A crib mattres is one of the most important purchases you'll make for your baby. It's not a purchase you want to rush into. Take your time and do your research or, alternatively, let us do the research for you.
We took a close-up look at some of the most popular crib mattresses, weighed the pros and cons, and compiled a list of 9 of your best options.
We focused on the following criteria when picking mattresses to review here:
- Comfort
- Safety
- Durability
- Quality of materials used
General recommendations for buying a crib mattress
There are several things to keep in mind when purchasing a crib mattress.
First of all, you want something that's firm. In fact, the firmer the better. This is important because a mattress that's too soft could increase the risk of SIDS and also put your baby at risk of suffocation.
Something else to keep in mind is the importance of buying a new mattress. Using a secondhand mattress isn't a great idea, mainly because you don't know how the previous owner used it or stored it. Beyond that, there's a chance it no longer complies with the latest safety standards.
You're also going to want a mattress that's a snug fit in your baby's crib. If there's a gap between the mattress and the crib, you're baby could get trapped inside, and any kind of gap also poses a suffocation risk. A standard crib measures 30 x 54 inches, and a standard crib mattress measures 27 1/4 x 52 inches (more or less).
You're also going to want a mattress that's certified, either Certi-PUR US and/or GREENGUARD Gold. These certifications will attest to the safety of the mattress: whether or not it's made with formaldehyde, mercury, lead, other heavy metals, phthalates, flame retardants, etc.
For some additional great tips, check out this article.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, here's a quick look at our favorite models and their best features.
Quick comparison: Baby mattress reviews
Mattress | Features we love | Rating | Buy it now |
|---|---|---|---|
Dream On Me Spring Crib and Toddler Bed Mattress 
| - Triple laminated waterproof cover is stain resistant and | ||
Safety 1st Heavenly 
| - A no. 1 best seller | ||
Kolcraft Pure Sleep Therapeutic 150 Crib Mattress 
| - Resistant to stains, moisture and mildew - 10-year warranty | ||
Safety 1st Transitions Baby and Toddler Mattress 
| - 1 side is for toddlers, the other for baby | ||
My First Mattress Premium Memory Foam Crib Mattress 
| - Comes with removable waterproof cover | ||
Sealy Soybean Foam-Core 
| - Has GREENGUARD certification - Lightweight and very firm | ||
Simmons Kid's Beauty Rest Beginnings Sleepy Whispers Ultra Deluxe 2-in-1 Crib and Toddler Mattress 
| - Luxury pocketed | ||
Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer Dual Firmness All Foam 
| - Cover is durable, nylon, non-toxic and waterproof | ||
Naturpedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic
| - 100% USA-grown organic cotton filling |
Read on for all the details and our in-depth baby mattress reviews.
Dream On Me Spring Crib and Toddler Bed Mattress
Here we have a 5-inch thick lightweight mattress, weighing just 10 pounds, that's made in the USA from top-flight materials.
It has 80 heat-tempered, interwoven, durable coils, to ensure that your baby is as comfortable as can be, and the mattress cover is triple laminated, phthalate-free, waterproof and stain resistant, which means that liquids won't be able to leak into it.
It also features a protective foam wrap on each side, not to mention a foam-insulating layer, which is hypoallergenic. As a safety measure, it has a FireBlocker layer, and it has a 10-year limited warranty to boot.
What we love:
- Resistant to mildew and mold due to antibacterial waterproof lock stiched binding
- Great value for money
- Easy to clean and no lingering smells
What we don't love:
- Not as plush as some other mattress
- Previous buyers say this mattress is noisy
- You might have to air the mattress out first
Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress
Here's another great option for your crib. This 5.5-inch thick mattress is lightweight, durable and provides great support for your baby.
It has a high-density thermo-bonded core, it's hypoallergenic and the cover is water resistant, extremely sturdy, and can be easily wiped down. The sleeping surface is vinyl, and it's both phthalate- and lead-free, and this mattress has GREENGUARD Gold certification.
What we love:
- Is insanely resilient and feels and looks high end
- Made of dense, high-quality memory foam
- Affordable and durable
What we don't love:
- Not as plush as some other mattress
- Previous buyers say this mattress is noisy
- Some previous buyers have said that it's not firm enough
Kolcraft Pure Sleep Therapeutic 150 Crib Mattress
Here's a 5-inch mattress that's made in the USA and has a coil count of 150, providing a firmer sleeping surface for your baby. These heavy-gauge coils are woven together to provide better durability and support.
The mattress comes with an embossed, reinforced waterproof cover which features waterproof binding, so the entire thing can be wiped down with soap and water, and it's hypoallergenic.
As for safety, the Kolcraft model meets or exceeds phthalate, lead and flammability testing and contains no toxic fire retardants.
What we love:
- 10-year warranty on materials and workmanship
- Very comfortable and high quality
- Excellent bang for your buck
What we don't love:
- Waterproof cover is slightly noisy when used with slippery sheets
- You may be able to feel the springs a little bit
Safety 1st Transitions Baby and Toddler Mattress
This is another great option, and it's 2-in-1: each side has a different level of firmness, which makes it perfect for both babies and toddlers—all you have to do is flip it over. The toddler side has a little bit of extra cushioning as well, to provide maximum comfort, while the baby side is firm. Also, it's easy to tell which side is which because the mattress is marked accordingly.
