Cot bed matress , reuse or new ?

Car99

Hi All , we got a new top spec mothercare cot bed matress when our first moved into her cot at 6 months , she was in it for 2 years then she moved onto her full size bed.
The matress has been in storage in a spare bedroom for the last 18 months.
Now number 2 is 6 months old and ready to move into the cot bed .
The matress is waterproof with a removable top layer breathable cover in like new condition.
No sagging , no tears , no stains, perfect to look at but is that enough.
Can we reuse it for number 2 or should we replace it .
Thanks for reading.

mordeith

Car99 wrote: »

Hi All , we got a new top spec mothercare cot bed matress when our first moved into her cot at 6 months , she was in it for 2 years then she moved onto her full size bed.
The matress has been in storage in a spare bedroom for the last 18 months.
Now number 2 is 6 months old and ready to move into the cot bed .
The matress is waterproof with a removable top layer breathable cover in like new condition.
No sagging , no tears , no stains, perfect to look at but is that enough.
Can we reuse it for number 2 or should we replace it .
Thanks for reading.

We went with a new one for our second fella. Probably could have used the first one but felt better getting new

uck51js9zml2yt

We used the mattress from our first on the second.
There was no reason to dump a perfectly good mattress.

cyning

The sids advice is to replace. I did. Completely pointless seeing as neither number 1 or 2 ever spent a night in the cot but in my bed until they moved into their own beds, but I just didn't feel right about not replacing it.

tinkerbell

cyning wrote: »

The sids advice is to replace. I did. Completely pointless seeing as neither number 1 or 2 ever spent a night in the cot but in my bed until they moved into their own beds, but I just didn't feel right about not replacing it.

Yes, SIDS advice is new mattress for each baby.

Just thinking, what about co-sleeping and the mattress for subsequent children? I assume you don't have to replace your own mattress? If not, why is it different for the cot? Hadn't thought of that before.

myshirt

Fernando Delightful Dancer wrote: »

We used the mattress from our first on the second.
There was no reason to dump a perfectly good mattress.

Wow...

No way would I reuse the mattress. No way. It is very common knowledge to replace the mattress for baby no. 2. Dust mites, allergens, oils, sweat, sick, excrement, the list goes on. Baby spends about half their life on that mattress. Do all the washing and cleaning you want, wet vacuum and so on, you replace the mattress, especially if it was stored away for 18 months. You'll save money by saying it's grand but the child's health, immune system, and well-being is impacted in a way it doesn't need to be.

Op, my advice would be not to skrimp on a good mattress for your children, or a good pair of shoes.

sbsquarepants

We used the same one for no's 1 & 2 - and will soon be using it again for no 3.
I realise people want the best for their babies but a bit of common sense should tell you it's a lump of sponge, not a time bomb!
Just make sure it's the type with the air holes in it, then wash it and reuse it would be my advice.

myshirt

sbsquarepants wrote: »

We used the same one for no's 1 & 2 - and will soon be using it again for no 3.
I realise people want the best for their babies but a bit of common sense should tell you it's a lump of sponge, not a time bomb!
Just make sure it's the type with the air holes in it, then wash it and reuse it would be my advice.

Do a bit of research from reputable sources and you are seriously going to be quite upset.

Please do not use for baby no. 3.

Money is tight for us all, but I wonder if we look at our spending in the run up to needing this mattress, what in there did we not need?
In my view, if we can overcome this inability to delay self gratification, most will be able to get that mattress, and others will be well on their way given the length of time we have to pull the money together.

The satisfaction we get from buying make up, going to slimming world, drinking wine, buying glossy magazines, clothes you don't need, etc, it's all ostentatious.

sbsquarepants

myshirt wrote: »

Do a bit of research from reputable sources and you are seriously going to be quite upset.

Please do not use for baby no. 3.

Money is tight for us all, but I wonder if we look at our spending in the run up to needing this mattress, what in there did we not need?
In my view, if we can overcome this inability to delay self gratification, most will be able to get that mattress, and others will be well on their way given the length of time you have to pull the money toge

Moneys not tight, and mattresses aren't dear anyway - but they also aren't dangerous. It's a bloody big comfy lump of sponge for god sake!

myshirt

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Moneys not tight, and mattresses aren't dear anyway - but they also aren't dangerous. It's a bloody big comfy lump of sponge for god sake!

Much, much more than that. I'm not joking you. We spend a lot of our life on the thing, so it's worth knowing about them.

farmchoice

myshirt wrote: »

Wow...

No way would I reuse the mattress. No way. It is very common knowledge to replace the mattress for baby no. 2. Dust mites, allergens, oils, sweat, sick, excrement, the list goes on. Baby spends about half their life on that mattress. Do all the washing and cleaning you want, wet vacuum and so on, you replace the mattress, especially if it was stored away for 18 months. You'll save money by saying it's grand but the child's health, immune system, and well-being is impacted in a way it doesn't need to be.

