Are Memory Foam Mattresses Good For Kids?

Are memory foam mattresses good for kids? This is a question that I have often wondered about.


With the recent popularity of memory foam products in bedding - like Tempurpedic I am curious about their safety for children. My nature is to research everything and anything - so I began my quest online. I did find one good article that speaks very favorably about a using a visco elastic foam mattress. But surprisingly I was not able to find much information on the net specifically aimed at the use of this product by children. My next step will be to ask my pediatrician - but my "mother's intuition" tells me that this type of bed is not a good choice for the very young.

Why do I feel this way? For two reasons. First, soft bedding is associated with SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). While babies should probably sleep in their own nursery with appropriate crib bed sets - every harried and sleep deprived parent knows the temptation of bringing baby into their own beds if only to be able to get a little more shut eye. If mom and dads mattress is made of foam then this could spell danger for the little one.

Once a baby becomes a toddler - I still feel that the danger of SIDS is still there, and a soft spongy bed would again be a bad choice. Usually it is at this age that parents buy a twin bed that will last the child for many years to come.

As the kids get older - the risk of SIDS diminishes but their body is growing and developing. I don't know if a Tempurpedic or similar style bed will provide enough support for the spine and back. Until there are documented research and studies that prove that the answer to my question - Are memory foam mattresses good for kids - is a unanimous yes - I will most likely steer clear of this product.

Interestingly - about a year ago - my husband and I purchased a foam mattress topper for our bed. Maybe we didn't buy the right one, but we didn't really like it. Meanwhile, the kids (they are older) thought that it was the most wonderful thing. So when we decided to get rid of it - well the kids wanted to use it. So we cut the topper in half - one king size splits nicely into two twin size pieces - and the kids put them on their beds. That lasted for a few months, the novelty quickly wore off, and the kids decided to get rid of them as well. Go figure.


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