Even though choosing a mattress for your new baby is not near as exciting as picking
out the baby crib and crib bedding, it is a very important decision in terms of
the safety and comfort of your baby. This article reviews the issues you will
need to consider when picking out the best baby crib mattress that meets your
needs. Baby Crib Mattress Safety Issues
A baby crib mattress should be firm and tight-fitting. You don't want any space
between the mattress and the baby crib walls. How much space is too much? If you
can fit 2 side-by-side fingers between the side of the baby crib and the mattress,
then the mattress is too small and poses a safety hazard. Most mattresses come
in a standard size that fit standard style baby cribs. The standard size for a
mattress is 51 5/8" by 27 1/4". Types of Baby
crib Mattresses Baby crib mattresses vary from expensive inner-spring models
to economical polyurethane-foam styles. One is not necessarily better than the
other, given that they are both of the same high quality. Foam baby crib mattresses
are usually less expensive than coil mattresses and just as safe provided they
are of high quality. They are also usually lighter and easier to move around if
you need to pick it up to change the sheets. The question is, "How do you tell
whether a mattress is of high quality?" Here are some tips that might help.
Foam Mattresses In general, weight is a good indication of the quality
of a foam mattress. As the weight goes up, the quality of the foam goes up because
it means that the foam is denser. A second issue to consider is the firmness of
the foam mattress. Generally, the firmer the mattress the better. Remember, one
easy way to check the firmness of the mattress is to pick it up, place your hands
in the middle on opposite sides, and squeeze. The harder it is to squeeze the
mattress, the firmer it is. Lastly, you may want to consider the resiliency of
the mattress. Resilience refers to how quickly it regains its original shape when
the weight is removed from the mattress. A higher quality foam mattress will regain
its shape quicker than a lower quality mattress.
Innerspring Mattresses It can get rather technical discussing the features
of innerspring mattresses. But, I will try to keep it as simple as possible. It
would be nice to think that it is only a matter of the number of coils in the
mattress. It is not that simple. What is more important is finding an innerspring
mattress with the highest amount of steel. Definitely, more coils means more steel.
But, there are other factors than can add a significant amount of steel to the
mattress. For example, the largest pieces of steel are the border rods which circle
the top and bottom of the mattress along the edges of the mattress. Border rods
provide additional edge support which is important once your baby is able to hold
on the baby crib rails and walk back and forth in the baby crib. The border rods
also help distribute the weight over the surface of the mattress which helps to
avoiding any sagging over time. So, if you decide on an innerspring mattress,
make sure it has a border rod. Ready for some math…. Here we go. Let's consider
coils for a minute. The coil count is somewhat important in determining the quality
of the mattress. Another thing to consider is the quality of the coils. It doesn't
make much sense to have lots and lots of coils if they are of poor quality and
will wear out quickly. To figure out the quality of the coils, you need to look
at the thickness of the coils. Mattresses with 150 coils or less will usually
have a 13.5 gauge steel coil or thicker. Remember, the lower the number of gauge
of steal, the thicker the steel. Once a mattress has more than 160 coils, the
steal has to be thinner because there isn't enough room for thicker steel. Are
you confused yet??? Let's just say that a 150 coil mattress with 13.5 gauge carbon
tempered steel coils and 9.0 gauge steel border rods is a good all-around baby
crib mattress. You can compare the baby crib you are considering to this general
standard to see how it compares. There is just one more issue to consider
with innerspring mattresses. It is important to consider the layers on top of
the spring coils which add cushioning and softness to the mattress. This layer
is called in insulator layer and will hopefully prevent the cushioning from sinking
into the coils over time. The best and most expensive material used is coir fiber.
Coir fiber is actually made from shredded coconut shells made into a pad. Many
other materials, all of them less expensive and of lower quality, are used as
insulator pads. The most common material is miscellaneous types of scraps of cloth
collected from the floors of textile mills, washed, and pressed into a pad. This
type of insulator pad feels just as good as a coir fiber pad but it won't hold
up as well over time. Many baby crib mattress manufactures call this material
a fiber wrap pad. Mattress Cover Almost
all mattresses have a vinyl cover. Cheaper mattresses with have only a single
layer of vinyl cover or a quilted vinyl cover. Better mattresses have a double
laminated cover. The best quality covers are triple laminated, nylon reinforced
covers and hospital grade vinyl covers that use a thicker vinyl. Nylon is the
best reinforcing material because it allows the vinyl to stretch and give without
tearing. Keep in mind that some manufactures use polyester or other type of reinforcing
material. Nylon is still the best (and most expensive) in terms of preventing
the vinyl from tearing when a toddler is jumping on it. Vents
There are pros and cons about vents which you will need to weigh. Most of the
higher quality mattresses have vents. Vents allow the mattress to breathe and
keep the mattress from bursting should your toddler decide to use it as a trampoline.
However, vents also allow any airborne particles to enter the mattress. One good
point is that vents are never near a baby's face. There are two types of
vents. Eyelet vents are small and usually circle all sides of the mattress in
two or three rows. The second type consists of two larger vents on each side of
the mattress. One type of vent is not necessarily better than the other.
Conclusion With all of this information, hopefully you will be armed and
ready to find a good quality mattress that meets your needs. Remember, price is
not necessarily a guarantee that the mattress is of good quality. Just because
a mattress costs a lot and has a long warranty does not mean that it is the best
mattress. Read the label for specifications. If it doesn't meet your requirements,
then move on to the next mattress. I hope that this article helps you to make
an informed decision when you buy the baby crib mattress. If you are still in
doubt, ask the salesperson. The salesperson should be able to discuss in details
all of the issues we have consider here. Good luck! About
the author: Sarah Holmes, Ph.D. quit her full-time job in order to stay home with
her baby girl. She created www.BabyCribCentral.com
as a free resource to other new moms and dads. Her site compares prices on hundreds
of baby cribs from more than 20 online stores allowing you to find the beset price
with a click of a button. Her site also offers lots of information about the different
types of cribs as well as all sorts of safety information about how to buy and
use your new crib safely. Resources
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/sleepbedding/ht/HTcribmattress.htm
http://www.firstbabymall.com/product/mattress.htm | 
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