With the birth of a baby, parents take care of many things, including arranging a comfortable and safe sleeping place. Knowing how to choose a mattress for a newborn’s crib, you can easily create a comfortable environment for your child to rest and healthy development.
Today, manufacturers offer various types of children's beds - from cradles and playpens to classic wooden ones with a pendulum mechanism. However, buying high-quality furniture is not enough; the right mattress remains one of the most important conditions for sound sleep and the development of the musculoskeletal system.
When determining which mattress for a newborn is best to choose, you should rely on several key requirements:
- Sufficient level of rigidity. A newborn does not need either anatomical properties or an orthopedic effect. His skeletal and muscular system continues to strengthen. In order not to interfere with normal development, it is necessary to ensure a perfectly smooth elastic surface without irregularities and depressions.
- Breathability. If you need to decide which mattress to choose for a newborn's crib, you should choose a model made from materials that provide constant air circulation - this will reduce the risk of overheating and the baby will feel comfortable.
- Hygiene. A high-quality mattress is easy to clean and retains its neat appearance for a long time.
- Safety. Hypoallergenic materials are a matter of paramount importance when choosing a mattress. When the baby's well-being comes first, confidence in the composition of fabrics and fillings is a must.
- Tactile comfort. The newborn spends most of the time in the crib, in contact with the surface of the mattress. A cover made of soft-touch fabric will not only provide protection from moisture and dirt, but will also give your baby freedom and confidence without any inconvenience.
When you are deciding which mattress to choose for your newborn, it is extremely important to consider all the requirements.
Hardness level
Doctors unanimously say that a mattress for a newborn should be quite hard. Only on a flat and hard surface can the baby’s spine develop correctly. The most natural position while sleeping is on your back, on a hard mattress, always without a pillow!
Which mattress to choose for a newborn? Best without springs, not too thick, filled with natural coconut fiber. This is a hard and elastic material, but quite comfortable, and, of course, not as hard as the floor. It presses tightly against the child's back and allows the spine to be stretched and relaxed.
Under no circumstances should the bed be made soft! The baby's spine is still very fragile, and if the bed under it sag, it can become deformed and even bent. In addition, it is simply dangerous; if the child accidentally turns over on his tummy and buries his nose into the soft mattress, he will be unable to breathe.
Spring mattresses for babies
This is a slightly more traditional model. You can choose a spring mattress for a newborn because it does not sag and also has very solid orthopedic properties. Its main disadvantages are that it is quite heavy, its springs begin to make creaking sounds over time, dust accumulates in the spring block, and due to the fact that this block is made of metal, such a mattress gradually becomes a place of concentration of static electricity .
All spring mattresses for newborns are divided into two large groups:
- With dependent springs. This means that each block spring is connected to the previous one using wire. In other words, absolutely all the springs of such a mattress are combined into one solid system. Old mattresses were made using this technology, and choosing it for a child at the present time is probably not the best decision. If only because it quickly fails and practically does not have any orthopedic effect.
- With independent springs. In such mattresses, each spring is enclosed in its own separate cover, and only these covers are glued together and form solid strips, while the springs themselves remain unconnected with the others. Thanks to this, pressure on any of them does not provoke deformation of the neighboring ones, and as a result, the mattress acquires very effective orthopedic properties. It would be more correct to choose this type of spring design for a newborn.
The density of the springs, that is, their number per square meter, can be different. In general, the following simple rule is true here: the more there are per unit area of the mattress, the better for the newborn. Because this trend makes the product more elastic and allows it to better support the baby’s body.
In addition, spring mattresses can be framed or frameless. The first option is preferable from the point of view of the service life of the product.
It is also worth noting that the child will be able to experience the main advantages of such a mattress (namely, its orthopedic properties) when he reaches the age of a newborn, that is, already at 1-2 years. Until then, his weight will be too low, as will his physical activity. However, in the future, purchasing such a model may be the most reasonable decision.
Fillers
Which mattress to choose for a newborn's crib? Best with natural filling. Again, coconut fiber works just fine. This is a hard material for healthy sleep and correct posture formation.
Coconut is 100% environmentally friendly, perfectly ventilated, dries quickly and remains clean and fresh for a long time. It can be supplemented with a thin layer of latex, slightly softening and elastic.
If you want to save money, look at models with holofiber. This is also a hard and hard material, albeit artificial. However, it is also hypoallergenic and hygienic. It allows air to pass through well and retains heat, does not wrinkle and does not absorb foreign odors.
But wool and felt should not be in children's mattresses, they can cause allergies in children.
