Mattress for a 4 year old

[brellis1vt]

We are ready to transition my daughter to a double bed from converted crib.  My initial thought was Ikea or something cheap.  My wife wanted to look at one that is Green guard/Organic etc.  She is concerned about the VOCs and fumes regular mattresses put off.  I have researched it some but have not been able to determine if her concerns are warranted or just a labeling to charge more for a mattress.  Does anyone have knowledge on those risks or a mattress recommendation?

[CNM]

No idea.  I saw an article on WebMD that supported the general data that there is off gassing but no express link or cause of subsequent health risk was discussed.  If your child has difficulty breathing, has asthma or something, maybe err on the side of caution.  When we got our oldest a real mattress, we just went with an inexpensive one.  It didn't occur to me to research health effects.

[gooki]

If she's worried about VOC's let it air out for 48 hours/a week before use.

[former player]

Why does a 4 year old need a double bed?  A single is cheaper, cheaper to provide linens for, cheaper to launder the linens for, easier for the child to manage (getting in and out and making their own bed) and leaves more room for play.

If VOCs are a concern you can buy the mattress, take off the wrappings and let it sit for a while before having your daughter sleep on it.

Proper ventilation of the home is necessary at all times to allow the chemicals in cleaners etc to disperse.  If you live in an unpolluted environment (away from industry and major roads) then opening a bedroom window every morning for 5 minutes is a good idea.

[rockstache]

We got our daughter a double bed too. Better for parents spending the night when kid is sick or having a hard time sleeping, doubles as guest bed when visitors are here, better for long term as the kid gets bigger and wants to stretch out. Europeans seem to like smaller beds than Americans (shocker, we like everything massive) but the bedrooms are also smaller. Our kids room still has tons of play space with a double bed in it. The linens (I purchase) aren’t really any different in price from twin to double.

That said, we focused on buying a good quality mattress with back support. I didn’t worry about fumes.

[brellis1vt]

Thanks guys.  @former player you are 100% that she doesn't need a double mattress but there are some benefits to it as @rockstache mentioned.  I don't really want to sleep in the same bed unless she is sick but she does get bad nightmares and it would be helpful to get in with her for a few minutes to calm her down.  Or it would be good to use it a guest bed from time to time.  Plus my parents bought us a crib (that probably would go on the MMM wall of shame) that converts directly into a double bed so all we have to buy is the mattress.  We have the linens already as well.

[draco44]

Still puzzled by a double rather than single bed for small child, but it sounds like you've found a choice that works for you on that front. MMM used to recommend Tuft and Needle mattresses. I have one and also like it. For what it's worth, I noticed that Tuft and Needle appeared as a brand on this random article of top eco-friendly mattress brands: https://www.naturallivingideas.com/non-toxic-mattress/

[lutorm]

We got a Sniglar bed from IKEA for our 3-year old. It's not a standard size, it's smaller than most kids beds but I think it'll be perfect up to maybe 7. It's still possible for a parent to lie down with the kid to read, but it's not so large that the kid just gets lost in there. The drawback of the nonstandard size is that you pretty much have to get the matching sheets/comforters etc from IKEA, too.

[nereo]

unfortunately, you cannot "air out" the VOCs in a mattress in a few days, or even months.
The problem within the US is that standards here are so lax and required reporting is nil, so it's incredibly difficult to know how severe the VOCs in a standard mattress, nor what chemicals they use as flame retardants. EU standard are more strict. 

[shelivesthedream]

We put our 3yo in a single IKEA trundle bed with drawers underneath. It's been great. Extra storage space from the drawers that he can easily access himself, and no need for bed rails or anything like that because the drop to the floor is so short. Highly recommend getting one lower to the floor than a standard adult height bed. He can climb in and out totally unaided. We have a younger child and another on the way, so plan to just bump them up a bed each time and then the youngest can either stay in the lower bed or it pushes under a higher bed so could be for guests/sleepovers.

I've also heard of people just putting a mattress on the floor.

Also, gosh, a 4yo in a double bed! I've never heard of that before! I've never heard of anyone sleeping alone in a double bed before th age of 18.

[ender]

I've also heard of people just putting a mattress on the floor.

This is what we're doing for our ~3 year old.

Which is good, since he falls out of it probably every third night at least..

[shelivesthedream]

We didn't in the end because I have heard of mould issues if you don't air/turn it regularly and we already have one mouldy patch in this house. But if we lived in a drier house/climate I absolutely would have done.

[nereo]

I've also heard of people just putting a mattress on the floor.

This is what we're doing for our ~3 year old.

Which is good, since he falls out of it probably every third night at least..

Us too. We have a nice bed frame but until she’s a bit older and coordinated she’s perfectly happy to have the mattress on the floor.

[JJ-]

We just bought our 4 yo a twin bed because she outgrew her converted bed and it is huge compared to the crib. I was reading this thread and seeing references to single beds and at first was regretting not doing a bit more research before getting the twin. Then I learned they're the same thing. 🙄

[nereo]

We just bought our 4 yo a twin bed because she outgrew her converted bed and it is huge compared to the crib. I was reading this thread and seeing references to single beds and at first was regretting not doing a bit more research before getting the twin. Then I learned they're the same thing. 🙄

This just came to mind…

https://youtu.be/oWik-jvDTaQ

[Mrs. D.]

We bought both our kids full-size mattresses when they outgrew their crib. We just put them on the floor. We got the ones that come in a box online for about $200 each. We let them air out for a day or two. We notice no odors and haven't had any health issues. Yes, the mattresses are big for them, but they will grow into them as they get older. It's wonderful for reading and snuggling together. The kids love jumping and wrestling on the beds which is great because DH is super high energy and needs as much physical activity as we can possibly provide. We never have to worry about them falling off because it's about an 8 inch fall to the floor. My only complaint is that I'm 8.5 months pregnant now with #3 and getting up out of the bed can be challenging for me. But that problem will self-correct in a few weeks :)

NB - we live in Texas where large houses with large bedrooms are very affordable. The full mattress on the floor leaves plenty of room for other furniture and play space. Obviously we would use a different strategy if we lived in a tiny apartment or a house with smaller bedrooms.

[EricEng]

We got this frame (2 pack) from Ikea: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/utaker-stackable-bed-pine-30360487/
It is super low to the floor, so great for 2-3 year olds and holds a standard size mattress. We painted ours different colors for each child.  We bought the mattresses from elsewhere because we didn't like the ikea ones for long term (too thin).  You can stack frames if you want (and using super thin mattresses), but we just put them in separate rooms for each child.

We went with beautyrest mattresses from American Furniture Warehouse.  Didn't notice any smell about a day after taking them out of packaging.  I think the fear from VOCs is overstated.

[tawyer]

I've also heard of people just putting a mattress on the floor.

That's a recipe for mold right there.