What Is The Best Mattress Type For Children?

Children do best with a medium or medium-firm mattress. Pure foam mattresses are an excellent option for young children because they have no bounce and provide optimal support in all sleeping positions, but innerspring mattresses are good too.

Open coil and pocket sprung mattresses are bouncier than pure foam mattresses and deliver the best support and responsiveness.

Most children’s mattresses are rated medium or medium-firm because they are thinner than regular mattresses (typically 12cm to 18cm thick), so they have denser foams, increasing the support level.

Choosing a pure foam or sprung mattress comes down to personal preference – you can’t go wrong with either mattress technology. Both are suited to all ages and provide optimal comfort for little sleepers.

Innerspring mattresses for children

Innerspring mattresses have the advantage of greater support and more bounce. You have two main options with innerspring mattresses:

Pocket springs – these are sewn into individual pockets and operate independently, responding to your child’s movement. They offer the best support and longevity, with a good pocket sprung mattress lasting a decade.

Open coil – open coil mattresses have a bed of interconnected springs. The spring bed operates as a single unit, delivering excellent support but not zoned support – it means a bouncier bed with excellent edge support.

Foam mattresses for children

Pure foam mattresses are squishier and have better motion isolation than sprung mattresses, and you have two main options:

Memory foam – these comprise core support foam with a top layer of squishy memory foam. The memory foam contours to your child’s body, providing a cloud-like sleep while the support foam keeps everything stable.

Reflex foam – a cheaper option, reflex foam springs back instantly (unlike memory foam, which holds its shape). This foam is more responsive than memory foam, and some children prefer it because it makes tossing and turning easier.

Our favourite children’s mattresses

Jay-Be is the best-known children’s mattress brand. Their mattresses are scientifically developed for children, offering a healthy sleeping environment with anti-allergen covers and eco-friendly materials.

The limitation with mattresses designed specifically for children is they are thinner, so they are not as suited to older children as regular mattresses.

With that in mind, here are our favourite options for all ages:

Jay-be Pocket Sprung Anti-allergy (£204)

The Jay-be Pocket Sprung Anti-allergy is a pocket sprung mattress with a 100% natural probiotic remedy infused into the mattress fabric. It’s 18cm thick, offering excellent support with a fibre comfort layer that is highly breathable.

 Pictured: Jay-be Pocket Sprung Anti-allergy 3FT Single Mattress

Jay-Be Foam Free (£144)

The Jay-Be Foam Free is an eco-friendly, sprung mattress with open coil technology, delivering good support and a bouncier feel. At 16cm thick, it’s ideal for all beds and suited to children of all ages with a medium feel.

 Pictured: Jay-be Foam Free Sprung 3FT Single Mattress

Silentnight 7 Zone Memory (£249)-

The Silentnight 7 Zone Memory is perfect for transitioning your child to a grown-up mattress. It’s 20cm thick with an impressive 3cm of memory foam, with an encapsulated edge to prevent roll-off and maximise edge support.

Silentnight Classic Miracoil Memory (£239)

The Silentnight Classic Miracoil Memory is a fantastic all-rounder, featuring edge-to-edge support, a Miracoil spring system and a top layer of memory foam. It’s 23cm thick, making it ideal for older children and teenagers.

Can my child use a regular mattress?

Kid’s mattresses are designed to support less weight than regular mattresses, so a medium or medium-firm kid’s mattress will feel very soft to you. Likewise, a regular mattress will feel firmer to your child, even if it is rated soft for adults.

You can use a regular mattress, but we recommend only doing so for children over eight so that the support system isn’t too firm for them.

The Silentnight mattresses listed above are perfect for older children and will stay suitable throughout your child’s teenage years. If your child is under eight, we recommend sticking to a kid’s mattress like the Jay-Be products above.