When I was preparing my second daughter’s nursery, there was one thing I knew I did not want: The same crib mattress as my first. My older daughter’s mattress did the job just fine; it was firm and waterproof. But it always struck me as noisy — as if the waterproof cover and spring coils squealed with her every movement — and I worried it kept her from sleeping deeply. Plus, after a cross-country move, despite being fully protected, it ripped on both sides, which made me feel that it was cheaply constructed.
So the second time around, after doing a lot more research, I decided on the Naturepedic Organic Cotton Crib Mattress. I had seen Naturepedic time and again reviewed as one of the best baby mattresses available in terms of safety, comfort, and support, and the company is also one of the expert-picked 2024 Cubby Nursery Award winners. The Naturepedic mattress I chose was much more expensive than what we picked for my eldest, but after months of use I know we’ll be using it until our baby is ready to graduate to a big-girl bed.
Here’s my review and why I think it was absolutely worth the price tag.
What I Look for in a Baby Mattress
Let’s start with what I look for when selecting a baby mattress.
My Review of Naturepedic Organic Cotton Crib Mattress
My baby slept in a bassinet from birth until we transitioned to a crib at around six months, which is when I purchased this mattress. She’s been sleeping on it ever since then, and is 14 months old now.
One of the first things that struck me when I opened the box that the mattress came in was how thick and sturdy it was and how high-quality it seemed. It felt so much more dense and hefty than my older daughter’s mattress, and I couldn’t imagine it ripping easily.
Over the next few months, I saw that it was indeed very well-made. Unlike our other baby mattress, the Naturepedic doesn’t make a sound when my daughter rolls around on it, likely due to its wave spring inner core. There are a few options for this mattress — one of which is a wave spring interior, and another being an innerspring coil option. The latter costs $30 extra, but because our other noisy mattress has coils, I decided to skip them.
On that note, this mattress actually comes as three different options. The first, and cheapest, is the simple lightweight cotton mattress for $269. The second option, which we chose, is the lightweight two-sided mattress with a second softer side for toddler use. And then finally, is the innerspring two-sided version for $329.
The Naturepedic fits our Babyletto crib (another Cubby Nursery Award winner!) perfectly and works with standard fitted crib sheets.
After good health, there is really nothing more important to parents of infants than sleep. It’s hard to come by and anything we can do to encourage it is of paramount importance, which is why I’m so happy to have a mattress I like that I know my daughter will happily sleep on for years.
No, a mattress can’t guarantee your baby will be a good sleeper, but it certainly can only help if they’re comfortable on it.
Here’s what else really stood out to me.
There isn’t too much I dislike about this mattress, although there are few things to keep in mind.
