Hi cabruce3,
I have two grown children and while I can certainly help with “how” to choose … I don’t make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because each person’s criteria, budget range, and individual preferences or lifestyle choices may be different from someone else (including me).
There is a great deal of information in post #2 here and the topics it links to about mattresses and children and “suitable” 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 would be well worth considering.
Phoenix