Mattresses for kids

You need to pay as much attention to choosing the right mattress for your child as you would for yourself.

There's not nearly as much information available about kids' mattresses as there is for adult sizes, but choosing a mattress that supports your child properly is incredibly important; here's why:

Growth

Your child is growing all the time. It's incredibly important that their spine gets the support it needs whilst your child is sleeping. It needs to mould to the contours of their body so that they're comfortable all night. The growth hormone is only produced when they sleep, so it's vital that your children get the uninterrupted sleep they need to maintain healthy growth.

Learning

Research carried out at Harvard University has shown that we need to sleep in order for our brains to assimilate the things we've learned during the day. The Harvard research showed that students who stayed up all night studying performed less well in tests than those who studied during the day and slept well at night. A good night's sleep on a supportive mattress will help your children to retain the things they've learned at school during the day.

Attentiveness

Children who don't sleep well are less attentive the following day. A lack of concentration can affect both their learning and behaviour in school. Ideally, children should not have televisions, games consoles or computers in their room. Studies suggest that even having these items in your room and switched off can have a negative impact on your quality of sleep, and the same is true for your kids. They need a comfortable, uninterrupted night's sleep in order to ensure that they are fresh and active in the morning.

Health

The presence of dust mites and their droppings in mattresses and pillows is often the cause of allergies such as asthma in children. For this reason don't accept or buy a second hand mattress for your child, always buy a new one. Air it every day by leaving it unmade for at least 30 minutes in the morning and vacuum it regularly to remove as much of the accumulated dust as possible. Wash bedding at 60° on a regular basis to help reduce the numbers of dust mites.

Most parents look at the styling of the bed they're choosing rather than paying attention to the type of mattress that goes with it. If you're shopping for a bed and mattress for your child, take them along and get them to try out the mattresses available so that they can tell you which is most comfortable for them. As adults, we spend one third of our lives in bed - for smaller children, the figure is closer to 50%, which is why it's so important that they are comfortable.

Mattress Next Day is probably the largest mattress superstore on the internet. Selling a wide range of mattresses from leading manufacturers, we can offer quality mattresses at fantastic prices. Our next day delivery service is free or, if you prefer, you can select your own delivery date. We can even guarantee delivery before 9.30am on request. Take a look at our range of mattresses now at www.mattressnextday.co.uk, or call us on 0844 3911 222 for more information.