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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:
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.
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.
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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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