The Best Online Kids Mattresses
A child's developing body needs different support than that of an adult, and even requires different levels of firmness throughout their development. Children also tend to need more sleep than adults, meaning they spend much more time on their bed than you. This is why it is important to purchase a kids mattress instead of a standard mattress for your child.
The mattresses included here are specifically designed to support children and young teens. Check them out and see which one will best suit your precious little one.
Helix Kids
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
100 Days
- Warranty Period
10 Years
- Return Fee
$100
- Shipping Fee
Free
While Saatva usually takes my pick as the most hypoallergenic mattress in any single category, the Helix Kids truly shines in this regard, being naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial due to its Tencel cover, which, while breathable, does not generate static charges, so dust mites and other allergens don't cling to it.
In addition to this, the Helix Kids is also stain and water resistant, and so "accident" proof. All it takes is changing the sheets after drying things off with some paper towels and your young child can resume their sleep in a dry and comfy bed.
Helix also treats the cover of this mattress in a microbe shield, which combats odor-causing bacteria and maintains optimal hygiene.
Ultimately, the Helix Kids is a perfect choice for children ages 3-12. Sure, it can become obsolete once the child becomes a teenager if the size of the mattress was Twin to start and they no longer comfortably fit it, and shipping of the mattress can can be somewhat slow, but it's a very solid choice for anyone who wants their child to have a good, allergen-free night's sleep.
The Helix Kids has a two-sided design, with a Medium-Firm side for children ages 3-7 and a Medium-Soft for children ages 8-12. It's available in sizes Twin and Full.
Size Options
Saatva Youth
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
365 Days
- Warranty Period
Lifetime
- Return Fee
Free
- Shipping Fee
Free
Saatva mattresses are luxurious, non bed-in-a-box mattress that come as they are and need no time to decompress or off-gas, and the Saatva Youth is no different. It is a naturally hypoallergenic mattress that is delivered right to your child's room with white glove delivery, providing you with a fast, reliable, long-term and high-quality solution to your child's sleeping needs.
Like the Helix Kids, the Saatva HD features a waterproof barrier that protects the mattress from spills and accidents. It is also treated with Saatva's patented Guardian antimicrobial treatment, which keeps germs from nesting in the mattress' organic cotton layers.
The Saatva HD also features zoned lumbar support, which grants better support for your child's developing body.
The Saatva is rather bouncy, as it's an innerspring mattress, so your kid may decide to use it as a trampoline as much as their bed. Fortunately, it's not bouncy enough to be a problem or dangerous to the child.
The Saatva Youth has a two-sided design, both being Medium-Firm, though the side for children ages 8-12 is a bit softer. It's available in sizes Twin, Twin XL, and Full.
Size Options
Naturepedic 2-in-1 Organic Kids Waterproof
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
100 Days
- Warranty Period
25 Years
- Return Fee
Free
- Shipping Fee
Free
The Naturepedic 2-in-1 organic kids mattress is quite similar to the Saatva Youth, as it's an innerspring mattress made with quilted layer of US grown organic cotton on one side and has a waterproof side for smaller children. It's therefore both antimicrobial and hypoallergenic, providing your child with a dry, comfy and healthy sleep.
The waterproof side of the mattress features an organic cotton fabric with an low density polyethylene waterproof coating pure enough to actually meets food contact standards. It's made from non-GMO sugarcane without any glues or adhesives.
The mattress also makes use of polylactide (PLA - a synthetic fiber made from non-GMO sugarcane) as its comfort layer. This material is entirely plant-based and is used in a variety of industries, including food packaging and medical supplies.
The 2-in-1 makes on use of polyurethane foam, which is made primarily from petroleum and can be found in nearly all conventional mattresses. While companies usually treat it so it's no longer flammable, Naturepedic decided to simply do away with it and use non-petroleum materials instead, making their mattress greener in the process.
The Naturepedic 2-in-1 has a two-sided design, with a Medium-Firm side for children ages 3-7 and a Medium-Soft for children ages 8-12. It's available in sizes Twin, Twin Trundle, Twin Trundle Short, and Full.
