Hi
I’ve been shopping for a first mattress/bed for my son.
The amount of options can obviously be overwhelming. I thought I had narrowed the choice down to the Naturally Organic Little Sprout mattress but when I went in to the showroom to try it out I wasn’t that into it. It made me wonder that maybe latex isn’t the material for me. Then I remembered that my sons crib mattress is a Naturpedic Cotton Deluxe which has coils. I looked around the site here but didn’t see much mention of it. Question is a) is that a good mattress in twin size for a kid to use for the foreseeable future and b)maybe I should be looking at some combination coil/latex options? Any suggestions for the latter and any other guidance is appreciated.
Bermannyc.
Hi bermannyc,
Post #2 here and the topics it links to have more information about mattresses and children and “safe” materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good options for children which may also be worth considering.
The Naturepedic Cotton Deluxe is certainly a high quality mattress that uses mostly natural materials and would be a firmer choice that would be both a suitable and a durable choice for a child. It uses an organic cotton cover quilted with PLA polyester fiber which is sourced from potato starch and is also biodegradeable. PLA It has a feel that is somewhat similar to wool. The comfort layers are organic cotton and the innersprings are an offset linked coil so there are no lower quality materials or weak links in the mattress. It is also available as either a one sided or a two sided mattress.
Cotton is generally firmer and less resilient than a foam material such as latex and will also get firmer as it compresses over time unlike foam materials which become softer. Offset coils will also have more motion transfer than pocket coils or foam support cores but for a child’s mattress this normally wouldn’t be an issue. I would also make some careful value comparisons because this mattress is also in a higher budget range than other mattresses that also use natural materials that would also be suitable for a child. You can see some general comments about innerspring/cotton mattresses in post #2 here.
Yes … it would certainly be a suitable and durable choice for a children’s mattress. If you are considering a natural fiber/innerspring mattress It may also be worth considering the Pure Echo here which uses a pocket coil instead of an offset coil and also uses organic cotton batting and is quilted with natural wool (instead of PLA polyester fiber) and is also in a medium firm comfort range. It is also available in one and two sided versions.
The choice of materials or the type of mattress that you choose would be a preference issue rather than a better/worse issue. Any mattress that uses materials that you are comfortable with and that is in a medium to medium firm range would be suitable for a child. There are some latex/innerspring hybrids that are listed in post #2 here that may be worth considering and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area as well.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix
Thanks for replying so quickly. I live in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve visited The Clean Bedroom. They were very helpful, but they don’t have much on hand. That was where I tried the Little Sprout. I was also eyeing the Brooklyn Bedding mattress (since it’s a relatively quick drive away) but without being able to try it out I’m a little weary of that. Also ABC Carpet, although pretty pricey, has a bunch of natural options in their store to try. Any other suggestions I’d be glad to check out.
The Echo bed, compared to the Naturpedic, is it more or less firm?
One other question, the Naturpedic comes in a 1 and 2 sided version. Is there a reason for that? I thought flipping mattresses was a thing of the past?
Brian
Hi bermannyc,
You may be referring to the Casper mattress (which has a studio where you can test the mattress in New York) because Brooklyn Bedding is based in Arizona which is a long way from you. “Brooklyn” comes from the name of the owner’s daughter.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the New York City area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.
I’ve never slept on either one or compared them in side to side testing so I really don’t know how they would compare for me much less for someone else that may have a very different experience on the same mattress or may have a different opinion about how they compare.
I would keep in mind that there are no “standard” definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that is firm for one can feel like “medium” for someone else or even “soft” for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they “rate” a mattress as well (see post #15 here).
For example a person that is heavier may sink into the mattress more deeply and feel more of the firmer layers that are deeper in the mattress while others that are lighter may only feel more of the softer layers that are closer to the top of the same mattress. In the end the only reliable way to know how firm or soft a mattress feels for you or how it compares to another mattress will be based on your own testing or personal experience regardless of whether it feels firm or soft to someone else or how anyone else may “rate” it compared to other mattresses as well.
Phoenix
Could you tell me why I would want a two sided mattress versus a single sided one? Naturpedic offers that option. I thought flipping mattresses wasn’t necessary any more?
Hi bermannyc,
The primary benefits of a two sided mattress are durability and to even out the wear on the sleeping surface. There is more about the pros and cons of one and two sided mattresses in post #3 here.
With one sided mattresses it’s not so much that it isn’t necessary as that it’s not possible since they only have one sleeping surface.
Phoenix