Crib Mattresses

My wife asked me if I had done any research as to which crib mattress we should get, I assume because I did a ton of research into safe cribs and then also a ton of research into our mattress that we sleep on every night. 

I hadn't. I was planning on going to Costco or Ikea, and grabbing whatever looked nice for a decent price. 

Is there anything I need to be worried about with a crib mattress? Its basically a piece of foam for a kid who weighs less than 50 pounds by the time it gets into a real bed. I don't think they're going to have back problems from it. Right?

I had one that I got from a relative that had been used for 10 years, then my daughter used it, then 13 years later, my son used it.  With a good plastic cover, they last forever.  They are firm, that's OK, and they are all basically the same. 

Perfect. Maybe I should see if any of my cousins still have one. 

What pinch said.  All three of my kids, who are now 15, 11 and 8, used the same mattress.  I did add a sheet of plywood between it and the springs of the crib so that the baby monitor would not freak out.

I've got one form Ikea and it's worked fine for both the kids. The important thing is that it fits tight to the crib edges so the child doesn't fall into the crack and suffocate. Other than that there's nothing special.

Grab some sleep sacks while you're at Ikea too as they'll save you a lot of hassle.

Just get a used one that the plastic surface isn't cracked. Because even if you have the plastic sheet between the mattress and the fabric sheet, there will be a night where the E36 M3 will literally hit the fan and the plastic sheet is already soiled from the last episode 20 minutes ago and you need the extra barrier.

My wife wasn't happy with our Ikea crib mattress so we replaced it with a Sealy spring mattress from Walmart.  That's been our go-to ever since (we've done this four times now).

We just used a pack and play for a bed, until about a month ago when she finally got a real bed at age 3

If you already have a crib, ignore the suggestion, but if you haven't gotten one yet, it might be an easier option. 

On our first, we put a fancy all natural mattress on our registry (it was really nice) and a relative bought it for us.

It had springs integrated and made of hemp fibers with plastic covering to protect against E36 M3 attacks.  Damned heavy for its size.

The important piece is that one side was hard with a little padding for newborns and the other was soft for when they get older.

Our daughter slept on it for 2 years and it fit quite nicely to the corners, etc.  We flipped it for her once she was able to roll over on her own.

With our second now here, we acquired a new mattress with a new, cheaper crib from a friend (the 1st born's crib is quite nice, but very similar in construction, so its a push there).

The new mattress was terrible in comparison (Wal Mart special), so we swapped them.

The 2-year old loves to bounce on the cheaper, springy one and she sleeps just fine when she isn't teething/hitting growth spurts.

The newborn is still sleeping with us as my wife recovers from her c-section, but the fancy mattress and the cheap crib is waiting for him.

The moral is that there is a quality difference at the top and bottom of the spectrum, but as long as they are able to sleep safely on it, they won't care.  You're buying for your piece of mind.

For the mattress get whatever, but get lots and lots of sheets.

I have a crib and mattress (and sheets) you can have if you like. 

Robbie said:

For the mattress get whatever, but get lots and lots of sheets.

I have a crib and mattress (and sheets) you can have if you like. 

Checking with the wife. Damn good chance I'll be taking you up on that. Especially since that would be an excuse to see the SAAB.

We got one of the two-sided, all-natural, non-allergenic, made-in-USA, organic, no-bad-offgassing crib mattresses, I think from Amazon.  Standard first-kid stuff, you know.  Nothing less could possibly work  

mtn said:

Robbie said:

For the mattress get whatever, but get lots and lots of sheets.

I have a crib and mattress (and sheets) you can have if you like. 

Checking with the wife. Damn good chance I'll be taking you up on that. Especially since that would be an excuse to see the SAAB.

Cool. I'll get you some photos tomorrow. We actually have a straight crib and a crib/toddler bed thing (what the heck do they call those? Conversion beds? I don't remember).

Either way, come on down to see the Saab. Bring your wife and we can host you guys for dinner or something. Would be fun.

This is relevant to my interests. Our little one needs out of our room. 

The second crib mattress was a Beautyrest Black a rather nice mattress. We knew the plan was to convert it to a toddler bed and use it until my daughter didn't fit anymore. Which happened at about 3 years and 6 months. It is was good enough then to serve my son retaining it's firmness for his needs. He no longer uses it and now it serves as a kind of day bed/couch for the kids. 

The first mattress we got as a gift was the super cheap kind that felt lumpy after just a few weeks.

Well worth the extra $70 over the budget unit. 

I just tossed my 27 years olds crib. The wife said it’s not the “safe” kind used now and we don’t want to pass it along and there be an issue.  

My mom had her crib from 1936 and put her 6 kids through it (1959-1975) but she refused to let any grandkids sleep in it.  The sides were like guillotines. 

We used the basic mattress - our kids survived.  

Cribs can be had for free generally and are durable.  We had a crib that we used for all three of our kids that was a gift from someone who used it with their two.  We then gave it on to someone else who is using it for his 1st.  I expect it'll go through 10 kids before someone breaks it, probably during a move.  

Babies will sleep anywhere.. on anything.  My stomach, a car seat, the floor, getting the most "comfortable" mattress for a baby is silly.  However, kids are rough on things, especially when older, and you should buy one that will last.  We bought one it lasted for 3 kids and is now serving its fourth kid.  

Donation places won't take cribs or mattresses.  You can get them cheap and easy from parents.

Once you get the mattress, remember to "Lasagna" the sheets.

Crib mattress, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet (etc.).

When poop happens, or whatever, just tear off the top two layers and you're good to party again.

Crib mattress?  Ours came as a unit.  We bought pretty far upmarket at USA Baby.  Spent a small fortune, but it worked and still looked good after two kids and gave to Brother-in-Law who became new Grandpappy.   I think the only truly relevant factor is that it fit the crib precisely.  As in you should not be able to easily get a hand between the mattress and the side of the crib.

Back trouble?  Hardly.  That's only a concern for old farts.  My 13-yo recently had a sleepover where he spent the night on a blanket on the bare concrete floor (his choice, there was an air mattress available) of our attached garage.  Any hard piece of foam with an appropriate cover should do the trick.

1988RedT2 said:

Crib mattress?  Ours came as a unit.  We bought pretty far upmarket at USA Baby.  Spent a small fortune, but it worked and still looked good after two kids and gave to Brother-in-Law who became new Grandpappy.   I think the only truly relevant factor is that it fit the crib precisely.  As in you should not be able to easily get a hand between the mattress and the side of the crib.

Back trouble?  Hardly.  That's only a concern for old farts.  My 13-yo recently had a sleepover where he spent the night on a blanket on the bare concrete floor (his choice, there was an air mattress available) of our attached garage.  Any hard piece of foam with an appropriate cover should do the trick.

This is my thought. We're getting the one from Robbie (Thanks Robbie!), and will find a cheap one (or two) for the grandparents houses. 

FWIW, If it would be acceptable to my wife we'd be sleeping on a thin foam mat. The ONLY reason that sleeping on a small mat with just a little cushion isn't perfect is lying on your shoulders. But my shoulders are messed up anyways, so I'm not the best judge.