First mattress for 3 year old

[Plarka]

DD1 is moving into a big bed as soon as we can decide what mattress to buy.

Do you:

A. Buy the best mattress you can afford, like firm or pocket sprung, something really nice.

OR

B. Buy the cheapest sprung mattress there is because a 3 -12 (or however long it lasts) year old doesn't need such an expensive one and you'd be wasting your money?

[waiting2bemommy]

I would probably take the kid to the store to lay on the mattress if i was worried about it, but honestly that kind of stuff doesn't even cross my radar. It's a bed, it can't be THAT uncomfortable if it's coming straight out the box. Now, if it were used, which most of our mattresses have been, then I would lay down on it and roll around and whatnot to make sure there were no broken springs or anything that would make for a miserable night's sleep. I've had the unpleasant experience of a so-called "gently used" mattress completely collapse the second night I had it and it was definitely awful.

the only thing I worry about is toys made in china (I buy them, but not for infant dd if I can help it) and food. Other than that...

[zeldamomma]

Originally Posted by Plarka

DD1 is moving into a big bed as soon as we can decide what mattress to buy.

Do you:

A. Buy the best mattress you can afford, like firm or pocket sprung, something really nice.

OR

B. Buy the cheapest sprung mattress there is because a 3 -12 (or however long it lasts) year old doesn't need such an expensive one and you'd be wasting your money?

I don't think I'd get a high-end mattress for a 3 y.o. for two reasons-- one is that lighter people are more comfortable on softer mattresses, and so the "right" mattress for her now probably won't be comfortable when she's a teen, and two is that little kids are a whole lot more likely to wet the bed, and waterproof mattress pads can leak. It would be a shame to buy a really nice mattress now and have it ruined before she was old enough to really enjoy it (since it would be designed for a bigger person than she is).

[loveandkindness]

I would buy her a Tempurpedic (or similar memory foam mattress). My DD had horrible sleep issues and getting a good night's sleep was of high importance. She sleeps SOOOOOO much better on a Tempurpedic. We have one also, and instead of waking up creaky and stiff I feel good when I wake up. No, I do not work for Tempurpedic!

A good memory foam matress will last her for 20 years +. I consider it a wise investment. Especially considering how important sleep is to her general health.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

We use a futon mattress (we had it already so we didn't buy anything). It's full-size and directly on the floor. Size and height were a bigger consideration for me. I knew that I would have to sleep on it on a regular basis (size) and I knew ds would roll out of bed, several times a week (height).

So far it has worked out great. When he gets older and doesn't roll out of bed all the time we'll look into something else (he really wants a bunk bed, we'll see if he still does in a few years).