Make Sure Your Baby Crib Mattress Is A Firm Crib Mattress

A Story by Maria Johnson

Make Sure Your Baby Crib Mattress Is A Firm Crib Mattress

If I was to pick just one factor above all the others that you should look for in a baby crib mattress it would be the firmness of it. It is easy to get seduced by the idea that your baby's crib mattress should be all soft and warm and cosy so that the baby feels comforted when lying on their mattress and as a consequence is likely to sleep far better. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all and indeed as you will see from all reviews that the best crib mattress on the market the exact opposite, a nice firm crib mattress, is, in fact, the best advice of all.

Indeed not only should a crib mattress keep its shape in the main sleeping area, a good quality crib mattress stays firm, and is able to keep its shape, wherever your baby may be lying upon it. My children rarely used to stay in the same place when they were very young, they could easily wriggle their way halfway across the mattress in a single sleep. A baby can start in the middle of a mattress and end up at the end without even trying. So you should make sure that the mattress has good support throughout, as well as being a proper fit for the crib.

So when you are looking for a firm crib mattress how will you know if it provides adequate support? The best technique is just to press your hand onto the mattress in varied locations around the mattress. If it feels, in your opinion, too firm, then it is probably just right for your baby. Remember, the firm is better. Too soft and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome will rise significantly. Knowing this will help clear up any grey areas in your mind.

Make sure there are no soft spots anywhere on the surface of the mattress. The firmness should be consistent throughout. If you pick up the mattress then it should be surprisingly heavy. This is because a good quality mattress will achieve some of the necessary firmness through the density of the materials within. Just as with a regular mattress, better quality foam mattresses have high-density levels, and a well-sprung mattress should have a decent number of innerspring distributed evenly across the plane of the mattress surface.

So, in conclusion, check for firmness in the following way:

1. Press your hand into the mattress in the centre and at least all four corners of the crib mattress. It should be surprisingly firm. If it feels too firm for you it is probably good for your baby.

2. Check the time taken for the mattress to return to its proper form after being depressed. It should very quickly revert back once the pressure is released. If it takes a couple of seconds, it's too soft.

3. Check to make sure there are no soft areas anywhere on the top or bottom surfaces of the mattress.

Lift the mattress. It should be heavy and have a very solid feel.

4. Finally, if you are happy that you have found a firm crib mattress, check to make sure the dimensions are right. You should only buy a crib mattress that fits very snuggly into the crib it is intended for.

Remember, the perfect crib mattress for your baby will be a firm crib mattress. In my view, it will also be an organic crib mattress too. If you are interested to know why then check out my post on the reasons for selecting an organic crib mattress.