Children's mattress Dreamline Baby Dream 6 Gift
Children's springless mattress is suitable for children from the first days of life. Filling: coconut fiber. Cover: calico. Composition: Cotton Baby cover, Coconut coir (3 cm) x 2
Buy
Price from 2,954 RUR
Children's mattress Dreamline Baby Holl Hard 1 Gift
Children's double-sided mattress with coconut coir and holofiber. Cover made of wear-resistant fabric. Composition: Cotton Baby cover, Coconut coir (2 cm), Holofiber (8 cm)
Buy
Price from 3,215 ₽ Installments from 267 ₽/month
Children's mattress Dreamline Baby Mix Slim -10%
Present
Springless orthopedic mattress with coconut and natural latex. Cotton Baby cover. Composition: Cotton Baby cover, Natural latex (2 cm) x 2, Coconut coir (2 cm) x 2
Buy
Price from 6,331 RUR 7,034 RUR (Save 703 RUR)
In installments from 527 ₽/month
Children's mattress Promtex-Orient Biba Cocos Strutto -26%
Present
Inexpensive children's mattress without springs with coconut fibers and struttofiber. Polycotton cover. Composition: Cover: Polycotton, Strutto 3 cm, Coconut coir (3 cm)
Buy
Price from 3,623 RUR 4,896 RUR (Save 1,273 RUR)
In installments from 301 ₽/month
Children's mattress Promtex-Orient Biba Standard Cocos -26%
Present
Children's springless mattress with polyurethane foam, reinforced with coconut coir. Cover: children's polycotton. Composition: Cover: Polycotton, Coconut coir (1 cm), Polyurethane foam 10 cm
Buy
Price from 3,905 RUR 5,278 RUR (Save 1,373 RUR)
In installments from 325 ₽/month
Advantages of the cocoon system
The cocoon mattress for newborns is a relatively new offer on the children's goods market. It is a small, high oval insert into the crib, sometimes equipped with a wide soft strap for fixation, and has anatomical depressions and elevations. The latter fact makes the cocoon comfortable for the baby, repeating the natural curves of the body.
This design cannot be called a mattress in the full sense of the word. This is an additional “gadget” that is relevant until the baby grows out of it. Pros of the system:
A child who has been placed in a cocoon can freely move his legs and arms and turn his head. He is not constrained and remains active.
The disadvantages of the mattress are high cost and short period of use. In 3-4 months it will be irrelevant. And since it is important for proper development to adjust the size of mattresses for babies, parents will have to remove the cocoon from the bed and transfer the child to a standard model.
You shouldn't skimp on your children's health. If it is not possible to change the contents and completeness of the crib depending on age, it is better to initially buy a good mattress of the correct hardness.
We recommend reading: Transformable children's bed: advantages of modern design
If you have available funds, it is recommended to first place the child in a cradle with a cocoon, and as he grows older, purchase a bed with an orthopedic full-size mattress.
Case
To make the bed cleaner, the mattress cover must be removable. Preferably with a zipper so that it can be easily removed and washed. Although high-quality mattresses do not absorb odors and moisture, it is still better to at least rinse them sometimes.
The most suitable cover for a newborn is made of natural cotton, without rough seams and buttons that can disturb the baby's sleep.
Also pay attention to the quality certificate and instructions whether everything complies with GOST.
Sontelle Juno Move with massage effect
For children from 5 to 14 years old. Sontelle Juno Move price — 5,504 RUR for 70×140, 7,544 RUR for 80×190
Model for children from five years old. The Juno Move springless mattress of medium hardness on the sides has a micro-massage effect. Sleeping on such a mattress will be beneficial for the child, as a light passive massage stimulates blood circulation and helps to fall asleep quickly. Coupled with good orthopedic properties, which are achieved by a combination of coconut fiber and artificial latex, this makes sleeping on a mattress healthy.
The height of 13 cm and the use of quality materials make the Sontelle Juno Move mattress a good buy.
| Springless | 1 hardness | Low price | 8–14 years | 10 cm | Micromassage |
Size
When buying a mattress for a crib, you need to focus on its size. Conventional baby sleep products have standard parameters:
- width – 60 cm, length – 120 cm;
- width – 65 cm, length – 125 cm;
- width – 70 cm, and length 140 cm;
- width – 80 cm, length – 160.
The mattress for a cradle or stroller has smaller dimensions:
- width – 40, length – 90;
- width – 44, length – 88;
- width – 34, length – 78, etc.
Important! Both in the crib and in the cradle, the mattress must lie flat, without any bumps. If the appropriate size is not available in stores, you will have to think about making a product to order.
To make it easier to place the mattress in the crib, its dimensions should be 3 cm less than the width of the bed. At the same time, it can be easily taken out for ventilation. If it is too large, it will be uncomfortable for the child to sleep, and if it is too small, a dangerous gap may form between it and the side of the bed.
The height of the mattress can also be different, but to create the necessary orthopedic effect for babies, it is best to choose products with a thickness of at least 8 cm. At the same time, the thickness of a product for a stroller may be less.
In order not to be mistaken with the size, just measure the crib before going to the store, then you definitely won’t go wrong.
