Mattress Guide
While having a good night sleep is important for us all, the truth is that it is even more important for kids! According to a study, lack of sleep and sleep quality can affect your kid’s life in many aspects. It may start by having more difficulty in focusing at school, poor social skills, behaving badly, or even starting to show some signs of ADHD. Your child's mattress should; encourage healthy posture, support their changing size, provide a clean and healthy night's sleep. You want to make sure that you are choosing the best mattress for your kids so that they can have a good nights sleep, every single night.
Here are the different things that you need to consider:
- Innerspring- Firm Mattress
- Soft Mattress
- Washable
- Off-Gassing
- Kids Safety
- Sleeping Posture
- Shared Bed
Innerspring
One of the main advantages of innerspring mattresses is that they tend to last longer than foam. The only reason is the fact that they include coils that are made of steel. The main purpose of using coils is to ensure that the mattress is able to support the pressure over time. The lower the number of coils, the less time the mattress will last.
Firm Mattress
The mattress firmness that you buy for your kids will ultimately depend on their age. But, the truth is that most mattresses for kids come with a medium firmness which should be appropriate for kids of all ages. But, if you believe that the mattress is still not firm enough, you can also consider buying a mattress topper to help you adjust its firmness.
Soft Mattress
As we already mentioned, the firmness of the mattress that you buy for your kids depends on their age. When you are looking for the mattress, you will probably find the ILD which is the Indentation Load Deflection. While this can be a bit complicated to understand, you need to keep in mind that soft beds are appropriate for ILD of more than 25 pounds. Firm beds are appropriate for ILD of more than 31. Medium beds are appropriate for ILD between 25 and 31 pounds.
Washable
Mattresses tend to accumulate dust mites which can be a problem for all kids especially the ones who suffer from allergies. So, you need to make sure that the mattress you buy is washable.
Off-Gassing
When you get a mattress at home, you will notice a strange smell when you unpack it. This is called the off-gassing. This smell and its intensity vary depending on the material that was used to make the mattress. Nevertheless, and no matter which material you choose, you need to make sure that before you unpack the mattress, you have a good airflow in the room. This will prevent any potential headaches. While the off- gassing is not harmful it can bother you. So leave the mattress in that room for a couple of days until the smell dissipates.
Kids Safety
When you want to buy a new mattress for your kids, you need to remember that they won’t have any side supports as they used to have on their cribs. So to keep them safe while sleeping, you need to check the bounce of the mattress. Avoid mattresses that have a lot of bounce since your kids may accidentally be bounced off their bed and hurt themselves.
Sleeping Posture
You probably already heard that a good mattress needs to be firm to improve your posture, but times change and it is now assumed that it’s better to have a soft padding since this can help your spine retain its natural curvature. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a mattress for your baby, you want it to be firm so they don't accidentally smother. But young children can use a regular bed and can even use thin memory foam mattresses.
Kids Shared Bed
If you have a shared bed and are looking for the best mattress, you should opt for the firmness level that is suitable for your kid’s age.
FAQ’S
When should my baby move to a child's mattress?
Moving your baby from a cot bed mattress to a child's mattress is an important phase of their childhood. Eventually, a cot bed mattress will become too small for your child. We recommend moving your little one to a child's mattress and bed between the ages of 18 and 36 months. However, this is just a guideline. Keep an eye on your child's size, comfort and safety in their cot and decide for yourself when you think it's time to make the switch to a child's bed.
How often should I replace my child's mattress?
How often you should renew your child's mattress depends on their age and size. We recommend changing your child's mattress every 3 years if they are between the ages of 3-10 years old and every 5 years if they are between 10-16 years old.
It is worth noting that children grow at different rates. We recommend that your child's mattress is approximately 10cm longer than your child. Because of this, you may need to renew your child's mattress sooner or later than the suggested guidelines.
How much should I spend on my child's new mattress?
Like with all mattresses, more expensive children's mattresses are likely to feature higher quality fillings. Spending more on your child's mattress means you may not have to renew their mattress as often. This could actually save you money in the long run. We have children's mattresses to suit all budgets.
How do I create an allergy-free bedroom for my child?
Does your child suffer from asthma, allergies or sensitive skin? Hypoallergenic mattresses, pillows, duvets and mattress protectors have been designed to create an environment where dust mites cannot live, providing a healthier sleep environment for your child.
If your child suffers from allergies, choosing the right mattress can really help to alleviate their symptoms and grant them a far more restful and comfortable night’s sleep. The mattress should be hypoallergenic which inhibits the spread of dust mites, preventing them from causing issues for allergy sufferers. Memory foam is naturally hypoallergenic and is, therefore, a great mattress solution for any child who suffers from allergies at night.
What is the best type of mattress for growing kids?
