Cot Mattresses - Modern Nursery Bedding

When choosing modern nursery bedding for boys or girls, most of the focus is on the colour scheme with the selection of the cot mattress being very much a second thought.

This can be a source of huge concern. Eighteen years ago, when I had my second child, just as he was about to make the transition from Moses basket to big cot, there was a huge scare about a waterproof coating that had been applied to some mattresses.

A television journalist had 'outed' these chemicals as having possible links to cot deaths, which would come to be known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. In those days, the accepted sleeping position was to place the baby on its front to avoid choking on vomit. This meant that my precious baby would be face first in potentially noxious fumes.

The problem was that the 'scare' programme highlighting this revelation did not give all the facts, such as whether this coating was applied to every type of mattress - more specifically, the organic coconut husk (coir) version upon which I had spent a fortune for my new son.

Not being a fan of the cheaper plastic covered foam options in those days, I had discarded a similar organic mattress used by his older sister because I knew that it was important to have a new one for each child to avoid exposing them to moulds and bacteria which can build up as a result of unavoidable leakages.

Because I was so terrified by the hype, my son spent the following three months sleeping in our bed - something which some people would view with concern - but I didn't feel happy leaving him lying on a mattress that might be dangerous.

Because of the furore, many chemicals were removed from future mattress products. The 'noise' blew over, my son started rolling from his front onto his side and I felt happy to start placing him in his cot. Later research by the Government showed no such link so it was all a storm in a teacup but with the residual side-effect that I had to try to retrain my son to sleep alone in his own cot.

These days, it is still advisable to use a new cot/crib mattress for each child as your new baby will spend up to 70% of his/her first years sleeping and playing there. The mattress should fit the cot/crib correctly with no gaps between the edge of the mattress and the side of the cot greater than 4cm in which a limb could become trapped. By the same token, it should not fit so snugly that it interferes with the opening or closing mechanism.

Modern nursery bedding mattresses come in a variety of materials - natural substances such as coir and wool, as well as non-allergenic foam - encased in a wipe-clean cover which should be breathable but moisture resistant and washable at 60 degrees centigrade. Some also come with anti-fungal, anti-dust mite and anti-bacterial qualities.

Like adult beds, sprung cot mattresses, with traditional spring coils surrounded by padding, are now available for the best support. Whilst expensive, these provide good ventilation for your child, as well as durable support.

The cornerstone of modern nursery bedding has evolved considerably over 20 years.