Best Mattresses for Kids – Top 5 Beds and Buying Guide

First Time Buying a Mattress for Your Child?

Hop down to our Buyer’s Guide for a crash course on finding the best mattress for kids.

Mattress Buying Guide for Kids

Below, we share everything parents need to consider when buying a mattress for their child, along with our best tips for buying a new mattress.

What Parents Need to Know About Buying a Child’s Mattress

Healthy sleep is essential for growing children. The right mattress will provide a comfortable, supportive sleep surface for boys and girls throughout their childhood, and may even be able to accommodate them after they experience major growth spurts. The wrong mattress, on the other hand, can negatively affect a child’s sleep quality, creating far-reaching repercussions for their health, growth, and development.

This guide will look at mattress options for children who are old enough to sleep in their own bed, as well as some shopping tips for parents. Please note that this page will focus on mattresses that may be used by adults or children, not mattresses that are specifically designed for kids’ beds. While many mattress manufacturers offer beds that are specifically designed for children, parents often find that a non-specialty mattress is just as suitable for their child’s sleep needs and preferences.

Support is arguably the most important factor to consider when shopping for a child’s mattress. In the mattress industry, ‘support’ refers to how well a mattress maintains a flat, even sleep surface and promotes spinal alignment. Growing children need optimal support, particularly around their spine, and parents are strongly urged to select models that will provide adequate support.

Mattresses that are too firm or too soft are generally considered unsupportive for most sleepers. Additionally, some mattresses may begin to sag in the middle after as little as one to two years of use; this causes children to sleep in positions that do not align the spine.

Finding the most supportive mattress for your child is a combination of several factors, including the mattress size, firmness, material composition, and more. We’ll review each of these features in the following sections.

Selecting the Right Mattress Size for Your Child

When choosing a mattress for your child, it’s important to keep in mind that they will probably grow by a significant margin before the mattress needs to be replaced. As a result, parents may want to consider larger sizes to ensure their boy or girl won’t outgrow their bed.

Most mattresses sold today come in six standard mattress sizes.

As you can see, the most popular mattress sizes for children are Twin, Twin XL, and Full (or Double). Here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of each of these three mattress sizes for parents to consider.

Twin Mattresses

Twin XL Mattresses

Full/Double Mattresses

Selecting the Right Mattress Firmness Level for Your Child

Mattresses sold today are available in a wide range of firmness options, from very soft to very firm and everything in between. At Tuck, we refer to firmness as having a 1 to 10 scale, with ‘Soft’ mattresses rating around a 3, and ‘Very Firm’ mattresses rating around an 8.

Although a ‘Medium Firm’ design is generally considered the most popular, that’s usually assuming the sleeper is an adult of average weight (between 130 and 230 pounds). Every child will have different firmness preferences, and they’ll typically find a softer mattress to be more comfortable when they’re younger and still growing.

However, you can always buy a ‘Medium’ or ‘Medium Firm’ mattress and then get a mattress topper with a softer firmness rating to make the mattress more comfortable for your child until they grow into it. Jump to learn more about mattress toppers.

Alternately, you can select a mattress firmness according to your child’s body weight and preferred sleep position. It’s important to note that children who weigh less than 130 pounds tend to feel most comfortable on mattresses that are ‘Soft’ to ‘Medium’, while heavier children typically prefer mattresses that are ‘Medium’ to ‘Firm’.

Regarding sleep position, side sleepers find softer mattresses to be more comfortable, between ‘Soft’ and ‘Medium Firm’, or a 3 to 6 on the 1-to-10 scale. A softer mattress surface allows wider and heavier parts of the body to sink deeper into the mattress, ensuring healthy spinal alignment for the side sleeping position. Stomach sleepers typically prefer firmer mattress surfaces, to avoid their pelvis from sinking too deeply and pulling the spinal alignment. Back sleepers make things easy, as they usually enjoy the widely popular ‘Medium Firm’ setting.

Parents should have their child test out different mattress firmness options in order to determine the best comfort level for them. You can do this easily at your local mattress retailer. Have your child lie on the bed in store and tell you how comfortable they feel. Of course, you can return a mattress under the sleep trial if it ends up being too soft or too firm, but the easier approach is to know your child’s preferred firmness level before buying the mattress.

A note on flippable mattress designs: If a child tends to change his or her mind about their desired firmness option, then a flippable mattress may be a reasonable investment. These beds are designed with a comfort layer on each side with a different firmness and a shared support core. To adjust the firmness from one to the other, simply flip over the mattress. Please note: parents should handle the flipping process, as mattresses are always too heavy for children to lift.

