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THE CRIB MATTRESS: ONE OF THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT PURCHASES FOR BABY IMPORTANCE OF THE CRIB MATTRESS If you think about it, the crib mattress is one of the three major purchases that a parent will make that is mainly for the baby and not just for the convenience of the parent. Because these three purchases are for the baby, we recommend you do not skimp when buying these three items. Not everyone can afford the best but, buy the best you can afford when it comes to these three items. Save money on your other baby purchases. Here are the three important items: 1. Car Seat - The only time you want it to do what it is designed to do is when you need it to protect baby. Don't buy a car seat because it is on sale. Don't buy a car seat because it matches the interior of your car. Buy the car seat that will best protect your baby in the event of an accident. 2. Crib Mattress - An infant will spend up to 70% of their time sleeping on a crib mattress. This is at a time when their bones are softer and growing faster than at any other time of their life. Medical experts agree and recommend that infants need as much support as possible and should be placed on as firm a mattress as the parents feel comfortable putting them on. The crib mattress is more important for your baby than your mattress is to you. Your baby needs more support than you do. Even toddlers will spend up to 50% of their time on a crib mattress because they will play on it until they fall asleep and, they'll play on it until they get bored and decide to wake you up. And, if your crib converts to a daybed, you may even want a quality mattress that will hold up to adult bottoms sitting on it after the baby has outgrown it. 3. ????????????? - Think about this one. We will tell you the answer at the end of this article. FOAM OR INNERSPRING? A difficult decision but, you can't go wrong. A top-of-the-line innerspring mattress is better than a medium-to-lower quality foam mattress and, a top-of-the-line foam mattress is better than a medium-to-lower quality innerspring mattress. In other words, regardless of which type of mattress you choose, you and your baby are better off if you buy a better quality mattress. So, how do you tell a better-quality innerspring mattress from a lower quality innerspring mattress and, how do you tell a better quality foam mattress from a lesser quality foam mattress? INNERSPRING CRIB MATTRESSES Many people prefer innerspring mattresses because that is the type of mattress that most of us adults sleep on and, it is what we are used to. Also, it is easier to tell a better quality innerspring mattress from a lesser quality innerspring mattress than it is to tell a better quality foam mattress from a lesser quality foam mattress. Buy an innerspring crib mattress that: A. has border rods, B. has the most layers, C. has the best quality layers Innerspring Layers: * The best spring unit is the one with the most steel (not the one with the most coils). Only buy a mattress with an innerspring unit that has border rods. Also, the mattress should have thick coils (the lower the gauge number, the thicker the steel, i.e., 13.0 gauge is thicker than 15.5 gauge steel). * The best mattresses have two insulators: a permalator which makes the gaps into the coils smaller and thus reduces the probability of the softer cushioning layers sinking into the coils over time and, a second insulator - a coir fiber insulator pad made from shredded coconut shells. Coir fiber is better than fiberwrap insulator pads or polyester insulators. Also, coir comes in six grades and, Colgate uses only the two thickest. * The best innerspring mattresses have two or three cushioning layers. At least one layer is often a foam layer (common to most mattresses) and, the better mattresses will have a cotton batting top cushioning layer in addition to the foam layer. Cotton is an expensive material compared to other cushioning materials and it requires special machinery to put cotton as a top layer of cushioning - where it is most effective. Also, cotton is a natural flammability inhibitor. * The heaviest, thickest vinyl cover is the best. Buy one that is either a 5-ply or a triple laminated with a nylon reinforcement layer. Anti-microbial covers are slightly more expensive but, are not necessarily better. * Vents are good on mattresses. Mattresses that have anti-microbial vinyl covers usually do not have vents. * Cloth binding is best for stronger mattress seams. Many mattresses with an anti-microbial vinyl cover will use an anti-microbial reinforced vinyl binding, otherwise you are better off with cloth binding. FOAM CRIB MATTRESSES There are three major things to look for in a better quality foam mattress: 1. the firmer the foam the better, 2. the heavier the foam, the better, 3. the more resilient the foam the better (how fast it bounces back to its' original shape after the weight is removed from the mattress). Also, the comments made above in the Innerspring Crib Mattresses section about the vinyl cover and the binding and the vents will apply to the foam crib mattresses as well as to the innerspring crib mattresses. TODAY'S HOTTEST CRIB MATTRESS ISSUES The following are some of the major current crib mattress issues that consumers are dealing with at the time this article is being written: * Can a mattress be too firm? The answer is no. The firmer the mattress the better but, parents have an overriding tendency to buy a crib mattress that they think will be comfortable based upon their own standards of comfort. Remember, if a mattress feels comfortable to you, it is probably too soft for baby. The compromise is to buy a crib mattress that is firmer than you like but still feels