I’ll be honest. I was not expecting to go thru stress and research when trying to decide which crib mattress to buy for our newest family member. Every time we have got a mattress for the somewhat normal size people in the past, it was the same process. We put it off forever, and then, when we can’t take it anymore, we head to the local mattress store where we lay down awkwardly in the show room. All the while, I am sure a very nice in real life, salesperson stares at us while we try to decide in a few moments which mattress I am going to spend “a 1/3 of my life on”, right? Not very comforting and relaxing, but pretty straightforward.
But now, when trying to decide for our newest, much smaller (not to mention, no offense, not very articulate) family member – it became exponentially much harder. Car seats, I could handle. I read everything I could, found the safest one I could find that would not cost as much as the first semester in college for my newest lovable, but slightly wallet-draining bundle of joy. But mattresses? How do I know it is the safest choice, the smartest choice, the most comfortable choice, and also be environmentally friendly – maybe it would be more pleasant to lay awkwardly in a store and pretend I was asleep.
We looked, we read reviews, we asked around, and while we were certainly the life of every social gathering and conversation with our mattress talk, we did find some truths that I thought I should share…
First, we wanted it to be safe. We kind of figured that every mattress that is on the market must be safe, or it wouldn’t be on the market – right? And I guess that is true, but like car seats, there are some pretty big differences in a product that “meets requirements” and ones that meet and exceed the requirements, certifications, etc.
Second, we want it to be comfortable. Listen, when baby sleeps, life for all lifeforms in the home is much better.
Third, we wanted it to be healthy for our baby and the environment. If this small mini-person is going to be in this bed all the time, we want it to be safe and comfortable, but also be made of good “stuff”- no smell, natural materials, etc.
Forth, Value. Look above at comment about wallet-draining, there are a lot of things to buy for this newest, non-income producing member of the family.
After all our discussions and research, we came to the conclusion that there are several good options (and lots of not-so-good-options) to choose from – and spoiler alert (not really, this is a review, after all), we picked the Colgate Eco Classica III.
We looked at lots and kept coming back to the Colgate. This crib mattress business is new to us, but not to them. It is a family owned in the good ol’ USA for 3 generations. I am sure they have forgotten more about mattresses then I will ever know. (and remember, I know enough to bore people to tears, just ask me)…
Safe - It checks all the marks for certification and safety (that whole meets and exceeds thing)
Comfortable – ok, didn’t sleep on it personally, but (another spoiler alert), our pride and joy sleeps soundly. It is waterproof but doesn’t have any “crinkly” or “plasticky” feel. It has what they call a “Dual Firmness” design, which is actually very important (foreshadowing value conversation). Cover is made of certified organic cotton. And, We LOVE that this mattress can be flipped over to a softer side that is perfect for toddlers. No need to buy another one for a toddler bed. It is pretty sweet.
Enviro-stuff – (my term, not theirs, but maybe I should trademark). The core of the mattress is made of something they call “Eco Foam”, it is made of plant oils and is a CertiPUR certified safe foam. Cover is made of certified organic cotton. No smell, no emissions (from the mattress, the baby – now that is a different story)
Value –There are other mattresses with a similar feature set to the Colgate, but to get comparative comfort, durability and Eco-stuff, they seemed to all be pretty expensive. The Colgate just seemed to have everything we wanted at a decent price. It also helped knowing that Colgate is a 3rd generation crib mattress company. These people have been doing this a long time. I trust that.
Ultimately, we decided on the Colgate Eco Classica III because it “checked all the boxes” – quality, safety, Environmental, and made by a company that people trust. Now, if they would just make a “adult” mattress for us, it would keep us out of the awkward mattress stores forever…
| Product Dimensions | 51.6 x 27.25 x 6 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | EC600F |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Material Type | Cotton |
| Care instructions | Hand Wash Only |
| Additional product features | Durable,Waterproof |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Eco Classica III |
| Batteries required | No |
| Specification met | certified frustration-free |
| Item Weight | 9.44 pounds |
