Crib Mattress
There are three major mattress categories: innerspring, foam, and "green" mattresses. "Green" mattresses may be innerspring, foam, natural or organic.
Which is best for baby? All three styles of crib mattress are fine for baby. All mattresses sold in the U.S. must pass the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that regulates the chemicals in the mattress and, the mattresses must be tested by a third party independent testing lab to ensure that they pass. Crib mattresses must also pass two different federal flammability standards.
Innerspring Mattresses
Ninety-five percent of adults sleep on an innerspring mattress or coil unit. Many parents are most comfortable with this type of mattress for their baby.
The heart of the innerspring mattress is the spring or coil unit. The best spring is the one with the most steel and not necessarily the one with the most coils. Thicker steel coils in combination with quantity of coils is what counts. Springs with border rods have more steel and provide greater firmness, durability, and edge support which is important for toddlers when they walk around the mattress holding on to the crib rails.
On top of the spring is the insulator pad that prevents the softer cushioning layers from sinking into the coils. It prevents that coil "feel." A high quality insulator is mandatory to a higher quality innerspring mattress.
Next the cushioning layers are added to provide comfort but shouldn't diminish desired firmness. The best mattresses often have two cushioning layers. Non-allergenic foam and cotton are common cushioning layers. Polyester is also used as a cushioning layer.
Foam Mattresses
Foam mattresses are lighter weight and make for slightly easier sheet changes.
Better quality foam mattresses have firmer, heavier foam, and they return to their original flat shape faster when the weight is removed from the mattress.
"Green" Mattresses
"Green" mattresses use more ecologically friendly components than the average mattress. They may be foam mattresses made with plant oils or innerspring mattresses with layers made with natural materials. There are no industry standards for calling a mattress natural or organic so you and your customers have to decide for yourselves what percent of a mattress's components must be natural or organic for you to consider it a natural or organic mattress. Read labels and literature very closely to determine actual mattress components.
The best quality "green" innerspring mattresses, just like regular innerspring mattresses, have more layers and better quality layers. The best quality "green" foam mattresses are firmer, heavier weight, and more resilient – the same as regular foam mattresses. The best quality natural or organic mattresses have the highest percent of natural or organic components with 100% being optimum.
All mattresses have covers. Vinyl is the most common, easiest to clean, and most cost-efficient cover material. The strongest vinyl covers have the most reinforced layers – five, three, or two. The best vinyl covers are tear resistant and have reinforced layers. Some "green" mattresses come with covers of bamboo yarn or organic cotton. Waterproofing on a cloth covered mattress may be a plastic on the top surface or polyurethane on the back surface of the mattress cover leaving a more natural material closest to baby. Any material used to make a mattress cover waterproof is not natural or organic.
Lastly, mattresses often have vents and binding. Cloth binding generally offers stronger seams than vinyl binding and vents allow the mattress to breathe and refresh itself.
A popular mattress feature today is the dual firmness mattress where one side is firmer for the infant and the other side is firm but a little more comfortable for a toddler. This feature is especially popular with parents buying convertible cribs. Memory foam on the less firm side of a dual firmness mattress is also popular.
In summary, the crib mattress is so important for baby that a parent will do baby a favor by saving money on other items and buying the best mattress they can afford.
The best innerspring crib mattress has a spring unit with thicker coils, border rods, and overall more steel than other innerspring mattresses. It has two insulators-a permalator and a high quality insulator pad. It has at least two cushioning layers on each side. The cover has multiple reinforced layers. The mattress will also usually have cloth binding and vents.
The best foam mattress has foam that is firmer, heavier weight, and more resilient than lower cost foam mattresses. The cover has multiple reinforced layers. Cloth binding and eyelet vents ensure strong seams and mattress freshness.
* Special Thanks to Nancy Villars with Simmons Kids for reviewing this article.