# Would a memory foam mattress topper make my bed safer for new baby?



## Beckula (Mar 17, 2007)

Two years ago my DH and I bought this monstrous bed that has a pillow top. The pillow top has dimples in it every so often and it just occured to me that it may not be very safe for co-sleeping. I would think that one of those memory foam toppers for mattresses would make the bed more uniform and thus more safe. I would like to buy it soon so it can off gas until the baby comes (in the next 2-2 1/2 months). I will say that I'm hoping to convince DH we need this because honestly i feel like we spent $1000 on a mattress that was comfortable for the first 6 months and now pretty much sucks. Of course it could just be that at 7.5 months of pregnancy any mattress would suck because I'm never going to get comfortable.


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## Naless (Apr 9, 2007)

we did think about the memory foam mattress while I was pregnant and let me tell you when I laid on it in the store it was great it provided support where I needed it and was soft and giving where I need it. It was wonderful the way it formed to your body but that was the problem I had with it. Now this is JMHO but I jumped up when I thought about the baby lying on this mattress which has now formed to fit his face and the baby not being able to turn off of it so we did not get it. Just something to think about


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Memory foam, esp. a new one, has bad off-gassing so I'd suggest you get a nice thick cotton mattress cover instead.







We used one on our pillowtop and it worked great!


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## MilkTrance (Jul 21, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Naless* 
we did think about the memory foam mattress while I was pregnant and let me tell you when I laid on it in the store it was great it provided support where I needed it and was soft and giving where I need it. It was wonderful the way it formed to your body but that was the problem I had with it. Now this is JMHO but I jumped up when I thought about the baby lying on this mattress which has now formed to fit his face and the baby not being able to turn off of it so we did not get it. Just something to think about


Wow good point


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## Ubelle (Nov 3, 2006)

DH and I have been matress shopping jsut recently, and I will agree with PPs, the memory foam conforms to your body, right off, and according to the sales people, as the night goes on your body heat makes if conform more and more to you, like you sink into it more - that definitly scared me off.

That and I felt closterphobic laying on it, like I couldn't move, and I worried that my baby would get stuck in some weird position or face down and would be unable to move.


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## 2shy2post (Oct 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten* 
Memory foam, esp. a new one, has bad off-gassing so I'd suggest you get a nice thick cotton mattress cover instead.







We used one on our pillowtop and it worked great!

This is what I would be especially worried about. Memory foam has more off-gassing than almost any other mattress.

Before we knew better, we purchased one for our camper. It was HORRIBLE! We would just cough & hack & it gave me a headache. We threw it away after the first trip.

You might as well spray Easy-off right in your face! uke

p.s. our chiropractor says memory foam is not great for your alignment either... though I've heard conflicting thoughts on this


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## Beckula (Mar 17, 2007)

I would be hard to find a cotton mattress pad that would work with our bed though, the side of just the mattress itself are at least 18"-20" deep. The main appeal of the memory foam mattress topper was that it just lay on top of the mattress (its only 1.5" thick). I'm afraid that any cotton mattress pad I could find is going to be a specialty thing and cost a whole lot of $. The off-gassing sounds bad and I am very sensitive to fumes so it looks like the memory foam is out too. I guess I'll keep looking, if anyone knows any kind of mattress topper or pad that would fit a rediculously tall mattress and would be safe for a sleeping infant let me know.


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## 2shy2post (Oct 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Beckula* 
I would be hard to find a cotton mattress pad that would work with our bed though, the side of just the mattress itself are at least 18"-20" deep. The main appeal of the memory foam mattress topper was that it just lay on top of the mattress (its only 1.5" thick). I'm afraid that any cotton mattress pad I could find is going to be a specialty thing and cost a whole lot of $. The off-gassing sounds bad and I am very sensitive to fumes so it looks like the memory foam is out too. I guess I'll keep looking, if anyone knows any kind of mattress topper or pad that would fit a rediculously tall mattress and would be safe for a sleeping infant let me know.

You can get mattress pads that aren't like a fitted sheet. They would be a "topper" and you would put your fitted sheet over it to hold in place... KWIM?


