The Best Crib Mattress

It’s been over a year since we updated this guide. We’ve done additional research and testing and found that our original pick is still the best pick.

We tested crib mattresses from 9 different manufacturers in our original tests, and decided to test three new products to see how they stacked up. We poured water on them, we sat on them, and placed them into several cribs to test their fit. Weights were placed to test their firmness, and we purposely stained each cover to see how easy they cleaned up. In choosing our best crib mattress, we consulted with manufacturers, doctors, retail associates, and real-world parents, and after all of that, the Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer came out on top.

While we’re all about value, the crib mattress is where your baby spends a huge portion of their day. At a minimum, you want a firm crib mattress that fits snugly into your crib. As a bonus, a waterproof cover and lower overall weight are great attributes, but they do tend to add to the cost. At about 20 pounds and an ungainly shape, a crib mattress becomes difficult to pick up. When considering the fact that you’ll be cleaning off the surface and changing the sheets on a frequent basis, we advise on choosing something lightweight. For me, 20 pounds was a good number to look for, but for some smaller, or shorter parents, you may want to go even lighter. For those parents, two of our candidates, the Moonlight Slumber Little Dreamer, and the Lullaby Earth Eco Plus Lightweight were both under 10 pounds. With that in mind, purchasing a great mattress now will save you time, energy, and money.

What Makes A Good Crib Mattress?

A good crib mattress should be firm, quiet, and fit snugly in your crib. We spoke with Dr. Rachel Moon, pediatrician and member of the The American Academy of Pediatrics. She told us, “[A crib mattress] should definitely be firm. By firm I mean hard—when you press your hand on the mattress, it should not go down more than ½ to 1 inch. If your hand sinks down any lower, that mattress is not firm enough.”

We’re all attracted to soft things for babies. But it’s truly important to follow the guidelines, as set by Dr. Moon and The American Academy of Pediatrics. There are mattresses that are available that feature two different sides with varying softness. These are commonly referred to as “dual-firmness” or “2-in-1” crib mattresses. These kind of mattresses have an extra-firm infant side, and an appropriately firm toddler side. We tested several models that had this feature.

The exterior matters, too. In 2009, phthalates—harmful chemical compounds formed by phthalic acid—were banned from crib mattresses in the United States. These chemicals were used to increase the flexibility of PVCs, creating more durable crib mattresses that were soft yet water-resistant. In the past few years studies concerned with infants and phthalates have been widely publicized; phthalates have been shown to cause hormonal changes in animal tests. One 2009 study, done by The University of Washington, stated that phthalates were found in the urine of 80 percent of infants tested. With that in mind, most manufacturers now use materials such as food-grade polyethylene, nylon, or even organic cotton to coat their mattresses.

Then there are mattress interiors. You have two options: coils or foam. We found that both can be excellent for creating a firm surface, but that traditional coils tend to weigh more. One of the most common complaints about mattresses is their weight. Imagine it’s 2 AM and you’re trying to change the sheet. The baby is wide-awake, and you’re attempting to free the second of four corners of your fitted sheet from underneath a 25-pound slab. Today’s foam based mattresses are made from new-age foams which are lighter than their coil-based counterparts. Models tested from Moonlight Slumber and Lullaby Earth were among the lightest we found available, weighing in at 8 and 7 pounds respectively.

For a mattress’ interior filling, you want to make sure that it’s firm all around—and yup, there are certain products to avoid inside as well. Most of the nefarious chemicals are added as flame retardants. A few things to avoid: Polybrominated diephenyl ethers (PBDe), tris, antimony, and other toxic flame retardants. While there’s no universal standard that will tell you what’s best, look for trusted private certifications when buying. These include GreenGuard, Certi-Pur-US and GOTS. This at least informs the consumer that certain chemicals are not present.

Our tested mattresses ranged in price from $169 up to $395. Anything cheaper lacked firmness or didn’t stand up to our testing.