Mattress Buying Guide
As part of National Bed month here at Simply Kids beds we have devised a guide with as much information as possible to help you select the best mattress for your child. If you require any further help in choosing your mattress please give our sales team a call on 01482 883790. Please buy safe in the knowlegde that you have a 7 working days returns policy in case your new mattress does not feel right for your child.
The Sleep Council recommends that if you want to optimise your sleep so you feel good,
look good and generally get the most out of life, you should seriously consider replacing your
bed after seven years.
Here are some of the resons why:
1. A study by The Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) showed beds
that were just six years old were much less comfortable than a new one.
2. Top sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski found buying a new bed could be more
effective than sleeping tablets!
3. French scientists compared sleep on a new bed versus an old bed and found
people enjoyed much better quality sleep with less tossing and turning.
4. Yuk! On average we lose half a pint of fluid each night and shed a pound of
dead skin cells a year. No wonder asthma-triggering dust mites love our
mattresses.
5. In America, back pain sufferers reported a 63% improvement after sleeping on
a new bed (and.82% of back pain experts feel the right bed can help sufferers).
The National Bed Federation states that how long a mattress lasts varies according to the type of bed and the amount of usage but, as a general rule, if you wake up with aches and pains which disappear over the course of the day, you are not sleeping as well as you did a year ago or the mattress shows signs of wear, it is probably time to change your bed. Although this may not necessarily apply to children or teenagers, there are obviously a few other signs that your child may need a new mattress such as it makes noises in the night, it is sagging or feels lumpy.
With regards to Children's mattresses the Sleep Council state the right mattress is vital as it must provide the correct support for growing bones and muscles. That means sufficient support to hold the spine in correct alignment and sufficient comfort layers to cradle the body’s contours.
The mattress construction can be either foam or sprung. A mattress and bedding with hypo-allergenic fillings (i.e.avoiding known irritants such as feathers or hair) may be required for a child with asthma, eczema or rhinitis.
Here are our top tips to help you select the correct mattress for your child:
1. Firstly and most importantly, make sure you select the correct size mattress, the following are industry standard sizes:
- 2ft6 x 6ft3 (75cm x 190cm) - Small Single
- 3ft x 6ft3 (90cm x 190cm) - Standard Single
- 4ft x 6ft3 (120cm x 190cm)- Small Double (For a great range of 4ft Small Double beds and Mattresses please visit our sister website Beds on Legs)
Odd Junior Sizes
2ft6 x 5ft3 (Available for our shorty bunk beds)
3ft x 5ft3 ( Also available for our shorty bunk beds)
2ft6 x 5ft9 (Junior Singles available on our mattress section)
3ft x 6ft6 (90cm x 200cm) Continental Single (Available for Steens and Stompa bunks)
There are many other Odd Size mattresses especially for junior and shorty beds, most of which we also supply. If you require a size that is not listed above please e-mail or call us on 01482 883790 and we can give you more information.
2. Secondly selecting the correct feel of mattress is very important.
People generally assume a firmer mattress will be better for your back and that Orthopaedic mattresses are even better, but the word "Orthopaedic" has no legal standing or criteria in the bed industry. It is used by many manufacturers to describe a firm or very firm mattress but may not necessarily be good for back pain sufferers and is not recommended for growing children.
Like the Sleep Council we recommend mattresses with plenty of comfort layers that cradles the body of your child. Here at Beds on Legs we describe the mattress feel based on what the manufacturers and ourselves think the mattress feels like, this can be, Soft. Soft-Medium, Medium, Medium- Firm & Firm.
As a general rule body weight largely dictates the sort of tension required, therefore the softer to medium types are more suitable for children and growing teenagers, your child needs a mattress that will contour and mould to his or her shape. Generally it is always best to go for a Medium feel mattress which moulds to the shape of your body either a pocket sprung, latex or memory foam. (Though Memory Foam mattresses are generally not recommended for very young children)
3. Selecting the type of mattress:
There are a number of different spring systems on the market and many of the leading brands have their own unique spring systems to confuse you even further. We have described them below so you have a clearer picture of what you are purchasing.
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 | Open Coil Spring System
Open-coil mattresses are made from a large number of single springs fixed together by wire. Springs are arranged in rows and connected to one another, top and bottom by a spiral helical wire with a heavy gauge outer rod to strengthen the perimiter.
