How to Select a Mattress: Childrens Bedroom

Selecting a mattress for your child should be made with consideration to comfort, support and longevity. Not all mattress are built the same. A little information before shopping can help you make a better buying decision. I will give you a few tips on what to look for.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Many people think of a child's mattress as a "temporary" bed and look for the cheapest mattress available! The landfills are filled with junky mattresses that only last a year or two and then disposed. For a little more money and some fore thought, a good mattress can last for 10 years or more. An upgrade in a mattress will be more comfortable and supportive. It will be a bed a child can grow into.

2. 
    
   Mattress Sizes

   Before shopping, think about the size that will be best suited for the longer term. Will your child out grow a twin mattress? Is the room enough for a full size or a queen mattress? Your decisions now can save you money in the future. Consider this: mattress are made from many of our natural resources. Textiles (cotton/fiber), Foam (petroleum), steel for coils and wood for foundations. In a couple of years, replacing a cheaper mattress will cost more than a good mattress does now!

3. 
    
   Less expensive twin mattress.

   How to determine what is a good mattress. You don't have to get technical with spring counts. Two mattresses may have the same amount of coils, but one can very thin gauge while another will have a thicker gauge coil. The best way to shop for a mattress is for you as an adult to test it. First, sit on the edge of mattress. Does it collapse under you weight? Next lie on the mattress to feel the comfort and support. Does it have substance? You will be able to judge a mattresses value, because you will lay on 3 to 4 mattresses.

4. 
    
   Upgraded twin mattress.

   Shop at a retail store in your area that has a good selection of mattresses. Start your testing with the least expensive mattress. Mattress prices usually increase in hundred dollar increments. The increases reflects directly to coil density and foam layers along with more comfortable ticking (outside cover). Usually 2 or 3 steps up from the cheapest mattress will be of good quality mattress that will be comfortable and have longevity.

Tips & Warnings

• Think of a mattress as an investment. Protect your mattress with a good washable mattress pad.
• Mattress Dimensions:
• Twin= (38"W x 75"L) Full (aka Standard or Double)= (54"W x 75L) Queen = (60" x 80"L)
• Buy your mattresses in sets. Don't put a new mattress on an old foundation.
• If you buy a mattress larger than a twin, make sure the support system (frame) has center supports.
• You do not need to buy the most expensive, but in most cases Do Not Buy The Cheapest.
• Shop for quality, not just price!
• Ask about Manufacturers Warranties at each price point you test.
• Beware of Mattress Sales. Just about every mattress is on sale. Usually MSRP's are inflated, and the sales price reflect the true value of the mattress.
• Mattress value = sum of its components.

Resources

• Mattress Shopper's Guide-Children