Hi there! So, I recently ordered a firm 7" latex mattress (6" core of 44 ILD with a 1" wool topper) from Sleep on Latex for my toddler, and I’m a little lost after talking to the manufacturer, reading forums on here, and even talking to the pediatrician. The manufacturer recommends the 7" firm for children under 10, but I find the mattress feels like a rock when I sleep on it with my son and it even sometimes makes my limbs fall asleep (side sleeper). I’m considering getting a different firmness so I talked to them again, and they said the softest they would go for an under 10 is a 9" firm (6" core of 44 ILD w/2" 30 ILD layer and 1" wool topper) or at the absolute softest, they’d go for the 7" medium, but they usually only recommend that for older kids (6" core of 34 ILD with 1" wool topper). The pediatrician said both the 7" and 9" mediums would be okay (latex firmnesses all below for different beds, plus they all have the 1" wool topper). Reading forums on here, I’m confused about how latex supports a lightweight young child, since it responds heavily based on weight. What mattress should I get?? It’s not a cheap mattress so I’m hoping my son will be able to sleep on it for at least 10 years, if not longer!
7" Soft: 6" core of 24 ILD
7" Medium: 6" core of 34 ILD
7 Firm: 6" core of 44 ILD
There is no single firmness level that is always best for all children and different people or different manufacturers can have different definitions of firmness, but babies and infants will generally need a firm to extra firm sleeping surface while toddlers will generally need a medium firm to firm sleeping surface and older children that have transitioned to a larger mattress and are out of the crib will generally do best on a medium to medium firm sleeping surface. There is more complete information on this subject in post #2 here.
Dunlop latex compresses at different rates for different masses (all products respond to “weight”), and it’s softer initially in the first 25% or so of compression, and then firms up faster (has a higher compression modulus), so the product will feel different to you than to your child, so I wouldn’t use your comfort preference as a basis for what is best for your child. As for a comfort recommendation, I would give a strong consideration to what Sleep on Latex advises, as it does dovetail with generally accepted sleep ergonomic guidelines for a toddler.
Thank you Phoenix for the helpful reply and info! I read back through the forums again and the stat I was thinking of was where you mentioned 28-32 ILD as being a good firmness for young children, so does 44 ILD (which is what we have) seem possibly on the high end? From my other reading, it sounds like ILD is maybe more complicated than just the number, so not sure if that’s true, but would you say the the 9" firm (6" core of 44 ILD w/2" 30 ILD layer with 1" wool) and 7" medium (6" core of 34 ILD with 1" wool topper) would still be good choices for a 3 year old through teenagerhood? Would the 2" 30 ILD layer on the 9" make it too soft for a toddler, or would the 7" mattresses be too thin for a teenage boy as he gets heavier? Thanks so much again, this site is amazing I’ve figured out we want natural latex, figured out the manufacturer, and such, I just am torn on the firmness element.
All of the choices you’re considering could work well for a growing child. I would avoid the temptation to get too caught up in ILD specifics, as it can become quite confusing and at some point “splitting hairs”, as I think you were referencing a post I’ve made previously about compression modulus and all of the layers working together being a better predictor of overall plushness.
If you’re desiring something not quite as firm as the Dunlop 44 ILD, the 9" firm you mentioned certainly could be a nice alternative. Sleep ergonomic research will generally recommend leaning toward firm and solid support, then “just enough” comfort on top to get the job done. You can always add a topper should you desire extra comfort for your child. But personally I would lean toward the slightly firmer option than the medium one looking “down the road”. Using simple very firm Dunlop cores has been quite common, especially in Europe, for both children and adults, and growing children can adapt to almost anything, but you do want to lean toward a bit of a “firmer” item for toddlers and growing children and their posture and epiphyseal plates are of courses still forming. As they have less mass, everything will tend to feel a bit firmer for them, but the 9" model you mentioned would provide a bit more comfort as your child grows up.
In case of mattresses sold in multiple layers, would you recommend the bottom layer to be extra firm and the top layer firm, or both layers to be extra firm? I am looking at sleeping organic website and their firm is ILD 36-40 and their extra firm is ILD 45+. Would this work for a 3 year old?
While children need a sleeping surface that is more supportive, the configuration you mentioned (X-Firm ILD 45+ and Firm ILD 36-40) would generally be a good choice for an infant/baby. As the child moves from the toddler stage into preschooler/early childhood stage it is usually recommended to adjust the sleeping surface towards the medium, medium firm (although growing children can adapt to almost anything) but you’d still want to lean toward a bit of a “firmer”. I’d probably move the Dunlop firmness one notch down with something in the range 28-32(medium range) for the upmost 3" layer, which would be quite sufficient to ensure good posture and support during the forming of their epiphyseal plates. (I’d also keep in mind that Dunlop also has a firmer feel than Talalay of the same ILD.)
One of the advantages of getting a multi-layered component style system mattress is that you can add or exchange layers as your child grows. If and when they need a softer comfort layer in their “sleeping system” you can also add a softer topper to any firmer children’s’ mattress when they get older and develop more adult proportions. I am not very sure what thickness mattress you are considering, but generally a child won’t need more than 6" or so of latex, and when the needs change if it becomes necessary then you can add some thickness or softness with either another layer inside a new cover or add a softer topper to the mattress.
I’d suggest a phone call directly to Sleeping Organic to find out from their consumer feedback which layering combo worked best for children 3+ years.
Thank you, Phoenix, this is very helpful! So, would the combination extra firm bottom layer (45+) and firm top layer (36-40) work or better bottom extra firm and top medium (26-32) or both bottom and top firm? Thanks again, Paola
The firmness choice is subjective and it also depends on the body weight and preferences of your child … girls tend to prefer a little softer sleeping surfaces than boys. For a girl it may be that firm over X-firm would be a bit too hard (although babies and children of 3 and under can do very well with this configuration) Unless you have a compelling reason to go with X-firm, firm I’d make the decision based on the primary sleeping position of the child and their gender. If they sleep on their stomach then a firm sleeping surface would be recommended to prevent swayback. For a prone sleeping boy of a higher BMI, it may be safer to go with the firmer version of the two you mentioned. A boy is also likely to grow into larger or heavier proportions and you may wish to take this into consideration by selecting the firmer option. Other than this I’d say that they can do very well with the medium over firm or x-firm and as time goes by you can add some softness as needed. Other things to consider are that Dunlop doesn’t come in a single ILD and these would probably be the midpoint of an ILD range … I would tend towards (28-32) but if for some reason you believed based on your knowledge or your child that they may do better with firmer then I’d make sure to make a call to Sleeping Organic (our trusted member here) as they are your best source of guidance for firmness choices and you can talk to them about your child’s needs and preferences and how large they are likely to grow
I hope this adds a little more clarity and helps with your decision.