Op, my advice would be not to skrimp on a good mattress for your children, or a good pair of shoes.

wow ..... yourself

its a mattress if its clean and in good nick of course its ok if its filthy and in bits throw it away.
the advice to replace is given because in the world we live in A. the powers that be cannot trust the people to make common scene decisions, Health and safety gone mad you might say, then again a lo of people are surprisingly stupid, and those tasked with giving the advice like to cover there arses.
and B. the answer to everything in this world we live in is buy more.

as someone pointed out above most children spend half their lives in their parents bed anyway on mattresses that could be years old and have had a number of children go through them.

sbsquarepants

I think the above post sums it up - when giving advice to anyone these days, everyone errs on the side of extreme caution, the world is an extremely litigious place.
There's also (I believe anyway) a real risk in going too far with these things, obsessional cleanliness and safety is actually getting to the point where it's counterproductive, dangerous even.
Use some common sense - if the thing looks as good as new - it's as good as new. If it looks a bit ratty, get a new one.
The mattress I have is 4 years old, it's in a washable cover that gets thrown in the washing machine every week or 2, the mattress itself goes in every couple of months - if I was to put in on a shelf in mothercare you couldn't tell it from a brand new one. The reason you couldn't is that there is simply no difference between them!

cyning

tinkerbell wrote: »

cyning wrote: »

The sids advice is to replace. I did. Completely pointless seeing as neither number 1 or 2 ever spent a night in the cot but in my bed until they moved into their own beds, but I just didn't feel right about not replacing it.

Yes, SIDS advice is new mattress for each baby.

Just thinking, what about co-sleeping and the mattress for subsequent children? I assume you don't have to replace your own mattress? If not, why is it different for the cot? Hadn't thought of that before.

I did replace my mattress! Admittedly I was anyway though I think it's just drummed into people that the only things to buy new are cot mattress and car seats. I have thought of it: are most cot mattresses not foamy aswell which may be a part of the reason?

myshirt

I don't know lads, better safe than sorry is what I think. No one here saying you are the worst parent in the world of you reuse the mattress, you're not, but just in my view I really feel you get bang for your buck here. I'm saying put a helmet on the child in the kitchen, but I do think it's worth it for those that have the choice.

I personally couldn't down a bottle of wine or buy some slimming world magazines when I could buy a new mattress. I certainly could buy the child some good meals in the absence of a good new mattress if it came to it though, but not anything ostentatious, and I do think there are a large cohort of us that could do with a kick in the pants to put off self gratification in favour of having the best for our kids.

DavyD_83

Personally, I would be fine with re-using within the family; outside of that, or if the mattress was in poor condition for some reason I would get a new one

We've a second on the way, but number 1 hasn't moved out of Cot/bed yet. If she had, I would definitely re-use for second without any real concern.

I have picked up a 2nd cot-bed on adverts, great condition and came with a mattress that I was told was used for 3.5 years.
We have bought a new mattress.

Recommended replacement rates for things are a bit ridiculous at this stage.
Bottles, teats, blankets, cutlery should all have been replaced multiple times in the last 2 years if all guidelines were followed to the letter.
Not to mention the replace it even if you didn't use it mentality that some people have; do people realise how long products sit in storage or on shelves before you buy them?

I fully understand there are genuine reasons to replace some or all of the above, but do not think a time-frame, or different child should be seen as the only criteria.

evolving_doors

We reused no problems, used a good few under blankets and sheets.
I'd like to see the actual research people are pointing to on SIDS/reusing mattresses rather than a parenting website that says so. (excluding smoking, pets, putting baby on stomach, too many blankets, diet etc!)
Do they know what causes SIDS or is it just a case of avoid every thing?

cyning

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC131017/

I suspect this is the research it's coming from. It says the issue more so arises when it comes from another house.

mordeith

Gebgbegb wrote: »

We reused no problems, used a good few under blankets and sheets.
I'd like to see the actual research people are pointing to on SIDS/reusing mattresses rather than a parenting website that says so. (excluding smoking, pets, putting baby on stomach, too many blankets, diet etc!)
Do they know what causes SIDS or is it just a case of avoid every thing?

There's no single cause of course but reusing a mattress has found to be a factor. If you are a worried parent then you should do what you can to reduce the risk.

http://www.scottishcotdeathtrust.org/research/an-evaluation-of-cot-mattresses-and-their-covers-as-reservoirs-of-toxigenic-bacteria-de-montfort-university-leicester.php

EDIT : this is not a comment on what people choose to do

tinkerbell

Gebgbegb wrote:

Do they know what causes SIDS or is it just a case of avoid every thing?

Not breastfeeding increases the risk of SIDS.

Edit: also, not practicing safe sleeping, if the parents are smokers then SIDS risk is increased, etc.

sullivk

I have absolutely no problem re-using our crib and cot mattresses for our next baby, they're in great condition and I see no need to replace them.

implausible

What jumps out at me from the Scottish study is:

A valid significant association exists between use of a used infant mattress and an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, particularly if the mattress is from another home. Insufficient evidence is available to judge whether this relation is cause and effect.

So there isn't proof that the reused mattress caused SIDS. What they know for certain is that sleeping on their tummy and parental smoking are major risk factors.

Wesser

myshirt wrote: »

Wow...

No way would I reuse the mattress. No way. It is very common knowledge to replace the mattress for baby no. 2. Dust mites, allergens, oils, sweat, sick, excrement, the list goes on. Baby spends about half their life on that mattress. Do all the washing and cleaning you want, wet vacuum and so on, you replace the mattress, especially if it was stored away for 18 months. You'll save money by saying it's grand but the child's health, immune system, and well-being is impacted in a way it doesn't need to be.

Op, my advice would be not to skrimp on a good mattress for your children, or a good pair of shoes.

I think that is a very judgemental
Post.


On the basis of what evidence are you saying that you will harm you child's health by re using a mattress.

Won't the baby be getting to know his older sibling anyway with all the sharing of germs that is notmal in a loving household.

Chocolate fiend

I would get a new one, I did 3 times. The third one was never even slept in, not one time. I still wouldn't give it to someone else though, I am very risk averse.