Size Options
Nest Bedding Puffin
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
30 Days
- Warranty Period
Lifetime
- Return Fee
Free
- Shipping Fee
Free
The Nest Puffin is a low-priced high-quality kids mattress that tries to give you the best value for your money. It also has some of the best cooling out of any mattress on this list, featuring a thermic phase change cooling cover that will keep your child from getting hot and sweating themselves awake at night.
In addition to this, the Puffin has a breathable cover and is made of a trademarked temperature responsive foam for even better heat wicking. If your child tends to get hot and sweaty at night, this will greatly improve the quality of their sleep.
While some mattress companies treat their foams with chemicals to make them fireproof, the Puffin's fire barrier is non-chemical hydrogenated silica, which is completely hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
Lastly, Nest provides a lifetime warranty with all their mattresses, which will enable you to treat this as your one-stop-shop for your all child's sleeping needs. If the bed ever becomes uncomfortable for them, you can simply replace it. That, in addition to its price, makes this a very good long-term monetary choice for a parent.
The Nest Puffin has a two-sided design, both being Medium-Firm, though one side of the bed is a bit softer than the other to better accommodate older kids. It's available in sizes Twin, Twin XL, and Full.
Size Options
Naturepedic Verse Organic
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
100 Days
- Warranty Period
25 Years
- Return Fee
Free
- Shipping Fee
Free
The Verse is a bit pricier than the average kids mattress, though the quality of its materials is definitely worth the asking price. It is one of the most well-made and luxurious kids mattresses around, and a great choice for anyone who wants to upgrade the quality of their child's sleep.
The cover of the Verse is made of organic cotton fabric organic, wool batting and a PLA comfort layer. It has a hybrid design with individually encased coils with full perimeter edge support, along with an encasement made of organic cotton fabric and organic cotton fill.
The encased coils of the Verse are individually wrapped for full body-contouring comfort. They provide a comfortable and fun (though safe) amount of bounce while adding excellent breathability and heat dissipation characteristics to the mattress. The mattress is also made without any glues or adhesives (something which is exclusive to the Verse).
The Verse is a bit pricier than the average kids mattress, though the quality of its organic and eco-friendly materials is definitely worth the asking price.
The Naturepedic Verse has a one-sided design that suits all sleeping positions. It has a Medium-Firm level of firmness. It's available in sizes Twin, Twin XL, Full, and Queen.
Size Options
Nest Bedding Lark
- Side sleepers
- Back sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
- Trial Period
30 Days
- Warranty Period
Lifetime
- Return Fee
Free
- Shipping Fee
Free
While I usually pick one mattress to be the "Most ..." out of the bunch, I simply couldn't decide whether the Naturepedic Verse or the Nest Lark should get this award, as they're pretty much neck and neck in this regard.
The Lark is an incredibly soft and luxurious mattress made from organic, eco-friendly materials that are healthy for your child, and does a fantastic job of comfortably supporting a developing youngster with only one, plush and soft side. The mattress is made out of polyfoam, Joma wool and organic Dunlop latex — high-quality materials that are naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial.
Like the Puffin, the Lark also uses non-chemical hydrogenated silica as its fire barrier, which is completely hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
Lastly, as I've already mentioned, Nest provides a limited lifetime warranty with their mattresses, making their mattresses a very solid long-term option.
If you have the extra few hundred to spend, the Nest Lark is as great a choice for you and your young one as the Naturepedic Verse is.
The Nest Lark has a one-sided design that suits all sleeping positions. It has a Medium-Firm level of firmness. It's available in sizes Twin, Twin XL, and Full.
Size Options
| Helix Kids | Saatva Youth | Naturepedic 2-in-1 Organic Kids Waterproof | Nest Bedding Puffin | Naturepedic Verse Organic | Nest Bedding Lark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep positions | ||||||
| Upgradable | ||||||
| Firmness | ||||||
| Soft firmness | ||||||
| Medium firmness | ||||||
| Firm firmness | ||||||
| Medium soft firmness | ||||||
| Medium firm firmness | ||||||
| Returns policy | ||||||
| Free return shipping | ||||||
| Returns fee | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sleep positions | ||||||
| Back sleepers | ||||||
| Front sleepers | ||||||
| Side sleepers | ||||||
| Trial & warranty | ||||||
| Trial period | 100 | 365 | 100 | 30 | 100 | 30 |
| Lifetime warranty | ||||||
| Warranty period | 10 | 25 | 25 | |||
Rating the Best Mattresses for Kids
In this context, size does matter. The smaller the mattress, the quicker it’s outgrown. Twin, Twin XL, and Full-sized mattresses are typically the best choices for children, though Twin and Twin XL sizes are more commonly picked since they're big enough for most kids, and they're much more affordable.
