Still wondering if it’s worth the $65 upgrade.[/quote]
The VertiCoil you mentioned is a decent spring unit, and spring units generally aren’t the weak link in a mattress set. The Lura-Flex is a better spring unit and certainly will be more supportive. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: Error 404: Not Found - L&P Bedding Group
Latex, Talalay or Dunlop, will certainly be a quality material that is durable.
So in the end it sounds like you have an innerspring unit, two felt pads, two 1" layers of latex, and then a quilt layer of unknown thickness and unknown density. Assuming the quilt panel is 1" of 1.5 lb. polyfoam, while this is a little less dense than I would normally recommend, it is only an inch or so (assuming), so I wouldn’t have as much concern about it in this particular application. This mock-up would certainly offer higher-quality components than the products you would have run across at the other store you mentioned.
But still find myself caught trying to pick the best of the … unknown. In many of the links here about mattresses for children it is repeated not to buy memory foam. I assume that would be due to harmful chemicals in them. Is gel foam the same?