Mamas and Papas Mattress Sizes Explained (300, 325, 400)

I'm very confused with mattress sizes. I have two old Mamas and Papas cots over 40 years old, and they require mattress sizes 325 and 375. Nobody sells them - can you help?

Yes, of course! I'm so glad you asked this question - it will help a lot of people, and there's a story behind it.

The Marketing Ploy

Here we go: when Mamas and Papas sold their cots, they wanted their customers to believe they needed a special-size mattress that would only fit their cot. They called the mattresses sizes 300, 325, and 400.

Everybody who bought a new or replacement mattress for their cot bought a Mamas and Papas mattress because M&P implied nobody else's mattress would fit. Brilliant marketing ploy!

What the Sizes Actually Mean

• Size 300 = 120 x 60cm (47 x 23.5 inches) - we knew this size as 48 x 24 inches (same)
• Size 325 = 126 x 62.5cm (49.5 x 24.5 inches) - we knew this size as 50 x 25 inches (same)
• Size 400 = 140 x 70cm (55 x 27.5 inches) - we knew this size as 55 x 28 inches (same)

Sometimes you'll see a 325 mattress on sale as 126 x 63 - it's the same mattress. It's all to do with the conversion from inches to centimetres.

The History of Gap Standards

When these cots were built 40-plus years ago, the law required no more than an inch gap all the way round for safety. If you pushed the mattress up to one end, you wouldn't get more than a 2-inch gap, and this was considered safe by British Standards. It worked well and never caused any issues.

Then we joined the EU, and they didn't use inches, so our standard had to be in centimetres. Instead of our one-inch rule, the gap became 2cm all the way round - not more than a 4cm gap if you pushed the mattress over to one side. Instead of a 5cm gap (2 inches in imperial), it reduced to a 4cm gap in metric. Perfect! We in the industry were all happy for over 30 years.

The Ridiculous Recent Change

THEN, a few years ago, some muppet in Strasbourg (the EU building) was looking at gaps in baby mattresses and decided it would be a good idea to drop it by 1cm - yes, 5mm on each side!

"You couldn't make it up!" We're talking about reducing the gap by half the width of a pencil each side of the mattress. Unbelievable!

Practical Advice

Let's be sensible. When you get your cot mattress, push it over to one side - you shouldn't have a gap bigger than the width of two fingers when you push your fingers down the depth of the mattress.

You wouldn't believe some of the stupid regulations we in this industry have to put up with. Want a fun read? Check out the flame retardant regulations for nursery products!