comfortable enough that you would be willing to put your baby on it. * Does the crib mattress pass strict flammability standards? The new crib mattress you buy from a retail store in your home state will pass all current flammability standards. Mattress flammability standards are in the process of changing. The standards are getting tougher and, they are causing mattresses to increase in price. Until a new national mattress flammability standard takes effect in July of 2007, any crib mattress you buy will either pass the present national flammability standard or, if it is tougher, your state mattress flammability standard. * Is a "natural" mattress better for my baby? "Natural" products are the current 'rage' amongst consumers buying all types of products. "Natural" does not always equate to "better". This is especially true with crib mattresses. Mattresses made with common components such as foam cushioning and vinyl covers have been found by governmental, scientific, and consumer agencies to be safe and present no potential hazard to babies. Issue #1 about "natural" mattresses today is: What actually is "natural"? For example, one of the popular "natural" crib mattresses today has a nylon cover. Nylon is not a "natural" product but, this doesn't stop this mattress from being sold to consumers as a "natural" mattress. Is this right to do? Issue #2 (and it should be issue #1) is: Is a "natural" mattress better for your baby than a mattress that has man-made components inside it? This issue is especially relevant when it comes to the mattress cover. All mattress covers that are made using "natural" materials are not waterproof - unless they are treated with chemicals or have a non-natural vinyl backing. So, do these "natural" chemically treated covers or, covers with vinyl backing still warrant being called "natural"? And, if the mattress has a non-waterproof, genuinely "natural" cover - is this actually better for the baby? A non-waterproof cover is definitely not more convenient for the parent than a waterproof vinyl cover that you can just wipe clean. Also, if this type of mattress is not cleaned regularly, when fluids from baby reach the mattress surfaces under the non-waterproof cover it can foster the growth of bacteria. And, putting extra non-waterproof "natural" cloth layers under baby to keep fluids from reaching the mattress surface is not recommended by baby safety experts who recommend no loose bedding under or around baby while baby sleeps. An example of a crib mattress that is touted to be "natural" is a mattress made with a talalay type latex foam. This is a natural product but, 4% of the American public is allergic to latex. This would not be a better mattress for 4% of the babies in America but, it is still "natural". * Is an "organic" mattress better for baby? This poses the question of what is an "organic" mattress? Just like in the case of the "natural" mattress above, there are no definitive standards as to what constitutes "organic". And, just because it is organic, does it mean that it is better for baby than a non-"organic" crib mattress? CONCLUSION New parents can feel comfortable that any new crib mattress they buy is safe for baby. All new crib mattresses sold in the United States must pass strict Federal and/or state safety standards for flammability resistance, size, and lack of harmful chemicals. Mattress firmness is not regulated so, the parent determines what firmness they want their baby to sleep on. Most medical experts recommend that an infant be put on as firm a mattress as the parent feels comfortable putting their baby upon. Due to human nature, parents usually judge mattress firmness and comfort on what feels comfortable to them but, this is usually too soft for baby. There are benefits to both foam mattresses and innerspring mattresses. Whether you prefer an innerspring crib mattress or a foam crib mattress, you and your baby are better off with a better quality crib mattress rather than the lowest price mattress. For foam mattresses, buy a mattress that is heavier, firmer, and more resilient. For an innerspring mattress, buy a mattress that has more internal layers, better quality layers and, buy only an innerspring mattress that has border rods. Lastly, per the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, the First Candle/Sids Alliance, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, always put baby to sleep on their back and remove all loose bedding and comforters and quilts. Co-sleeping with your baby is not recommended. ---- Have you figured out what the third item is, besides the crib mattress and the car seat, that a parent purchases mainly for the baby and not just for the convenience of the parents? No, it isn't a stroller. The stroller is for the parents because baby would prefer to be carried or to crawl or toddle along at their own speed. Crib? No, it isn't the crib, either. Baby doesn't care about the style of crib or the finish of the wood or the cost. Diapers? No. All babies prefer to be naked. Diapers are for the parents because they protect rugs and clothing which babies don't care about. Give up? The answer is food. During their most formative growing years you want to put the best possible nutrition into your baby. Babies deprived of good nutrition when they are infants could possibly have health problems later in life as a result. And, even though your baby may not like those strained vegetables, you still feed them to them because it is good for them and they need that quality nutrition for their good health and growth. On behalf of your baby, thank you for caring about the health and safety and what is best for your baby. Used by permission Submitted by: Dennis Schuetz Director of Marketing and Merchandising, Colgate Juvenile Products