It’s easy to underestimate the importance of a good mattress for a child. Some parents think that while children are young, they don’t need as much support in a sleep surface as adults.
The truth is, children need a good night’s sleep more than any other age group. Kids’ bodies are growing at a rapid rate, especially throughout the night, so their mattress needs to provide them with the right amount of comfort to help them stay asleep.
So how do we find the best mattress to suit our children’s needs? We’ll break it down into 5 categories: size, material, support, comfort, and durability.
Size
Australian bed sizes start with the standard single mattress (92 cm x 188 cm), which provides ample sleeping space for one person, and is compact and well suited to smaller kids. These mattresses are ideal when you’re looking to save space, and they work well if you have two or more children sharing a room.
A king single mattress (15 cm longer) can accommodate growing children and see them all the way through their teenage years.
A double bed (46 cm wider) is ideal for older teens, uni students or young adults, as well as for kids who move around in their sleep and may roll off smaller beds. A double mattress is ideal for larger rooms and can sleep more than one child. This type of mattress is the same length as a standard single mattress, but it can generally accommodate a child well into adulthood.
When in doubt, always opt for the bigger bed. This will:
- Give your child room to grow
- Leave more space for cuddling at bedtime
- Come in handy if your child’s room doubles as a guest room
Material
Synthetic mattresses can cause skin irritation, respiratory problems and other health issues, particularly for children with allergies. To prevent a possible reaction, choose a mattress made of natural materials, including cotton, organic wool, silk, natural latex and even bamboo.
For the Eco Kids mattress, we use bamboo lyocell fabric made with an environmentally friendly closed-loop process. 100% natural cotton fibre is gently channel quilted, which is anti-allergy and a natural insulator providing maximum breathability. This cotton fabric is certified as 100% natural and traceable cotton by Cotton Australia. Full night comfort is built in with premium density Dunlop Foam approved by the National Asthma Council Australia as providing a better choice for kids with asthma or allergies.
Support
We know how important a good night of sleep is as kids develop and grow. Depending on their age, they should be spending anywhere from 10 to 14 hours in bed each night, so their mattress should be comfortable, while also providing firm support to the spine, back, and neck.
Inner spring mattresses provide the best skeletal support and conformance to body shapes during sleep – much more so than mattresses made with foam only. These mattresses feature a network of connected coils that allow pressure points to sink in but provide support to keep the spine from bowing. Innerspring pocket coils feature springs that work independently from one another.
The Eco Kids Mattress is made with refined, triple-heat-treated wire. The Chiro Flex ES spring system has a higher coil count and is 60% stronger than standard bonnell springs found in most kids mattresses. The spring provides perfect balanced support to kids of all sizes and weights, allowing their bodies to develop correctly and naturally. Our Maxi-Boost edge support provides 70% more support to the edge of the mattress, preventing roll out and any type of sagging. This edge support definitely comes in handy for the parents during story or cuddle time!
Level of Comfort
When kids are comfortable, they’ll have a longer, deeper sleep. A comfortable surface is important for them to get the necessary amount of sleep required each night. Choose a material that’s soft but durable, like bamboo.
The Eco kids mattress has a bamboo surface material that is soft to touch but extremely durable.
Design/ durability
Kids love to use their bed for anything but sleeping- particularly playing and jumping. So make sure to choose a mattress made to withstand a bit of mistreatment.
A mattress protector is also always a good idea as having a physical barrier on your mattress will help to protect it from stains, as well as protecting you from dust mites and other allergens.
We designed the Eco Kids mattress with all these in mind- size, material, support, comfort and durability. We made a mattress that provides the best in support and comfort while utilising environmentally friendly, natural materials, specifically designed to help children grow.