Open coil mattresses are the most commonly used spring system on the market today, variations of the open coil can be found in Silentnight's Miracoil beds , Sealy's Posturepaedic and Dorlux's Flexiform and Postureline beds |
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Pocket Sprung Spring System
Pocket sprung mattresses are more luxurious and in our opinion the best type of spring sysytem to choose. Each spring is individually housed in little fabric pockets and set in rows, these rows are then clipped, tied or glued together. Each spring acts independantly and therefore contours to the shape of your body providing great support for your back.
Independant support means that you are less likely to be disturbed by your partner and are ideal if there is a size or weight difference between you and your partner. The Sleepezee image below illustrates perfectly how pocket sprung mattress contour to the shape of your body. |  |
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 | Memory Foam Visco Elastic
Memory Foam moulds to the shape of your body supporting every contour, relieving pressure points and providing great back support. Memory Foam mattresses are not recommended for very small children.
Originally developed by Nasa to improve the safety of aircraft cushions, and subsequently used in medical settings to help relieve pressure on the bodies of immobile patients, the benefits of memory foam are now available to everyone in mattresses.
Memory Foam is hypo-allergenic with anti-microbial properties, and therefore is great for allergy sufferers.
There are a few types of memory foam mattresses, you can get full foam mattresses. These mattresses have a layer of high density reflex foam support on the bottom with varying depths of memory foam on the top. There are also open coil or pocket sprung mattress with a layer of memory foam on the top which feels very luxurious.
Here at Simply Kids Beds we love pocket sprung mattresses with a layer of memory foam on the top, they feel lovely and mould to the shape of your body amazingly.
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Latex Fillings
Latex offers similar body moulding properties as memory foam but being a natural product it does not retain heat. Latex fillings are therefore a perfect alternative to Memory Foam for those who overheat in bed. Latex is hypo-allergenic with anti-microbial properties, therefore is great for allergy sufferers.
Simply Kids Beds loves pocket sprung mattresses with latex on the top, they feel sumptuous and the latex gives the mattresses a luxurious feel. |  |
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Manufacturers' own spring systems
A number of leading manufacturers have developed their own unique spring systems, these include Silentnight's Miracoil spring system, Sealy's Posturepedic, Dorlux's Flexiform & Dorlux's Postureline spring system. We have described them below along with the benefits they provide: |
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 | Silentnight Miracoil Spring System
Through a unique spring system, the Miracoil spring system guarantees total support irrespective of your size or weight.
The Miracoil® Spring System is the most popular sleep range in the UK. It gives you zoned support that loves your back, pressure relief for a perfect night's sleep, edge to edge support for extra sleep space and individual sleep zones for undisturbed sleep.
<- Within the mattress, continuous springs run from the head to toe, distributing the weight evenly up and down the bed, rather than across it, and thereby ensuring NO ROLL TOGETHER.
<- Unlike an ordinary bed, the springs in a Silentnight Bed run right to the very edge of the mattress, ensuring NO ROLL OFF, so sleepers can stretch out in comfort.
<- Additional springs are concentrated in the centre third of the bed to create a supportive POSTURE ZONE where your body needs it.
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Silentnight Mirapocket Spring System
Silentnight now have a range of Mirapocket mattresses which have their new mini pocket springs on the top of their unique miracoil spring system increasing the overall spring count of their mattresses. This means they are a great choice if you prefer firmer support but still want luxurious comfort. Held under tension in fabric pockets, mini pocket springs give you gentle bounce back for healthy movement and are naturally ventilated.
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 | Dorlux's Flexiform Spring Sysytem
Here at Simply Kids Beds we love the Flexiform spring system, it gives the mattress a great feel and these mattresses are very affordable. Flexiform is Dorlux's advanced spring system, designed by Swiss engineers and manufactured exclusively by Dorlux. All the springs used in Dorlux mattresses are heat treated twice, firstly when the individual springs are formed and secondly when assembled, the entire unit is passed through a giant oven.
A Flexiform mattress contains hundreds of small springs, twice as many as conventional sprung mattress, thus offering outstanding levels of comfort.
Smaller and closer together, the springs work individually, supporting every curve of your body correctly, without restricting freedom of movement, to ensure a healthy night’s sleep.
A revolution in sleep.
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