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The Best Crib Mattress Buying Guide - All You Need to Know

The best crib mattress to be found out there, not only makes your child's sleep and rest much more cozier, but also provides a number of beneficial features to boot. In essence, these given products offer the necessary firm support for babies to be able to grow physically healthy. While also ensuring that they can access safe and restful sleep all the time.

What are the different kinds of crib mattresses currently available in the market? 
As would be expected, there is a wide variety of brands, which you could eventually decide to settle for. Let us now take a closer look at some of the most common and popular types of these products.

Foam crib mattresses 
Generally speaking, these sorts of crib products are usually the most lightweight option you could ever pick for your baby. They are made available in varying thicknesses that normally range from 3" to 6". It is highly advisable you go for foam mattresses, which are sufficiently firm and resilient when you exert pressure on them. It is important for you to make sure that the sleeping surface is not too soft to be able to easily conform your child's shape. This effect is widely considered by the experts to pose a high risk factor for potential suffocation along with sudden infant death syndrome (SID) hazards.

Innerspring crib mattresses 
Mattresses that have been crafted from innerspring systems are basically metallic coils wrapped with foam, padding or a fabric. You should only settle for those that integrate superior gauge steel in their construction and feature top quality cushioning. While they are a bit on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of cost, these particular mattresses are very firm and durable as well.

Organic crib mattresses 
These varieties of crib mattresses are crafted with the use of all natural or organic materials. This can include cotton, wool, coconut shell husks fibers, food grade polymers, plant-based foam or even natural latex. Organic mattresses do not come on the cheap, but the peace of mind you stand to access completely offsets the cost involved. Most standard mattresses currently made available in the market contain toxic chemicals and industrial compounds, which can emit toxic gases. Some of the most notable of these substances are flame retardants (notably PBDE), vinyl and even polyurethane foam. While materials such as latex carry a high potential of triggering various allergenic reactions among newborns. So, choosing organic crib mattresses can be ideal if you are worried over your overall child's safety as he or she sleeps.

Breathable crib mattresses 
Breathable varieties have been crafted from materials that can facilitate for babies to breathe much more freely while sleeping. This is always the case even if they sleep with their faces pressed up against these mattresses.

Top things to look for in the best crib mattresses out there 
Naturally, there are numerous factors you should always bear in mind when searching for the very best brands of these products. With the influx of many brands, which offer crib mattresses, it can be especially difficult to determine just which can best suit your requirements and preferences. Still, here are some few tips on the most important things you should reflect on when attempting to purchase a crib mattress.

Appropriate size 
These products, out of sheer necessity, need to snugly fit into your baby's crib. This means they should not be any gaps or spaces between the sides of the mattress and the crib's frame. Should you observe that there is indeed some space left empty, then the crib mattress is definitely too small and can has an increased potential to cause suffocation or entrapment hazards. With regard to this, the exact sizing of baby cribs and their mattresses has now been standardized by the US federal government.

Optimal firmness 
The firmer a mattress is, the better it can be to provide maximum support to your sleeping child's body. To check on the exact firmness of prospective products, take your time to press down at their centers as well as the edges. If these areas, once depressed, snap back rapidly to their original shape, the mattress in question will certainly not be able to conform to the shape of your baby when sleeping.

Density 
Basically, mattresses that are crafted from high density materials are very highly recommended. These given products are sufficiently firm to guarantee they can provide optimal safety for child as he or she sleeps. Quite a large number of foam mattresses makers do not list any density information on their packages. But by taking the necessary effort of determining their overall weights, you will obtain a good idea of just how dense they really are. On the other hand, the innerspring variety's density and firmness are often gauged by the exact number of coils they come with. Also, the exact gauge of the wires utilized can be an excellent metric to assess their density. Typically, low gauge coils equate to the usage of thicker wires, which are much more robust and also firmer. Ideally, always be on the lookout for innerspring crib mattresses with at least 130 coils and a gauge of 15.5 or below.

Resilience 
The exact resilience of crib mattresses is also an vital factor you should consider whenever you decide to purchase one of them. The quicker a product can regain its original form when pressed down, the better it will be. As you might probably already be aware of, sleeping babies will make a conspicuous dent on a mattress's foam. This makes it extremely difficult for your child to alter his or her position, if the crib mattress you ultimately pick retains their body's shape. To be able to effectively deal with this particular issue, the very best foam instances feature what is referred to as 'dual firmness.' This construction integrates one much more firmer side designed for newborns. While the other softer side is meant for toddlers.

Weight 
An ordinary foam crib mattress's weight tends to vary from 7 lbs to 8 lbs. Yet, those which are crafted with memory foam can have average weights of up to 20 lbs. As for the innerspring varieties, they tend to be much more heavier and their weights can range from 15 lbs to 25 lbs. As you are engaged in selecting the best product for your distinctive needs and inclinations, always bear the following issue in mind. You will have to hoist it up on one side or completely lift off when you have to change the sheets, and a heavy mattress can prove to be cumbersome.

Crib mattress covers 
Nowadays mattress covers are standard features among most of the brands, which offer these items. Still not all of these covers are made equal, and it can be prudent to only settle for those that can be of immense benefit to the comfort of your child as he or she naps. Typically, always go for crib mattress covers that are waterproof and feature double or triple reinforced ticking. This particular combination tends to be much more resistant to tears, holes and even wet diapers.

Venting 
The finest kinds of crib mattresses out there, now come with diminutive vents that are positioned on their sides, which are specifically designed to facilitate for unrestricted airflow in them. This feature allows them to be free of offensive odors, even after extended periods of utilization.

Certification seals 
All crib mattress brands that are sold in the US have to fully meet the safety standards of the US consumer products safety commission. However, one critical thing you should know is if a manufacturer makes a claim that their crib mattress is organic, such a claim could infer to different things. Always ensure you fully understand what the term organic actually means before picking any single product. Additionally, if you opt for imported crib mattresses, be on the lookout for Oeko Tex Standard 100 certification seals. This is an international certification that offers the assurance, the crib mattress in question is devoid of flame retardants and heavy metallic materials.