Can crib mattresses expire?

g0dsgirl315

So when we were pregnant with our daughter who is now 15 months old, my friend's step dad gave us the crib mattress he used for his daughters who are 14 and 12. It looked practically new, stored in a plastic mattress protector. We haven't had any problems thus far, and it never occurred to me that it might have expired, but tonight when I changed the sheets I saw the manufacturer tag and apparently it was made in 1998 and there's a date stamped on the back of the tag, Aug 8 2000. So is that the expiration date? Can mattresses even expire? I feel so completely foolish right now that this never occurred to me before...thoughts?

countrymice06

In my opinion, no.  If they have been kept in a clean house, they're good to go. The mattresses in my grandma's guest room are like 70 years old, and they still get the job done.

Jason&Erin82507

I don't think it would expire only 2 years later....even car seats have a longer period

Comet4658

I've not seen an expiration date, however I know mold and bacteria etc can get into older mattresses. We didn't go organic, but we got a cover that is supposed to protect baby from the chemicals in new mattresses which probably would help with things in the old mattresses as well. 

choppinbroccoli22

Comet4658:

I've not seen an expiration date, however I know mold and bacteria etc can get into older mattresses. We didn't go organic, but we got a cover that is supposed to protect baby from the chemicals in new mattresses which probably would help with things in the old mattresses as well. 

I don't think it's an exp. date either- people use mattresses for more than 2 yrs.

The protective cover as PP mentioned is a good idea for new AND old mattresses-

New- protect from chemical off-gas

Old- The fire retardant chemicals in non-organic mattresses + mold = Toxic gas. Incidentally, I did some looking into SIDS statistics and found that it was more common in families with more than one child or low income, i.e., may have used a mattress that spent time getting moldy in a basement...

g0dsgirl315

ok well I definitely feel better now...thanks ladies! I need to get a mattress protector though, the one it came in had a tear so I trashed it and didn't think to get a new one. So happy you gals told me!