Children grow fast, and a mattress bought at three can look very different by the time they’re ten. The trick is to buy for the stage they’re at while thinking a couple of stages ahead, so you’re not replacing the mattress every few years. This checklist covers safety, size, support, materials and care, with a note on what to look for at each age.
1. Match The Mattress To The Bed
Before anything else, check what the bed frame needs.
- Cot bed. A firm, flat mattress that fits the cot with no gaps. Simba’s Hybrid® Cot Bed Mattress is 10cm deep and conforms with BS EN 16890.
- Bunk or cabin bed. A shallow mattress that sits below the guard rail. Check the bed’s maximum depth. Simba’s Hybrid® Kids Mattress is a UK single at 16cm deep for exactly this purpose. Bunk and cabin beds aren’t suitable for children under three.
- Standard single or larger bed. Any depth of mattress that fits the frame. This is where you have the most choice.
2. Choose A Size They’ll Grow Into
A UK single is 90cm by 190cm, and it’s the standard for a first big bed. Around the age of eight or nine, many children are tall enough to appreciate more width, and a small double at 120cm by 190cm gives them 30cm more without taking over the room. If you have the space, a standard double at 135cm by 190cm is a bed they’ll never outgrow.
If you’re buying a bed frame at the same time, keep it simple for younger children. A low, sturdy frame designed for kids, with a flat base or closely spaced slats and no mechanisms to trap fingers, is the safest choice. Ottoman and lift-up storage bases are made for adults and aren’t suitable for a child’s room. Once they reach their teens and are ready for a proper grown-up bed, Simba’s bed frames are a good place to look. They’re built in the UK with FSC-certified wood, and a Double will carry them through to leaving home.
3. Look For Real Support
A growing spine needs to be kept in line through the night, and that needs a mattress with proper structure, not just a soft slab. Look for:
- Springs. Individually pocketed springs respond to a child’s movements and support the hips and shoulders separately.
- A comfort layer. Foam or natural fibres on top add cushioning.
- A medium-firm feel. Research has found a medium-firm mattress offers the best combination of comfort and spinal alignment, and it suits children who change sleeping position through the night.
Simba’s Hybrid® mattresses combine Aerocoil® titanium alloy microsprings with graphite-infused Simbatex® foam, and every one is designed to feel medium-firm. The Hybrid® Essential, at 20cm deep and with five support zones, is a sensible choice for a child’s first standard bed. The original Hybrid® adds a 25cm depth and nine zones for an older child.
4. Check The Materials
Children can be more prone to skin sensitivities and allergic reactions, so look at what the mattress is made from.
- Foams certified free from harmful chemicals. Simba’s foams are CertiPUR® verified, meaning no heavy metals such as mercury or lead.
- Breathable materials that let air move, so the bed doesn’t get hot and stuffy. Simbatex® foam showed over five times more airflow than memory foam in independent testing.
- If you’d prefer natural fibres, Simba’s Natural Hybrid® range pairs the same microsprings with British wool.
5. Insist On A Washable Cover
This is non-negotiable for a child’s bed. A cover that zips off and goes in the washing machine deals with spills and accidents, and a waterproof protector on top means you rarely need to wash the cover at all. Many of our Hybrid® mattresses have a removable, machine-washable cover, although our Natural Hybrid® range has a fixed cover. Our TripleShield protectors come in Single and Small Double.
6. Think About Weight
A child’s mattress gets rotated, stripped and occasionally moved to a new room, so lighter is easier. Simba’s Hybrid® Essential weighs 14kg in a single and 18kg in a small double, which one adult can manage comfortably.
7. Buy With A Trial And A Guarantee
Children can’t always tell you whether a mattress feels right, so a long home trial gives you time to watch how they sleep. Every new Simba mattress comes with a 200-night trial and a 10-year guarantee, which is long enough to see a child from their first big bed through to secondary school. (Our Hybrid® Cot Bed Mattress is an exception, with a 30-day return period and a 2-year guarantee.)
The Checklist In Brief
- The depth is safe for the bed frame
- The size leaves room to grow, ideally a small double or double for children over eight
- There are springs and a comfort layer inside, with a medium-firm feel
- The foams are certified free from harmful chemicals
- The cover zips off for washing, and there’s a waterproof protector on top
- It’s light enough to rotate and move
- It comes with a long trial and a long guarantee
FAQs
At what age should a child move from a cot bed to a single?
Most children move around the age of three, when they’ve outgrown the cot bed or started climbing out. A single bed with a low frame is the usual next step.
Is a double bed too big for a young child?
Not if the room has space for it. A small child will sleep on part of a double quite happily, and you’ll avoid buying a second mattress when they grow. A single is the better fit for a small room.
Do children need a firm mattress?
Babies do, which is why cot mattresses are firm and flat. From around three upwards, a medium-firm feel is the one to look for, because it cushions as well as supports.
How often should I rotate a child’s mattress?
Once a month for the first three months, then every three months. There’s no need to flip it.
Can a child’s mattress be recycled at the end of its life?
Yes. Simba’s Mattress Recycling Service collects any brand and any size for £50, and its recycling partners salvage over 80% of the materials.
Contributed posts are advertisements written by third parties who have paid Woman Around Town for publication.
