I’ve lurked around here for a while and have definitely found tons of valuable information. I did have a couple of specific questions that I haven’t been able to find through my hours of searching
We are purchasing a full size latex mattress for my 5 year old daughter. She’s small for her age and probably projects to having a smaller frame as she grows up. We were considering the following mattress from mattresses.net:
Latex Beds for Kids, Soft (#28 ILD)
A couple of questions regarding this choice:
I’m thinking “soft” (#28 ILD) b/c from my research on this site, that should be firm enough for her now as well as being comfortable enough as she grows throughout the years. Is this sound thinking or should I be leaning more towards “medium” (#32 ILD)?
Is 6" a thick enough mattress to last her through the next ~10 years?
There are some general firmness guidelines for children in post #2 here. 28 ILD would be “soft” for a support core but would be in a “medium” firmness range as a sleeping surface so it should be fine if your daughter is smaller and lighter than average.
It would certainly be durable enough to last for 10 years but it’s not really possible to predict what she will do best with in 10 years because it will depend on her body weight and weight distribution, her body shape, her sleeping position or positions, and her own individual preferences.
The odds that she may need or prefer a softer topper as she gets older and develops more adult proportions would be higher with the “medium” mattress than it would with the “soft” mattress.
There are many other options for children that are discussed in the topics that are linked in post #2 here but I don’t know of any other “all latex” options that are in the same budget range.
An mattress with a latex support core will generally do best with a firm, flat, and evenly supportive support surface underneath it that has minimal to no flex under the mattress and for larger sizes with at least one center support beam that has good support to the floor to prevent any sagging in the middle of the mattress. The components (either a steel or wooden bedframe with a foundation/bunkie board or a platform bed) need to be strong and durable enough to support the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on it without some of the parts bending, sagging, shifting, or breaking with extended use. The support surface under the mattress (which may be a solid surface, slats, or a steel or wire grid) should have enough surface area to prevent the mattress from sagging through any gaps or spaces in the support surface over time but ideally still allow some airflow under the mattress. If the support system under the mattress has a slatted surface then I would suggest that the gaps between any slats are no more than about 3" (with 1 x 3 slats) although less than that would be better yet.
I can’t see the specifics of the bedframe that you linked so I can’t make any meaningful comments about it but I would make sure that it has at least 5 wooden cross slats so that it can provide good support for a bunkie board. I would also make sure that any bunkie board you are considering has slats that no more than 3" apart.
A solid surface bunkie board that doesn’t have any slats would also provide suitable support but it won’t allow any airflow under the mattress (see post #10 here).
Thanks for letting us know what you found and either this or the Flobeds options would certainly make a suitable choice. I’ve also added it to the post I linked in my earlier reply since bunkie boards with similar spacing are somewhat difficult to find.
Just my 2 cents. I’m also considering the kids bed from Mattresses.net. I’m not sure if this would work, but it may be possible to add layers as the child grows. Mattresses.net have DIY beds, so customers can add additional layers and new mattress covers. Thereby, turning the old mattress into a core for a new mattress.
Either adding a topper to a mattress that is too firm or adding additional layers and a new thicker cover would both certainly be possible as long as the support core is firm enough to provide suitable support.