Understanding the Different Mattress Types

Mattress type is an important consideration, since each different design carries unique pros, cons, and precautions for parents. Below we provide an overview of the five most common mattress types and share everything you need to know:

Hybrid Mattresses

Hybrid mattresses use individually pocketed coils as their support system, with at least 2 inches of memory foam or latex in the comfort layers. These beds may feature additional foams or minicoils in the comfort layers, too.

Benefits for Kids and Parents:

• Long lifespan. Hybrid mattresses remain supportive for up to 7 years or more.
• Contoured support ideal for growing pains. With thick comfort layers above a pocketed coil core, hybrid mattresses offer a higher level of contouring than innerspring mattresses, but without enveloping the body like memory foam.
• Quieter sleep surface. While not as quiet as all-foam beds, hybrid mattresses do minimize movement and noise well, resulting in a quiet sleep surface for more restless sleepers.
• Sleep cooler than all-foam beds. Depending on the composition of their comfort layers, hybrid beds tend to sleep cooler thanks to air flowing through the pocketed coil core.

Disadvantages for Kids and Parents:

• Higher price-point. Hybrids do tend to be more expensive, costing around $1,500 to $2,200.
• Heavy and difficult to move. Hybrid mattresses feature a heavier construction that can make it tougher for children to make their bed.
• Noise potential. If the hybrid has thinner comfort layers, it may not isolate movement as well. The resulting noise may wake up light sleepers or children who share the bed with a sibling.

Precautions for Parents:

• Pay attention to the foam materials. If your child is a hot sleeper, look for hybrid mattresses with cooler comfort layers. These include latex foams, or memory foam infused with gel, graphite, or copper.
• Off-gassing potential. If the bed has thicker comfort layers of memory foam or polyfoam, there may be an initial off-gassing odor present for the first few days.
• Bounce potential. While not as bouncy as innerspring mattresses, kids may still find these beds bouncy enough for jumping on the bed.

Airbeds

Airbeds use air as their support system, with individual air chambers that can be adjusted according to the owner’s firmness preferences. Airbeds may have a thin, foam-based comfort layer, or feature no comfort layer at all.

Benefits for Kids and Parents:

• Adjustable firmness. Since the firmness can be adjusted at any time, airbeds can be a good choice for children who are still growing or have changing firmness preferences.
• Long lifespan. As long as they are properly maintained and individual parts are replaced as needed, airbeds can easily outlast other mattress types.

Disadvantages for Kids and Parents:

• High price-point. Airbeds are one of the most expensive mattress types, costing around $1,500 to $2,500.
• Controls may be difficult for kids to operate. You need to use a manual hand crank or remote control to adjust the firmness level, which can be confusing for children.
• Below-average pressure relief. Because the comfort layers are so thin, airbeds may not provide sufficient pressure relief for kids experiencing growing pains.

Precautions for Parents:

• Electrical components carry a high safety risk. Airbeds often feature electrical components which may make them dangerous for children to operate.

The chart below summarizes the key advantages and disadvantages of these mattress types for kids:

Other Mattress Questions for Parents to Consider

By now you know the size, firmness, and type of mattress you want to buy for your child. You’re ready to go mattress shopping. If you find yourself torn between a few different models, ask yourself the following questions to find the best mattress for your child’s needs.

How to Review Sleep Trial & Warranty Periods

Lastly, let’s look at two other important aspects of buying a new mattress: the sleep trial and warranty coverage.

Sleep Trial

For parents who are unsure which mattress will work best for their children, a sleep trial can make a huge difference. Most mattress brands and retailers offer sleep trials that allow customers to test out the mattress for a certain length of time (anywhere from 90 to 365 nights), and then return it for a full or partial refund if they are dissatisfied.

All of the mattresses we’ve reviewed above have sleep trials lasting 100 nights or more, with the Nectar offering a full 365 nights.

Make sure you understand the terms of the sleep trial. Some brands will require you to test the mattress for a “break-in” period (usually 30 to 60 nights) before you can return it for a refund.

Mattress Warranty

Children can be hard on a mattress for a number of reasons, and some wear and tear is expected. The mattress warranty will not usually cover defects that stem from normal wear and tear, but they will cover certain defects, such as significant sagging or indentations in the sleep surface that affect support or manufacturing flaws in the mattress or mattress cover.

The warranty coverage periods are key. Some mattress warranties are entirely nonprorated, which means the company will repair or replace defective mattresses at no extra expense to the owner (except for shipping and handling fees in some instances). Other warranties are partially prorated, which means owners must pay a certain percentage of the original mattress price in order to have it repaired or replaced. This can add up to major expenses. As a general rule, parents should not select a mattress that offers less than two years of nonprorated coverage.

