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Looking for a baby mattress, but what do you pay attention to?

Buying a baby mattress is probably not the first thing you think about when you are pregnant. Still, it's good to think about the type of mattress you want your baby to sleep on. Your newborn baby sleeps about 16-20 hours a day, so it is important if there is a comfortable and safe mattress in the cot. There are different types of mattresses available, but what should you pay attention to when buying a baby mattress or a children's mattress? We give you a number of tips, so that you can quickly get back to work with the nicer things for your trousseau!

Table of contents

Buy a baby mattress; what do you pay attention to?

We handle the following matters:

  • Supporting capacity
  • Ventilation
  • Harmful substances
  • SIDS
  • Price and quality

Possible sales addresses:

  • Order baby and children's mattresses at JYSK ⇒ 
  • Assortment of baby mattresses from Babypark ⇒
  • Large range of mattresses for babies ⇒
  • Everything for the baby room at Wehkamp ⇒

1. Supportive capacity:the baby mattress should not be too soft

Firstly, it is important that the baby mattress has a firm and flat surface, so that your baby is well supported in the cot and does not sink into the mattress. Not only can this otherwise lead to dangerous situations (especially if your baby's face sinks into the mattress), but also the body is not sufficiently supported if the mattress is too soft. You can easily test the firmness of the baby mattress yourself by pressing your hand on the mattress and mimicking the weight of a baby's head.

When buying a baby mattress you can choose from different types of materials:

  • Memory foam:not resilient, responds to body heat by becoming soft. Poor support capacity.
  • Cold foam:resilient foam that does not react to body heat. This keeps the counter pressure good.
  • Polyether:tendency to pit, depending on foam density.
  • Pocket suspension / innerspring:core of metal springs. Reasonable lying comfort, relatively cool.

There are also baby mattresses that use a combination of the above materials.

According to the Netherlands Center for Youth Health, the material does not affect the safety of a mattress, as long as the surface is flat and firm. However, memory foam that is too soft is not recommended to be used. To be fair, there is of course a price and comfort difference between the mattresses. You also prefer to sleep on a comfortable mattress, right? And nothing is more annoying than a baby that doesn't want to sleep.

2. Ventilation and safety

In order for a baby to sleep safely in a cot, there are a number of things that are important. For example, the space between the mattress and the bed edge should be as small as possible. Then no foot or arm can get stuck. One centimeter is enough to tuck your bedding.

Good ventilation is just as important for a baby mattress as it is for an adult mattress. If the mattress does not ventilate well, your baby can suffer from heat build-up in the cot. With heat accumulation, your baby cannot lose body heat properly. Good ventilation is one of the conditions for safe sleeping!

The ventilation can come from inside the baby mattress, through ventilation channels and through a ventilating top layer. A combination of both is of course also possible. Nowadays there are also separate ventilating top layers for sale.

3. Avoid harmful substances

Nobody wants to come into contact with harmful substances, right? A baby mattress impregnated to fight mosquitoes or dust mites is said to be safe, according to manufacturers. But aren't these agents intended to harm living critters? Choose a mosquito net or mosquito net and make sure that the mattress cover (tick) can be zipped off and is washable at 60 degrees. This is how you fight those annoying insects in a natural way.

4. SIDS and choice of mattress

SIDS is the fear of many parents, despite the dramatic decline in SIDS over the past 30 years. Although some manufacturers of baby mattresses would have us believe otherwise, using a particular baby mattress in a crib cannot prevent SIDS. According to the Netherlands Center for Youth Health, it has not yet been shown that a baby's prone position on a ventilating mattress is harmless. In short, stick to their advice for safe sleeping as much as possible.

5. Price and quality of a baby mattress

A baby mattress is available in different price ranges. The price difference mainly depends on the filling that is used. Don't be fooled by the sales pitch in the store, but pay attention to the support capacity, ventilation, safety and use of harmful substances in a baby mattress. And remember:safe sleeping behavior is always more important than buying an expensive baby mattress. However, a high-quality mattress often contributes to a safe sleeping environment.

Buy an Emma baby mattress, good idea!

We understand that - for a layman - it is quite a hassle to buy a baby mattress. Because what should you pay attention to? What weighs the heaviest and how do you determine exactly what is good and what is not?

Quite honestly… I can't give you a professional opinion on that either. I also found it very difficult to determine which baby mattress is the most suitable. That is why I regularly read what the consumer association thinks about something.

Tested best

In March and May of 2017, the Emma mattress 90*200 came out best in the test. Emma's mattresses are also available for young people and adults, and not just for babies. But it was logical that the next step would be designing a baby mattress.

When developing a baby mattress, they were guided by the technical aspects in which they themselves are experts, but also by the wishes of the parents. Buying an Emma baby mattress therefore means that you buy a mattress based on the experiences of other parents. And that's great!

What is special about the Emma baby mattress?

  • Mattress cover has been medically tested and has a high content of natural viscose
  • Foam in mattress and cover are free of silver, antimony and optical bleaching agents
  • Cover is easily removable and washable at 60 degrees
  • Optimum firmness mattress for your child's spine
  • Reinforced edges in the mattress, so that the feet do not slip between the bars when your child is standing
  • Security zipper so that the contents of the mattress are not accessible for your child

Buy your mattress online

It may seem a bit strange to buy your mattress online, but this is perfectly possible these days. We also sleep on a mattress that we bought online and we are very satisfied with it. You have a 100 day probation period. Unsatisfied? Then you send the mattress back within those 100 days and you get your money back. In addition, you also have a 10-year warranty!

Good to know, because a good night's sleep for your child is extremely important. For his or her development, but also for you 😉 .

Possible other sales addresses:

  • Order baby and children's mattresses at JYSK ⇒ 
  • Assortment of baby mattresses from Babypark ⇒
  • Large range of mattresses for babies ⇒
  • Everything for the baby room at Wehkamp ⇒

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