Although, if you plan on your kid growing into their mattress, then buying a Full-sized mattress will probably be the better choice in the long term. This also has the added benefit of allowing you to lie in the bed with them.
But, what truly makes a bed suited for a child are the following:
- Firmness: A child's mattress needs to be firm (usually Medium-Firm), as sleeping every day on a mattress that's too soft for them may negatively impact their development. The mattress still needs to fit all sleeping positions, though, as kids usually toss and turn at night more than adults do, and have yet to find their preferred sleeping positions.
- Versatility: As your child grows, their body's shape and mass changes. A child's mattress needs to be able to support a young 3-year-old toddler, as well as a grown 12-year-old kid. Most kids mattresses accomplish this by being flippable, with one side being better suited for ages 3-7 and the other side being better suited for ages 8-12, though some luxury kids mattresses accomplish this with the nature of their design and materials.
- Accident-proofing: Being proof against misuse and accidents, such as the random jumping session or a nighttime accident, is a great boon for a kids mattress, and is a quality that should be sought after. It also must be flame-retardant, for reasons that should be clear to you all.
- Non-toxicity: It's even more important that your child isn't exposed to harmful chemicals than an adult is, since they tend to react much worst to such irritants. For this reason, every mattress on this list is CertiPUR-US and OEKO-TEX certified, meaning that they are made with no harmful materials, and do not off-gas any harmful chemicals.
- Value for money: Your child will outgrow their bed, and will definitely not take good and responsible care of it, so you need a mattress that is both durable, lasts through the child's development years, and is affordable enough.
Each mattress recommend in this article, while excelling in different aspects, has all the above qualities.
Conclusion
All the above mattresses can be tried-out by your child for a limited period before you'll need to decide whether to keep them or not. Still, that gives you and your child enough time to see whether the mattress is a good fit, so there's no real risk involved in simply giving them a test run.
Since most kids mattresses are quite similar in a lot of ways, as children require very specific things and have yet to develop strong sleep preferences, we would suggest you simply pick the one that seems like it will suit your child the most and try it out. If it's not a good fit after all, you can simply return it at no additional cost (as long as the mattress is still in good condition, of course).
How can my child try out these mattresses?
There's a button at the bottom of each mattress appraisal that will redirect you to the mattress company's website, where you can purchase it at a discount. Each of these companies let you try out the mattress for a month or so and either keep it or return it for a full refund (though some of them charge a small fee for retrieval). In this way, your kid can try out any of these mattresses, see if it's to their liking, and, if not, you can return it.
What are the warranties on these mattresses?
Most of these companies offer at least a 10-year warranty that covers any damage done to the mattress not by misuse or negligence, though some, such as Nest, offer a lifetime warranty. You can read the review of the mattress by clicking it's company's logo for more details.
Do these mattresses come in a box?
Most online mattresses do, and thus require a day to decompress and off-gas, preferably in a well-ventilated space. Saatva mattresses, however, come as they are, and shipped by professionals directly to your bedroom, and therefore don't need to decompress or off-gas.
Do these mattresses come with a foundation?
No, unless you order one along with them. Most of these mattresses are compatible with standard bed bases, and you can always purchase a foundation from the company website. Check my mattress reviews and their company websites for more details on compatible bases and your options.
Where can these mattresses be shipped to?
These companies currently only ship to the contiguous United States, not including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, etc. They do, however, usually ship to Alaska and Hawaii for an additional fee.
Can they remove my existing mattress when the new one is delivered?
Some companies, like Saatva, do so at no additional cost, though most don't offer this service. Check a mattress' review or its company site for more information in this regard.