Nest Bedding Puffin Mattress Review

The Nest Puffin is an award-winning affordable mattress that's specifically designed for children of all sizes and ages, allowing them to sleep in any position that they choose while providing ample support without sacrificing comfort. It is made out of durable and breathable foam designed by Nest that contains no toxins and barely off-gasses, keeping your child's environment free of airborne irritants and harmful VOCs.

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Pros & Cons

Mattress Construction

The Nest Bedding Puffin has a simple two-layer, one-side design that won't require you to flip the mattress past a certain time. It is almost entirely made out of petroleum-based foams, and is covered by a cooling and fire-resistant thermic phase change cover.

Top layer: This 2" layer is made entirely out of Nest Bedding's exclusive Energex foam. This temperature responsive foam provides an alternative to conventional viscoelastic memory foam, which is usually to soft and slow-responding to properly accommodate for a child's growing body. It is impressively cooling and responsive while still having good pressure relief properties.

Bottom layer: The base of the Puffin mattress is a 5" layer of lightweight support foam. This layer is quite durable and provides adequate support without sacrificing comfort.

Feel

The Puffin mattress is perhaps one of the softest kids mattresses out there. It responds quickly to pressure and won't make your child sink in too much, giving them more of a "sleeping on top" feeling rather than a "cradled inside" feeling. It is sturdy and firm enough to support the healthy development of your child, yet soft enough so your kid will be able to sleep on their side while retaining proper spinal alignment and preventing hip and shoulder stiffness and pain.

Safety and Certifications

The Puffin isn't made out of natural or organic materials like, say, the Nest Bedding Lark is. Instead, it's made out of a fairly inexpensive petroleum-based foam that isn't eco-friendly. But, that doesn't mean it's unhealthy. On the contrary: the Puffin barely off-gasses, and Nest Bedding keeps their newly constructed mattresses in the factory long enough to get rid of any harmful VOCs. The mattress does not contain any harmful chemicals, and is CertiPUR-US certified. Additionally, the Puffin's special thermic cover also serves as a fantastic fire-barrier.

Accident Proofing

While the cover of the mattress is fire proof, it is by no means spill proof. Since children are more prone to night sweats and bed-wetting, you're advised to use a mattress cover to maintain the health of the mattress and avoid stains and bacteria.

Growth Accommodation

While many kids beds today are made with two sides to better accommodate a child's growing body, the Puffin manages to do so with a one-side design that's just as effective at this task. While it's not specialized to better suit different ages and, thus, different frames and body masses like, say, the Helix Kids mattress is, it's nevertheless a very healthy mattress for a child grow with. This will also no require you to remember to flip the mattress after a few years, something which many parents simply forget to do anyways.

Edge Support

The Nest Puffin kids mattress has enough edge support for a child's weight, so your kid won't be in any danger of falling off, even while sleeping on the bed's edges. But, if you find yourself sitting on their bedside a lot, be advised that the Puffin has no edge support, and doing so won't be comfortable. Also, if your child is heavier than average, then you probably should get them a foundation with rigid sides to go with the mattress, as they otherwise won't feel comfortable utilizing the entire surface area of their bed.

Heat Retention

This is an obvious strength of the Puffin mattress. Not only does it feature a thermic phase change cover that's cool to the touch, but it's made out of breathable, heat dissipating materials. Most kids sleep hot, so a mattress that counteract that and reduces night sweats allows your child to sleep better for longer. While it won't actively cool your child, it will nevertheless keep them temperature-neutral.

Frame & Foundation

The Puffin kids bed is perfectly suited for any and all standard foundations, including inflexible slatted bases and adjustable bases. Additionally, the Puffin was designed with bunk bed sizing in mind. It is 7" tall, allowing for more head room on the bottom bunk, as well as more access to any safety railing on the top bunk.

If you have no suitable foundation for the mattress, Nest Bedding sells a foundation that's perfectly suited for the Puffin. Nest Bedding's HomeBase foundation is sold for $379-$399, depending on the size of the mattress, and is made entirely of wood. It is easily assembled, requiring no tools, and even features a USB charging port at its side.

Additional Details

The Nest Puffin is made in the USA, and has been named the best kids mattress for several years in a row by several different well-known and reputable mattress critics.

Some of these critics are environmentally conscious, and they cherish the fact that the mattress conforms to nature-friendly guidelines in its design and manufacturing. It's  CertiPUR-US certified indicating it's free of ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals and any other substances which may risk sleepers' health or pollute the ecosystem.

Other critics consider the mattress' value for money to be unparalleled, and we would admit that statement is a hard one to argue against.

But it doesn't stop there. Nest Bedding often hands out coupons and discount codes with a mattress purchase, especially on holidays and special occasions. The Puffin usually comes with a code for a free set of Tencel sheets, which usually cost $99 on their own.

Shipping & Delivery

Nest Bedding offers free shipping to the entire contiguous US. The Puffin comes compressed in a box, and, once unfolded, will reach its intended height within 12 to 24 hours.

Nest Bedding also offers white glove delivery, which costs $399. This price may increase depending on your location and the product's weight.

Returns & Warranty

Nest Bedding is one of the only companies in the world that grants a limited lifetime warranty for each of their mattresses, the Puffin included. As always, misuse and negligence, such as tears and damage done to the mattress outside of proper use and natural wear, will void this warranty.

In addition, your child will have 30 nights in which they can try the mattress out. If it isn't to their liking, you can return it for free up to a full year after purchase.

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for an affordable and healthy bed for your young child that they could comfortably use until they're around 15 years of age, and allows them to comfortably sleep in any position, then the Nest Bedding Puffin definitely fits the bill.

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