The water-resistant PVC-free mattress is easy to wipe down and complies with the federal flammability standard. It also has GREENGUARD Gold certification.
What we love:
- Lightweight, which makes changes super easy
- Has no initial smell when the packaging is removed
- Extremely durable and great value-for-money
- Fits securely in the crib and does not shrink over time
What we don't love:
- Some feel the mattress is too hard
- You may be able to feel the springs a little bit
- Can develop indentations with time
My First Mattress Premium Memory Foam Crib Mattress
Your baby will love sleeping on this 5-inch thick memory crib mattress. It's made of high-density foam, which means it will be comfortable and supportive for your little one. The polyurethane foam is CertiPUR-US certified.
This anti-microbial, mite-proof, hypoallergenic model is also free of lead and phthalates and meets or exceeds CPSC and federal flammability standards.
It comes with a removable, waterproof plush velour cover that's washable, and the mattress fits snugly in any standard-sized crib.
What we love:
- Perfect for a newborn or an older baby
- Mattress is completely silent—gives off no rustling or crinkling sounds
- General consensus among previous buyers is that this is an excellent purchase
What we don't love:
- Too firm for some people's tastes
- Some buyers have said the zipper on the cover broke after significant use
- Too heavy for some previous buyers
Sealy Soybean Foam-Core Crib Mattress
Here's a USA-made foam crib mattress with several distinct features: it's made with soybean oils from American farmers, and the cover is pearl embossed, waterproof and stain resistant, so it's a cinch to clean.
Foams that are high density and soy based give them extra durability and reduce the possibility of sagging, so your baby gets all the support he needs.
This 5-inch thick mattress is very lightweight, which means changing the sheets is easy, and both the lock stitched binding and the cover can be wiped clean, ensuring that allergens won't be clinging to the mattress.
Sealy is a very trusted name in the industry, so much so that its mattress pads were named "America's Best for Baby" at the 2013 and 2014 Women's Choice Awards.
What we love:
- GREENGUARD Gold Certified, making for a healthier indoor environment
- Firm but not hard
- Well-made, comfortable, sturdy and high quality
- Lifetime warranty on workmanship and materials
- Contains no toxic fire retardants and is phthalate and flammability compliant
What we don't love:
- Too firm for some people's tastes
- Some people have had issues with it sinking over time
Simmons Kid's Ultra Deluxe 2-in-1 Crib and Toddler Mattress
This high-end crib mattress has it all, from the 2-in-1 design (the firm side for babies, the convoluted comfort side for toddlers), a lifetime warranty, Innofoam corner protectors for better stability and 231 luxury pocketed coil springs to ensure even support.
It also has a non-toxic, chemical-free natural fire protection wrap which meets or exceeds flammability standards, and the fabric cover has a medical-grade waterproof barrier.
If safety is a concern (and of course it is), you can relax knowing that this mattress has GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certification.
What we love:
- Excellent customer service
- Good weight—not too heavy and not too light
- No smell out of the box
- Firm and comforable
What we don't love:
- Slightly cumbersome for changing sheets
- Some people had problems with tearing at the seams
- Too firm for some people's taste
Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer Dual Firmness All Foam Crib Mattress
This 5-inch thick crib mattress by Moonlight Slumber is another excellent option.
We especially love the 2-in-1 feature, so the infant side has extra-firm high-density foam, and the toddler side has firm high-density foam.
This USA-made mattress has GREENGUARD Gold certification and a slew of great qualities, including dropped edge seams, medical-grade foam, a natural internal fire barrier, and square and cornered edges.
It's a safe option, as it's free of PVC, phthalates, lead, vinyl and polyethylene and the cover is durable, waterproof and non-toxic.
What we love:
- Amazing customer service
- Fits standard cribs perfectly
- It's like a Tempur-Pedic for babies
- Excellent value for money
What we don't love:
- Too firm for some
- Too lightweight for some
Naturpedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic Crib Mattress
Naturpedic takes safety to a new level with this crib mattress: the waterproof cover features an impenetrable barrier to dust mites; it contains no latex, wool or other high allergy materials; it has non-toxic fire protection without using fire retardant chemicals (e.g. boric acid, antimony, PBDEs, etc), and it contains organic cotton filling from the US (as opposed to polyurethane foam).
As you might expect from a luxury mattress like this one, it has GREENGUARD Gold certificationt the waterproof surface is easy to clean, and the built-in border rods provide strong support.
What we love:
- Durable, sturdy, top-notch quality
- Outstanding customer service
- Worth the cost given the extreme safety features
What we don't love:
- On the heavier side
- Too firm for some people's taste
We hope you've found our baby mattress reviews to be helpful.
What you may have thought was a straightforward purchase actually requires a fair amount of research. It's a big decision, but don't lose sleep over it. And rest assured that the mattresses on our list are among the most popular picks by parents just like you.
