Foam Mattresses
There are two major components in a foam mattress, the foam and the cover. I'll talk about foam here and later I'll talk about covers.

Twenty years ago the quality of foam was such that after a period of time the foam in mattresses would harden, become brittle, and break off in chunks inside the mattress cover. Since then, foams have improved and the only time something like this could happen is if a manufacturer purposely put a style of foam in the mattress that wasn't designed to be in a mattress in the first place. For example, our foam suppliers have recently warned us to be on the lookout for competition with lower cost foam crib mattresses that are very firm that use a type of foam designed to be used in the packaging industry and which do not hold up over time.

There are three aspects of foam that determine its quality. The first quality feature is weight. Weight is almost synonymous with density. Generally, the heavier the foam mattress the better. The second quality feature of a foam mattress is firmness. Generally, the firmer the mattress the better. The third quality feature of a foam mattress is its resiliency, i.e., its ability to quickly regain its original shape when weight is removed from the mattress. The faster it regains its shape the better the foam.

Are you confused, yet? Just remember to buy a foam mattress that is very firm, heavier in weight and, quickly regains its original shape after you take the weight off the mattress.

Innerspring Mattresses
By the very nature of the multiple layers inside an innerspring crib mattress, there is more to talk about with innersprings and, more things upon which to judge the quality of innerspring mattresses. This also makes it a little more complex but, bear with me and I'll try to simplify.

What is important in an innerspring crib mattress is the number of layers it has and, the quality of each of those layers. The most important layers are the innerspring unit itself and, the insulator pad layer. Most people think that the greater the number of coils in an innerspring mattress then the better the innerspring unit. Not so. This wrong belief is so ingrained in peoples minds that I have to say it again, the greater the number of coils does NOT necessarily mean the better the mattress. The better innerspring unit is almost always the innerspring with the most amount of steel, of which coil count is only one small factor. The largest pieces of steel in an innerspring mattress are border rods which circle the top and bottom of the mattress along the edges of the mattress. Border rods provide extra edge support which is important for toddlers who hold on to the crib rails and wander back and forth and, the border rods also help provide a better weight distribution over the surface of the mattress which reduces the risk of developing mattress sagging and 'soft' spots. Border rods do not add appreciably to the cost of the mattress but, they do add a lot to the quality. Look for a border rod in your crib mattress. As for the coils themselves, at the same time you look for the number of coils you should also look at how thick those coils are. Mattresses with 150 coils or less will usually have a 13.5 gauge steel coil or thicker. Remember, the lower the number of gauge of steel, the thicker the steel. Greater than 150 or 160 coils in a mattress physically requires that the gauge of steel in the coil be thinner due to space requirements. A 150 coil mattress with 13.5 gauge carbon tempered steel coils and 9.0 gauge steel border rods is a good all-around crib mattress.

The other most important layer in a crib mattress is the insulator pad. This is a pad that lays on top of the coils and prevents the soft cushioning layers on top of the mattress from sinking into the coils over time. The best and most expensive material used in a mattress insulator pad is coir fiber. Coir fiber is actually made from shredded coconut shell made into a mat or pad. Many other materials, all of them less expensive and of lower quality, are used as insulator pads. The most common insulator pad is a pad made from miscellaneous types of scraps of cloth collected from the floors of textile mills, washed, and pressed into a pad. This type of insulator pad feels as good on the new mattress in the store as the better coir fiber pad but, it does not hold up as well over time. Many crib mattress manufacturers call this material a fiber wrap pad. In actual fact, this type of pad feels more like a felt pad.

The remaining layers in an innerspring crib mattress are the cushioning layers, i.e., the layers that make the mattress soft. Almost everyone uses at least one foam cushioning layer. Some manufacturers use two foam layers. One manufacturer uses a foam layer and a 100% all natural cotton batting cushioning layer. The cotton batting adds an initial softness to the mattress that does not detract from the overall firmness of the mattress.