Will I need a spare cot mattress?

iguana

Did anyone find that they needed a spare mattress for their cot? What happens if the baby leaks badly and the mattress gets wet? I've read that waterproof mattress protectors aren't recommended due to SIDS risk so was wondering if having a second mattress on stand by would be a good idea or complete overkill?

Probably the latter right.:P

Also if you did get a spare mattress and kept it in it's wrapping as you never needed to use it, how long would it be safe to store it for before using for a subsequent baby?

pwurple

I haven't needed one, baby is 15 months old.

I put a mattress protector on the bottom half of the cot in the early days, not near her head, and not in a long time. Nappies these days are really absorbant, you would be pretty unlucky to get a leak that went through the nappy, vest, babygro, sleeping bag/swaddle and sheet.

Even if you did, flip the mattress and sort it out in the morning.

caprilicious

Same as pwurple. Even when I think back to when I worked in a nursery, I don't remember any spills ever getting through to the mattress.

It is something I considered when buying a mattress though so I got a mattress with a removable/washable cover. Thankfully haven't had to remove it yet.

Hannibal Smith

I have a mattress cover so never needed another one...you could also flip the mattress over after you've cleaned off whatever is on it

edellc

my baby is 22mths (i know i know not a baby anymore how do i stop him getting any bigger hehehe love this stage ) anyway no i never needed another mattress never had any mess or leakage as such, but have always used good nappies - pampers baby dry and they are really good pricey but when there is an offer on go a bit mental on the size they are in and the next size up if you have the funds, but agree with hannibal smith if you do have a leakage of any sort clean it and flip it, the only time he did piddle all over the place was on my bed and on my side had to sleep on a towel all night was so tired didnt care

peace and love op x

iguana

I know all of this makes sense but I'm still tempted to buy a spare one with the cot I'm 90% sure I'm getting. They are on special offer, with flat rate shipping and if I never use it for this baby I could keep it wrapped and in vacuum storage for use with a second baby.

pwurple

Iguana, I really wouldn't bother. The amount of space baby stuff takes up is just bananas. Space will be the thing you want in a while, not more things to store.

And I can guarantee you that you will forget you ever bought that second mattress, it will hide in your attic until ten years after you stopped having babies and you are moving house.

iguana

I move house every 18 months on average, so I doubt I'll forget it for 10 years. Even if I didn't, my mother would remind me that I have it. And the cot I'm probably getting is a European size (90x55cm) so when I have a second baby I'll have to order a new mattress either from the same company or have it specially made, which will probably jog my memory about the mattress that's sitting at the back of my wardrobe.

pwurple

I think the recommendations are that the mattress is not older than 5 years.

iguana

That should be fine then. With my endometriosis I'm not advised to leave big gaps between children as the growths will start reforming as soon as my periods come back. Within about 9 months of them returning my fertility will be back in fairly fast decline. So if I don't have another baby within a couple of years the odds of me having any more children are pretty slim, at least without more surgery.

implausible

iguana wrote: »

so when I have a second baby I'll have to order a new mattress

Did everyone buy a new mattress for number 2?

Hannibal Smith

Yes implausible...its recommended that you buy a new mattress for each new baby. Supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS.

cbyrd

For leaks you can get the mats for when they're potty training they just go over the mattress under the sheet.. i think pampers do them.. I got a new cot bed for the 2 year old when i was pregnant with the youngest.. i didn't get a new mattress as the other one was only a year old.. it has a plastic cover on half of it anyway so that part is wipe clean.. i suppose the best thing is to just avoid the leaks as much as possible

galah

:eek::eek::eek: didnt know that those mattress protectors have anything to do with SIDS?! Been using them for the past 6.5 months! should all these products not come with a warning if there is a link to sids and if you want to use it for babies under a year?

And on the topic of leaks - we found that especially early on, pampers would leak pretty much every night - wouldn't get the promised 12 hours dryness out of them, ever! A wise woman told us to use the next size up for the little one at night, and that stopped the leaks, but it took us a while to figure out!

Sittingpretty

My baby is over a year old and never needed a 2nd mattress.

I also contemplated buying a double buggy for 2nd baby and someone told me when you are pregnant, buy for the baby you are having, concentrate on them and deal with things for subsequent babies when you are pregnant with them. Good advice I think.

Also as someone else said nappies these days are pretty leak proof so highly unlikely to leak through and destroy mattress. I've never experienced anything that a damp cloth and a stint in the sunshine couldn't sort

implausible

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Yes implausible...its recommended that you buy a new mattress for each new baby. Supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS.

