Why Buy a Quality Baby Mattress? The Environmental Argument

We're all starting to think more and more about our planet and the earth's resources, landfill and recycling. Consider these facts when you're buying a cot bed mattress.

The History of "New Baby, New Mattress"

In the late 80s, foam (along with some other things) was blamed for cot deaths. I won't go into all the details of the dreadful panic this caused, but along with other advice, out came the phrase "NEW BABY, NEW MATTRESS."

This was to avoid new babies being put on old mattresses that had previous babies' bacteria on them, or where the foam had deteriorated and wasn't giving good support.

Things Have Changed

You can now buy very high-density foam (over 33 CMHR) encapsulating high-quality pocket springs, with waterproof protection and zip-off machine-washable toppers. This means you can reuse the mattress.

Or the base can be natural coir and wool, giving the same level of comfort and durability but kinder to the environment because it's made from sustainable components - also kinder when disposing to landfill (but we'll come to that).

These mattresses will last you at least five years, and probably a lot longer if you look after them as per the instructions.

You can use them for your next baby too, or even pass them on with your cot for use by a friend who has a baby. The mattress is safe to reuse because no body fluids can get to the mattress core and react with the foam. The mattress will keep its new look and not dip or dent.

Quality Mattresses - The Benefits

You can keep these mattresses as good as the day you bought them. Not only because of the waterproof protection cover and washable interchangeable toppers, but because the bases - both foam and natural - are made of quality components and won't dip or dent.

These high-quality mattresses will offer your baby 20,000 hours of comfortable, excellently supportive sleep. They'll take the extra weight as your baby grows, plus cope with the extra activity that includes your children treating them like a trampoline and you sitting on the mattress reading the bedtime story.

The Cheap Alternative

The other option is to buy a cheap mattress without waterproof protection and interchangeable covers, made with cheap-weight foam or fibre. It will dent and dip, get soiled, you can't use it for a second child, and you'll buy a couple of replacements in five years - then throw the mattress away into landfill.

The Landfill Problem

There are nearly 700,000 babies born in the UK every year. The baby mattresses that we currently commit to landfill, if placed end to end, would reach from John o' Groats to Land's End. This need not happen!

If you buy a top-quality foam mattress encapsulating pocket springs, with waterproof protection to the core and washable covers, your mattress will last for a second child. If it's 50kg foam, it will last for three or more. You could even loan it out with your cot to a friend - because the foam mattress is washable, durable, and has no dips or dents. It doesn't fall into the "New Baby, New Mattress" category because the base is protected by a waterproof membrane.

A mattress like this will save you buying and committing to landfill maybe 4 or 6 cheap mattresses.

Biodegradability - A Scary Truth

Foam - the same as cheaper foam - will take about a million years to biodegrade. SCARY, EH? But at least you've reduced the total amount going into landfill, as well as giving your child or children more supportive, safer sleep. Metal springs take about 100 years to biodegrade. You can, of course, cut out the metal before disposal and put the metal sprung unit in the metal recycling bin.

The Natural Alternative

A natural mattress is a whole different story. It's made from sustainable material called coir (the hair of a coconut) as opposed to foam, which is a petroleum-based product. Coir will decompose within several years in landfill and enrich the soil.

Yes, you still need metal springs in coir, which take about 100 years to decompose - or, as we said for foam, remove them and recycle separately.

What's just been invented are natural springs - this is a game changer, and the natural comfort and support is fabulous. Yes, a few pennies more, but look at the benefit to your babies and children, and also the environment!