# Thinking about putting egg crate foam ontop of crib mattress....



## rocketgirl96

Okay - I know, it sounds bad and unsafe, doesn't it???? But my baby is 9 1/2 months old now, is able to roll over and my fear of SIDS has gone down considerably. My baby is having a hard time sleeping and has been since he was 4 months old. Recently, I've noticed that he sleeps better on my bed even when I'm not there. I think the difference is that my bed is a little bit more "squishy" and he likes to sleep on his side. I've tried putting him on his side in the crib but he can't stay that way since it's not as squishy as my bed. I've tried using pillows around him to help him stay up on his side but I think it's not as comfortable for him since the crib mattress doesn't have a lot of give. I know that's what a crib mattress is supposed to be like, but I'm wondering if I just put an egg crate foam on top of mattress and cover that with a crib fitted sheet, maybe he'd sleep better in his crib. Am I totally insane for thinking this? I don't want to make things unsafe for him, but I also don't want him to be uncomfortable and I want him to sleep better (for him, not for me). Co-sleeping is not really an option for us, since both my husband are big people and we like to roll around. I have been putting him into bed with us when his waking up gets to be too much for me but in the morning, my back is sore from not being able to move around and I can't wear the wrist splint that the doctor told me I had to wear.
So, what do you think? Is the egg crate a bad, insane idea or should I give it a try?

Thanks,
Christine


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## 98741

I say really bad idea, it just doesn't sound safe. Someone else will probably have a more eloquent, thought out answer but I wanted to mention trying a blanket. You could fold a quilt a couple times, lay it on the crib mattress and put a crib sheet over it as long as it was able to stay secure. The folded quilt will give a bit of a softness to the matress without added depth that could impact your child's breathing.


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## User101

I'm going to move this to Family Safety.


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## Anastasiya

We made our son's mattress comfier with a Snugglewool blanket - it's a mini crib so the Snugglewool is folded in half, and he sleeps directly on the fluffy, snuggly wool.

I would NOT use an egg crate topper. For one - totally unsafe.

And two, it sounds awfully uncomfy. Those are comfy for adults because we have lots more surface area covering the pop-up parts; a baby doesn't. So he'll end up feeling the raised areas a lot more, and I can't imagine that'll be soothing. (Imagine if his eye lands on a pop-up part and his cheek falls into the sunken part. It's just not sized right to be comfy - or safe! - for baby proportions).


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## rocketgirl96

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sancta* 
(Imagine if his eye lands on a pop-up part and his cheek falls into the sunken part. It's just not sized right to be comfy - or safe! - for baby proportions).

You're right!!!! I hadn't even thought about that! Thanks for bringing that to my attention. That's why I love MDC. So many of you think of things I'd never think of. I have a habit of forgetting that things need to be baby-sized. Where did you buy the blanket you talked about?

Thanks,
Christine


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## Anastasiya

Happy to help.









Here is the blanket we have: http://www.multiplesoutlet.com/site/...product/SW610W

Disclaimer







: I realize that it's not *safe* to pad a crib mattress even with a blanket - but I feel the same as you - once the baby is mobile, it changes the perspective. Even tummy sleeping is okay at a certain point if kiddo prefers it and he can turn himself over if need be.


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## nalo

My DD has two sheepskins under her mattress pads. She's almost 18 months but she's had these on there forever. They are safe (the egg crate is cheap foam, off-gassing and all that) and natural and regulate heat well. They also provide a nice, comfy padding.


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## DahliaRW

I use a fluffy (not overly) blanket under the crib sheet. It's a quilt that was made for ds1 that has nice batting. I think I started using it around 11 months. My ds was old enough I wasn't worried about the breathing thing and he does sleep better. He also has a full-sized pillow (he's 17 months now). I know they aren't recommended under 2, but he sleeps fine and has no breathing issues, so we use it.


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## Twinklefae

We have one of those on our bed, and have since DS was born. The sheet flattens it out a bit... it's never been an issue.


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## WyattsMom2008

Egg crate foam contains fire retardant which can release harmful neurotoxins when it reacts with the fungus that commonly grow in mattresses and bedding.

http://parenting.amuchbetterway.com/...nd-cosleeping/


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