I know it's recommended, I was just wondering if everyone actually does it.

liliq

We've had quite a few leaky nappies at night! But not so much that the mattress is soaked- but the baby grow would be wet, and the sheet. Between them they'd take most of the wetness and the mattress is fine

Claire de Lune

Hi Iguana,

We got this mattress :

http://www.mothercare.ie/spring-interior-mattress-with-spacetec-coolmax-freshfx-60-x-120cm.html

It has a zipp off machine washable layer and I find it excellent. I've had to wash it so many times due to reflux and leaky nappies! It dries super quickly. That layer also prevents overheating of the baby.

Strongly recommended!

Hannibal Smith

implausible wrote: »

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Yes implausible...its recommended that you buy a new mattress for each new baby. Supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS.

I know it's recommended, I was just wondering if everyone actually does it.

I dunno about everyone else....but I did say yes about me in my first reply

January

I did too, each baby has had a new mattress.

Ayla

Oops, guess I messed up then.

I never thought of getting second/replacement mattress and therefore never did. Truthfully, though, even if I had thought of it I still probably wouldn't have. I could be completely wrong, but it seems like another example of overkill to me. It'd be different if we'd bought the cot second hand (at which point I'd have gotten a new mattress) but the brand new mattress we used for the first baby (with its plastic liner on 2/3) was still in perfect condition so we automatically used it for the second baby. Never occurred to us to do anything else.

Hannibal Smith

Once its recommended to me to do something regarding SIDS I do it. I don't care about overkill or anything else. If they told me to stand on my head as I'm putting them into the cot, I'd do it. In a few years time all of todays recommendations will probably be written off as poppycock as more research emerges, but for now label me anything you want, on this I will do everything I'm told.

implausible

My little lady is sleeping on the same mattress her brother was sleeping on up to a few months ago. It is perfect - no leakages or explosions, regularly washed cover, regularly aired and flipped over, no-one smoking in the vicinity.

I am aware of the SIDS recommendation, but there are lots of risk factors. Breastfeeding and using a soother are also supposed to reduce the risks, but not everyone does these either.

liliq

Co- sleeping safely reduces the risk as well, if ya did that the need for a cot mattress would be nil

*While I do mean that, I do mean it in a jokey way

pwurple

liliq wrote: »

Co- sleeping safely reduces the risk as well, if ya did that the need for a cot mattress would be nil

*While I do mean that, I do mean it in a jokey way

Liliq, can you give a link for that? Is it new? Everything I read says cosleeping is higher risk.

I think if you have ever experienced SIDS in your family or friends you are going to be taking every precaution possible to lower risks. I know I do. Sleeping on back, breastfeeding, soother, no bumper, pillow or blankets, gaps between pregnancies, new mattresses, monitor temperature, movement monitor, no smoking. Everything.

They don't know what causes SIDS. There are abundant theories on overheating, bacteria growth on mattresses, build up of exhaled breath.. I jump through every hoop if it reduces SIDS risk. If the worst happened, i wouldn't be able to forgive myself otherwise.

liliq

It's more the indirect evidence to be honest.
The recent 2011 Pediatrics review paper (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/e1341.full?sid=05df8c5f-d92c-4248-96a4-0e8ca166d3d8#sec-19) on SIDS states that around half of SIDS deaths occured while co-sleeping, but in almost all the cases there were other risk factors involved- parent(s) had consumed alcohol/ drugs/ smoked/ were sleeping on a couch with the baby/ not breastfeeding, etc, or hadn't routinely co-slept.

There are very few numbers of SIDS occurance where safe (safe being the important word) co- sleeping is practised. And there is a high correlation between low SIDS incidence and co sleeping in cultures where co- sleeping is normally pracised, such as Japan. In saying that, I do realise that correlation is not causation, and there are other facotrs that must come into play (there was also a huge decrease in SIDS rates when they increased the age of routine vaccinations to 2 years old)

Hannibal Smith

pwurple wrote: »

liliq wrote: »

Co- sleeping safely reduces the risk as well, if ya did that the need for a cot mattress would be nil

*While I do mean that, I do mean it in a jokey way

Liliq, can you give a link for that? Is it new? Everything I read says cosleeping is higher risk.

I think if you have ever experienced SIDS in your family or friends you are going to be taking every precaution possible to lower risks. I know I do. Sleeping on back, breastfeeding, soother, no bumper, pillow or blankets, gaps between pregnancies, new mattresses, monitor temperature, movement monitor, no smoking. Everything.

They don't know what causes SIDS. There are abundant theories on overheating, bacteria growth on mattresses, build up of exhaled breath.. I jump through every hoop if it reduces SIDS risk. If the worst happened, i wouldn't be able to forgive myself otherwise.

That's my thinking...a mattress is such a simple thing to change. I couldn't run fast and lose when it comes to SIDS , the what if is too colossal.