Which Crib Mattresses are best?

JuneBug317 · January 2014

Has anyone started the search for crib mattresses yet? I looked on consumer reports but they only have a buying guide not a list of the best rated mattresses. There are soooo many to chose from and I am feeling overwhelmed! It looks like coil is better than foam, and the organic cotton sounds appealing but also difficult to maintain because they are not water proof. HELP!

abastian00 · January 2014

You should really check out the Baby Bargains book, I've found it to be a great resource! They actually recommend foam over coil in some instances, and do have some recommendations for eco-friendly waterproof mattresses. That said, I've also had it recommended to me to get a water-proof cover anyway (and you can get eco friendly ones) in case LO has an accident during the night - you can just whip it off without having to do a major clean up.

I plan to take a closer look at the Lullaby Earth Super Lightweight and Colgate Eco Classica.

(Also, on the eco-friendly front, I'm not convinced that anything is going to be perfect - but you make the best decision you can!)

Edit: spelling is hard.

flojo973 · January 2014

From the Baby Bargains book, two of the best brands are Colgate (Classica, Eco Classica, Postura, Visco Classica Angel), or Naturepedic (Organic Cotton Lightweight). I'm still doing research though.

otter1103 · January 2014

I trolled the Nurseries & Baby Gear board to find some models /brands that I'm researching. The Colgate one was mentioned as well as the Naturepedic and some Sealy Soy something out other (sorry don't remember the whole name)

JuneBug317 · January 2014

Thanks everyone! That helps... I was convinced foam was a no go but now it looks like it might be the better option. Or maybe now im more confused! Ha! lizardbreath14 that mattress sounds like it has it all and is affordable. I should just get that one and go back to decorating the nursery which is so much more fun:)

Luna C · January 2014

How much of a difference does the mattress really make? I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but when we looked at them in the store they all seemed pretty much the same to me. (Granted, we only did a quick look because we were running out of time.)

I know that for us, we rarely encounter a mattress that's "bad" unless it's way too soft -- and all infant mattresses are firm, so... what should one be looking for and why?

SarainColorado2013 · January 2014

I'm wondering the same thing - what's the difference? I just can't bring myself to spend $400 on a small mattress without a really good reason.

tbmadeamistake · January 2014

I bought...whichever one was a decent price at Target when we got our crib. I can honestly say I have no idea what brand it is. I don't know if one side is more firm than another, but C's been sleeping on it for 20 months and I've never flipped it. I think it cost us $50? Works great for us! It's got a waterproof cover on it. Kudos to those who want to do the research, but I believe that crib mattresses are sort of like cribs, and all have to meet certain standards. We may not have gone overboard to find the best, but all of them work. (I could be wrong about the standards)

noryang · January 2014

We will go with a second organic all natural fibers mattress because of the off-gassing chemicals issue. Those issues always worry me but they completely freak me out when we are talking about the place where my child will breathe and live for conservatively half their life the first few YEARS.

BabyCurtiss2014 · January 2014

Whatever mattress we all pick I guarantee it will be better than the mattress we all slept on as babies when I'm sure there was only one or two to pick from LOL

pfefferlel · January 2014

i've done a TON of research on this. i went with the Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic 150 Crib Mattress. It's $259 on Amazon, but if you order it by the 31st (today), you are eligible for a $50 Amazon credit. Recommended by Baby Bargains, Consumer Reports, and many other websites. Their customer service is also supposed to be top notch, so if you ever have a problem they ship a new mattress to you at no charge. It was important for us to get an organic option since the baby will be spending so much time sleeping for the first year + of its life.

hollygb22 · January 2014

This fell into the does it really matter catergory for us.

We figured she'll use it for maybe 2 years? DD's crib converts to a toddler bed and full size...but I didn't think we'd use it that long. That being said, we bought our crib from Walmart and they gave a Kolcraft mattress with it for free. It's been fine. I'm not sure having a $200 mattress would have made a lick of a difference.