Guide to Assist Parents With Buying the Best Kids Mattress

Guide to Assist Parents With Buying the Best Kids Mattress

Children need a good night’s sleep for 8 to 12 hours. This is not just a scientifically, but universally accepted fact. Their bones, muscles and joints grow continuously. A kid’s body goes into repair mode at night, when they are resting. It is a crucial process, especially for kids, as they are busy climbing, running or monkeying around the whole day. An active lifestyle and a good night’s sleep are both essential for children.

Current research reports state that toddlers grow approximately 1.5 cm overnight. This rate reduces as they get older, but many youngsters still grow in their late teens and early twenties. Therefore, the significance of a sufficiently supportive and large mattress is similar for a 6 year old child or a 17 year old teenager.

The right mattress offers a comfortable and supportive sleep surface to your children all through their childhood. It can accommodate the children even after major growth spurts have been experienced.

An improper mattress can adversely impact the sleep quality, which can root aches and pains in their early adult life. Young agile backs require a premium quality supportive mattress just like an adult. There are so many developments occurring during their sleep period that it is very important to select a good mattress which supports a developing body.

Main Factors to Compare Kid’s Mattresses

Decrease in sleep quality of kids can cause emotional or behavioural issues like -

• Lack of concentration on the next day
• Increase in emotional outburst or tantrums
• Hyperactivity
• Decrease in motor skills
• Finding it hard to get up and get ready for morning school

Support is undoubtedly the most crucial aspect to consider while going shopping for a kids mattress. ‘Support’ in the mattress sector is referred to as how well a mattress maintains an even and flat surface, which promotes spinal alignment. Also, if your kid sweats a lot, you should go for a mattress for hot sleepers. It is designed for smart release of heat build-up and keeps the sleeper’s cool.

Growing kids need optimum spinal support, and thus parents need to prioritize this feature while selecting a mattress. Too soft or too firm mattresses are generally regarded as unsupportive for many sleepers. In addition, some start to sag in the centre in a couple of years. This can cause kids to sleep in inappropriate positions, which can possibly harm their spine.

Factors to Consider While Mattress Shopping for Kids

Mattress Size

Keep in mind that kids can grow significantly prior to when the mattress is expected to be replaced. Therefore, consider large sizes to make sure their kid doesn’t outgrow their mattress.

Common standard sizes available today are -

• Twin – Width 38” x Length 75”
• Twin XL [Extra-long] – 38”W x 80”L
• Double or full – 54”W x 75”L
• Queen – 60”W x 80”L
• King – 76”W X 80”L
• California King – 72”W x 84”L

Among these, double size beds are ideal for kids, as they are wide and can accommodate restless young ones. Many sleep until adulthood on their full/double mattress. Generally, queen, king or California king size mattresses are a big NO for kids.

Mattress Thickness

In general, for smaller kids 12” thick is preferable. They can get on and off easily when compared to high profile mattresses.

Mattress Material

For parents considering the right mattress, type is very challenging. Different designs display their personal pros and cons, so choosing becomes tricky.

1. Innerspring mattress

It has a foam based comfort layer with steel spring as support in the core. The advantages of innerspring is that it sleeps cool and even low priced. Drawback includes potential noise, limited durability and some kids find it too firm. Parents need to be careful, as the mattress is bouncy kids may abuse it causing coils to protrude and hurt them suddenly.

2. Memory foam

Comfort layer is designed from polyfoam or memory foam, but the support core layer is made from polyurethane foam material. The advantage is that there is no noise issue and children sharing find motion isolation feature good, because no one’s sleep gets disturbed.

It is more expensive than innerspring, but more durable. Heat retention and off gassing potential are its cons. Therefore, parents need to look for certified foams designed to sleep cooler and release less odour. It is better to keep the mew memory foam mattress in the open for a week to reduce the odour.

3. Latex foam

Latex is a natural material extracted from rubber plants. The sap is blended with other natural products and turned to foam. It is used in the comfort layer, especially for core support polyfoam/latex. Unlike innerspring, there are no squeaky noise and motion transfer issues.

Kids can easily share beds with their siblings or parents. Parents need to consider rubber allergies in their kids. If their kid suffers from allergies, then opt for synthetic latex mattress, which displays low allergy risk. Latex mattress prices are high.

4. Hybrid

It is a blend of both memory/latex foam and innerspring. In the comfort layer, a minimal two inch of latex or memory foam is used. Pocketed coil is used in the core for better support. Contouring and appropriate support are great in hybrid mattresses. At high prices, you are assured of durability. Potentially, a little bit noisy though. Parents need to check the mattresses regularly for coils, as they may protrude because of its bouncing characteristic.

5. Airbed

In airbeds, there is a comfort layer of foam or some models don’t have a comfort layer. The support core includes customizable air chambers. Airbeds firmness is adjustable but it creates absolutely no noise. Electrical controls can be hard for children to operate and it carries a high safety risk.

Durability

This is also another essential factor, because the chances are strong that the kid will grow considerably, during the lifespan of the mattress. Therefore, parents may be unprepared to invest in potentially more expensive, long lasting mattresses. They may choose a less durable and cheap brand. However, they will need to consider the sagging issue because it affects the supportiveness.

Firmness

You get to select from a wide variety of firmness alternatives ranging from too soft to very firm [and everything in between]. Parent’s common choice may be ‘medium firm’ but some kid’s preferences differ. Kids weighing not more than 130 pounds can feel more comfortable on soft to medium firm mattresses, while kids on the heavier side may prefer medium to firm mattresses. Have the kids sleep on a trial mattress to check the firmness and their comfort level.

Temperature Balance

Polyfoam and memory foam have a bad repute regarding heat retention, but even innerspring and hybrids have thick foam that may make kids sleep hot. Therefore, temperature balance is crucial for every kind of sleeper, even kids who tend to sleep warm regardless of mattress used.

Odour Possibility

From most new mattresses, parents can expect off-gassing odour, but foam based designs carry smell for weeks after unpacking. It is an issue for smell sensitive kids.

Motion Isolation

When kids move during the night motions get created and transferred to the other child sharing the bed. Some mattresses are intended to absorb and reduce the motion transfer, when someone gets out or in the bed. Bed sharing becomes easy with mattress accommodating motion isolation features.

Noise

Hybrids and innerspring produce squeaky sounds because of their metal elements. Airbeds are equipped with electrical systems, which may be loud. Kids sensitive to noise can sleep better on latex and foam models.

Price

Majority of mattress types need significant investment, but there are specific kinds like memory foam and innerspring, which can cost lower in comparison.

Other Important Things to Consider When Shopping Mattress for Your Children

Child’s Age - Major growth spurts experienced by girls is between 8 to 13 years and boys is 10 to 15 years. In case, your child is nearing this significant growth age then choose a longer mattress. On the other hand, parents can choose a cheap mattress, which suits their existing size and replace it when growth spurt starts. This is impossible for parents on a tight budget.

Size & Thickness - Parents of small children will need to choose a full size mattress as twin beds will be narrow for both of them to sleep and enjoy bedtime stories. With respect to thickness, a low profile mattress 12” or shorter is easy for young kids but children older than 10 years will not struggle from climbing in or out from a high profile bed.

Sleep Position - For sleeping on their back will have many options in choosing mattress firmness and type. For side sleeper kids, a soft mattress is best because firm models don’t sink deep to help spine alignment. Children sleeping on their stomach need soft to medium beds [stomach sleeping is discouraged because excess pressure is put on the body in this position].