My wife and I are converting our 2-year-old’s convertible crib into a full size bed, and came across this forum as we research the proper/most-suitable mattress for her. Since the crib converts into a full size, we hope to buy a mattress that will at least last her through high school. Before coming here, we already read about the off-gassing from the memory foam mattress, which is a concern for us, but we knew little else. We have found quite a bit of very helpful information, specially this thread and this one. We did not think a latex mattress would be in our budget, which is around $1000. We are currently considering the the Sleep EZ special, though having zero experience with latex mattresses, we would prefer to find some place locally. Are there any recommended vendors in the NYC/NJ area?
Additionally, the converted bed has slates that are about 11 inches apart. It seems that for latex mattress, I need slates that are no more than 3 inches apart. I am wondering if it makes sense to add additional slates myself to fill those gaps, or should I forgo the slates and go with box spring?
I see you’ve found some of them already but some of the better forum posts about mattresses and children are linked in post #2 here and they also include some of the better sources for children’s mattresses.
Some of the better options and possibilities in the NYC/NJ area are listed in post #2 here and there is also a more categorized list that includes more details about some of them in post #7 here.
It sounds like the bed is designed for a foundation with slats that are that far apart. The choice between using a foundation or adding slats would depend on the height that you preferred and either way they should have slats that are 3" or less apart if the bottom layer of your mattress is latex. If a bed or a foundation both have a similar support surface with good center support to the floor then there would be little difference between them in terms of suitability outside of height. Most foam mattresses are designed to be used with a firm non flexing surface so I would avoid box springs (which have springs rather than wooden slats) unless a mattress is specifically designed to use them as part of a sleeping system. A foundation or a slatted platform bed would usually be the better choice with a foam mattress.
Thanks for the advice/recommendations. The slats are only attached to the sides of the bed frame, with nothing supporting the center of the slats. So If I was to add additional slats, I would need to fashion something for center support as well. Removing all of the slats and just using a foundation seems to be the simpler route, though I have to recheck to ensure that a foundation will fit inside the bed frame (inside the frame side to side is about 54.25").
Center support is more essential with queen or larger sizes but it’s also a good idea with double sizes and it certainly helps prevent sagging in the middle. Something like this can add to the support in the center of your bedframe even with a foundation.