Pay particular attention to what the warranty says about the bed’s foundation. You can void a mattress warranty if you don’t use the proper foundation for the bed, whether that’s a solid foundation, the floor, or a bed frame. If your child sleeps on a bunk bed or uses a less-common foundation, make sure it’s covered under the warranty.

Pillows & Sleep Accessories for Kids

In addition to their mattress, parents should carefully choose other components of their child’s sleeping area to ensure they get high-quality rest night after night. Let’s look at some strategies for selecting pillows, mattress toppers, and bunk beds for kids.

Pillows for Kids

Pillows, like mattresses, are designed to support sleepers by providing an even surface — in this case, for the head, neck, and shoulders. The most important consideration when shopping for pillows is ‘loft,’ or thickness. Pillows that are too thin or too thick provide do not properly align the spine, which can lead to discomfort and pressure.

When determining the proper loft for your child’s pillow, it’s important to keep the following factors in mind:

• Head size: Children with larger-than-average heads typically feel most comfortable on high-loft pillows that provide sufficient support, while those with smaller-than-average heads tend to feel comfortable on low-loft pillows.
• Body weight: Children who weigh more require less loft, and will usually feel most comfortable on thinner pillows, while those who weigh less may require extra loft in order to feel supported and comfortable.
• Shoulder width: As a general rule, children with broad shoulders usually prefer high-loft pillows and children with narrower shoulders usually prefer low-loft pillows.
• Mattress firmness preference: Low-loft pillows tend to be better for those who prefer softer mattresses; this is because the pillow provides less of a barrier between the sleeper’s body and the mattress surface. In contrast, high-loft pillows may be better for those who prefer a firmer mattress surface because the sleeper does not need to sink as deeply.

The table below breaks pillows down by three loft categories:

Pillow composition is another key factor. Some pillow materials are associated with high levels of support, including buckwheat, latex, and memory foam. Latex and buckwheat pillows are also considered more durable than other pillow types. However, these two pillow types tend to be somewhat expensive. In contrast, cheaper pillow types — such as down alternative and polyester models — do not provide the same levels of support, and tend to wear out much more quickly.

For more information, please check out our Best Pillows — Buying Guide and Information page.

Mattress Toppers for Kids

The term ‘mattress topper’ refers to an individual cushioning layer that is placed on the top surface of a mattress to adjust the firmness and comfort levels, and also provide better support in some cases. Mattress toppers may rest freely on the mattress, or may feature elasticized corners that can be tucked over the mattress like a fitted sheet.

In most cases, the topper is designed to make the sleep surface less firm; however, some toppers can increase the firmness when used on exceptionally soft mattresses. Either way, a mattress topper can be used to help a child sleep better on their current mattress’s firmness, if buying a new mattress is not financially feasible.

Toppers made of latex, memory foam, and wool are generally considered the best choice for kids. These models are fairly durable, less lumpy, and produce little to no noise. They are also among the most expensive topper options. More affordable toppers, such as those made from feathers and polyester fibers, are more affordable, but they also wear out more quickly, develop lumps and can be somewhat loud.

For more information about mattress toppers, please visit our Best Mattress Toppers guide.

Mattress Protectors for Kids

Moisture can seriously diminish the lifespan of a mattress, and introduce mold and bacteria into your child’s bedroom environment if not taken care of. Although some mattresses come with a removable, machine-washable cover, most mattresses are spot-clean only. So, if your child is prone to bedwetting, you may want to invest in some additional protection for your mattress.

Fortunately, it’s easy enough to protect your mattress investment and keep it clean with waterproof mattress protectors. Waterproof mattress protectors come in a few different styles. For children, fitted sheets, fitted pads, or six-sided protectors are all good options. These completely cover the top and sides of the bed and fit snugly, so the bed won’t look noticeably different or cause your child to feel embarrassed.

For more information, take a look at our reviews of the Best Mattress Protectors for Bedwetting.

Bunk Beds

Bunk beds is a catch-all term for any stackable bed that accommodates two or more sleep surfaces. They are typically made from wood or metal, and come equipped with ladders or stairs that can be used to access the top bunk(s). Some models also feature storage drawers in the base. The most common sizes for bunk bed mattresses are Twin and Full.

Bunk beds do carry a risk of injury. Sturdy construction is essential, and most models feature bars or other types of barriers to prevent sleepers from rolling off the top bunk(s). Parents should carefully research the product history and manufacturer warnings for different bunk bed models.

Additionally, purchasers should measure the height of their children’s bedroom before investing in a bunk bed; otherwise they may face space issues. In terms of price, metal bunk beds tend to be less expensive than wood models.

For more information, please check out our Best Bunk Beds guide.