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## 2shy2post (Oct 11, 2005)

Sorry, I hit the wrong button, then my DD wanted a banana, etc. Here's the rest of my post:

You could purchase a barrier

Or a mattress pad that only "straps" at the corners

What about these toppers


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## Beckula (Mar 17, 2007)

Ok cool thanks for the links!!!!!!


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## ferretfan (Nov 13, 2005)

our dd slept on a memory foam mattress from day one. well, it was more like day three









the mattress had sat in the house we bought for a few months before we moved out of our apt, and she wasnt born until 4 months later, so offgassing wasn't an issue. babies, at least ours, are light







she never made an indent, she just lay comfortably on top. i don't know if all memory foam mattresses are the same, but ours didn't form a coccoon around us, i have never woke up enveloped by mattress. sure there's a dip, but dd never got sucked into my depression. i never noticed her form her own depression either. the other great thing about memory foam was that during the times when she'd require nursing almost constantly through the night, i could lay comfortably on my side for extended periods and not feel like i had gone several rounds with mike tyson in the morning


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## Marlet (Sep 9, 2004)

I swear I read that you shouldn't cosleep with a memory foam topper/mattress for the reasons stated above. It forms to your body. If a baby sleeps with his face very turned into the mattress (my babes like to sleep with their nose down practically) the foam can form to the shape of their nostrils and basically create nose plugs. Then if the baby can't get his head turned again the chance of suffocation is high. Not neccessarily a likely scenario but one that can happen none the less. I say get a cotton topper and skip the memory foam one.


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## Enchanted Gypsy (Oct 5, 2006)

we sleep with a memory foam topper on a full size bed from day one with no problems at all. She naps there every day as well. We had it for a few years so no probs with off gassing..


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## ferretfan (Nov 13, 2005)

maybe i should clarify further. we own a memory foam *mattress*, a fairly high end one too. when my infant daughter slept on it, and she was primarily a front sleeper, the mattress remained firm beneath her at all times. she was simply too light to create a depression. it may be the case that toppers are qualitively different to mattresses and do 'form' with less weight. sorry if my post was irrelevent.


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## 2shy2post (Oct 11, 2005)

Just as an FYI ~ just because you don't smell it anymore or you have let a conventional mattress (memory foam, innerspring, etc) "air out" does *not* mean that it is no longer off-gassing. The same is true of pillows, carpeting, cars, paint, etc.

The chemicals will continue to "break down" throughout the life of the product.

If you already have a mattress & can't afford a new one, there are "wraps" that are sold to contain the VOC's. However, if you are shopping for a new mattress (or topper) to put your baby (or yourself!) on, please consider a natural/organic product.


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## CalBearMama (Sep 23, 2005)

Another product to consider: http://www.humanityinfantandherbal.c...familybed.html

Although it's probably not as thick, but it might address your issue.


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## 3kidsclmr (Apr 7, 2007)

Quote:

If you already have a mattress & can't afford a new one, there are "wraps" that are sold to contain the VOC's.
Has anybody heard of wraps for king-sized mattresses?? I have the one that's crib-sized on our crib mattress, but was never able to find anything bigger. My mom uses the crib for DD during the day when she naps, and I couldn't see buying an organic crib mattress for the hour a day that she actually sleeps there. I have two organic mattresses, but our king mattress isn't that old, and it was expensive...

To the OP: we have the same kind of pillow top on our mattress, and that's actually the bed that I slept with DS #1 on for his first year. I panicked after finding his face buried in the mattress a few times... with DS #2, I slept on a full sized mattress on the floor. Much firmer and much less worry!


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## 2shy2post (Oct 11, 2005)

I found this place online. (I haven't ordered from them, so I can't speak to that). http://www.eves-best.com/mattress-wr...offgassing.htm
They sell all sizes (& depths)...

I've seen a few SIDS websites talk about wrapping the mattress & that you can buy the polyethylene sheeting & do it yourself with tape. I would think that Home Depot/Lowes/Menards etc. would carry it. You would just have to be sure it's the right density/thickness...


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