No matter what age your child is, getting a good night's sleep is highly important to their development and ability to function in their day to day lives. As kids get older they may find a firmer mattress more suitable, especially as they enter into their teenage years. Having a supportive mattress can prevent aches and pains through providing enough support to keep their spine and bones aligned.
What other mattress materials are good for allergies?
Children who have allergies may benefit from synthetic mattresses as their fibres are less likely to attract bacteria and mites, although the same effects can be gained with natural latex, cotton, pure wool or silk – these are naturally hypoallergenic, so if your bed doesn't contain them, think about using these in the future.
That's not to say open and pocket sprung mattresses are a no-no for children with allergies though – antibacterial, hypoallergenic mattress protectors will also stop symptoms in their tracks. Most mattresses have a good lifespan, so by regularly flipping and rotating the mattress every six months, you'll get the most restful nights for your money, setting the scene for a change when they hit double figures.
My child wets the bed, what should I do?
If your child wets the bed, then purchasing a mattress protector and washable bed pads will help to protect the mattress underneath and ensure that your child can continue to use the mattress when they’ve eventually grow out of the phase.
JellyBean Mattresses
Mattress Options:
Our most popular mattress option is the Natural Sleep Pocket Sprung
Mattress. We also stock the Classic Fibre Mattress. Below is a
comparison to help you decide which mattress best suits your needs:
| Mattress | Natural Sleep Comfy Pocket | Sleepy Headz | Classic Fibre |
| Overview |
The Natural Sleep Pocket Sprung Mattress offers a great deal of comfort. With a cushioned top, and each spring covered in a cotton wool blend, comfort is paramount. The Natural Sleep Comfy Pocket is available in sizes 4ft small double, and 4ft6 regular double. - Low profile (i.e. not a deep mattress)- Bonnell sprung - Medium support - Adequate support for adults |
The Sleepy Headz single mattress is made from foam, with no springs. It provides medium support and therefore is ideal for older children. The Sleepy Headz mattress is available in sizes 90cm x 190cm and also 90cm x 200cm. - Foam mattress- Medium support - Ideal for older children |
Our Classic mattress is our entry level mattress. The Classic is made from foam and spring interior and offers light Our Classic Mattress is available in single sizes 90cm x 190cm and 90cm x 200cm. - Low Profile (i.e. not adeep mattress) - Bonnell sprung - Lighter support - Adequate support for younger children |
| Longevity: | 6-8 Years | 4-5 Years |
Single Bed Mattresses
We stock single mattresses which are 190cm x 90cm. This is a standard Irish mattress size. We sell Irish sized mattresses in order to comply with the fire retardant regulation (S.I. NO. 316/1995). Standard shop bought bedding generally fits this size.
If you purchase one of our European beds with an Irish mattress, there will be a gap of 10cm as the bed base will be European size of 200cm.The benefit of having a gap allows ease of dressing/changing the bed.
We stock 2 types of single mattress, both in 90cm x 190cm, and 90cm x 200cm:
The Classic Mattress - 90cm x 190cm and Classic Mattress - 90 x 200cm are ideal for elevated beds such as bunk beds and equally suitable for single beds. The classic mattress is an Irish made mattress featuring a 13.5 gauge spring with felt and foam trim.
The Sleepy Headz - Single Mattress - 90 x 190cm and Sleepy Headz - Single Mattress - 90 x 200cm are medium support foam mattresses. They are ideal for older children.
Double Bed Mattresses
We sell both a 4ft double bed mattress and a 4ft6 double bed mattress. We recommend a low profile double mattress for our triple bunk beds and standard depth for our regular double beds.
The Natural Sleep Comfy Pocket 4ft Mattress is a medium support mattress. It should be paired with a 4ft 'small double' bed. It is pocket sprung meaning
The Natural Sleep Company Comfy Pocket 4ft6 Mattress is also a medium support mattress. It is made for 4ft6 double beds which are regular double beds. It is also pocket sprung.
Trundle Bed Mattresses
We currently sell one type of trundle bed mattress.
The Natural Sleep Company Trundle Mattress is a foam mattress (no springs). It is 90cm x 190cm, with a depth of 11cm. This low profile mattress makes it perfect for trundle beds/sleepover beds.
Tips for buying mattresses:
We sell 90 x 190cm single bed mattresses as these are the standard size mattresses in Ireland. Standard shop bought bedding is made to fit this size mattress.
A lot of our bed bases are 200cm long and therefore there will be a gap at either end of the mattress. We recommend having a gap around the mattress as it is easier to dress the bed.
We also have some of the best mattress experts in Ireland so please
come and visit us for some specialist advice on what mattress best suits
your needs.
Disclaimers:
*For hygiene purposes we cannot accept any returns of any of our mattress products
*Our Natural Sleep Mattresses arrive rolled. Please thoroughly read through all attached instructions.
*Please note that any mattress going on an elevated bed will have a tighter fit than normal due to the side rails of that bed.
