Best Mattresses for Kids

Our Expert’s Take

With its flippable design, the Helix Kids can accommodate your child as they change and grow, earning it a score of 4.5/5 for support. The firm side works best for kids 3 to 7 years old in all three sleeping positions. When they get older and need more cushioning, turn the mattress over to the soft side for added pressure relief. Although this bed features a classic innerspring design, the firmer side contains a layer of polyfoam and the softer side a layer of gel memory foam, promoting proper support for your child no matter their age. 

What We Love About the Helix Kids

• The Helix Kids features a cover made of Tencel, a hypoallergenic material that can reduce moisture and bacterial growth, helping your kids stay healthy.
• The Helix Kids stays quite cool at night, which is great for kids who tend to overheat and kick their blankets off as they sleep.
• There is extra reinforcement around the edges of the Helix Kids, ensuring that your kid won’t easily roll right off the bed. Our testers rated this bed a 4.5/5 for edge support.
• GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certifications.

What to Keep in Mind About the Helix Kids

• If you’re shopping for a child older than 12 years old then you’ll likely want to consider something a bit more substantial than the Helix Kids. For a list of mattresses that can accommodate teenagers, check out our article on the best mattresses for teens.
• Because this bed has an innerspring construction, it scored a 3/5 for motion transfer. This shouldn’t be a huge problem, however, for a child who will be sleeping alone.

Read our full Helix Kids mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Mattresses for Allergies for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

Memory foam can be a great material for a kids mattress. It cradles the body and can help alleviate pain caused by injuries from sports or whatever trouble kids can get into these days. The Nectar is made entirely of memory foam, and it has the classic feel of a memory foam mattress. It’s slow-moving, contouring, and great at absorbing motion, earning it a score of 4.5/5 for motion transfer. The Nectar feels just a bit firmer than medium-firm, which should help keep kids’ spines in a straight, healthy alignment.

What We Love About the Nectar

• The Nectar has a very reasonable price tag, coming in at $599 for a twin. Since your child will likely outgrow their first mattress by the time they’re a teenager you might not want to invest too much.
• The Nectar almost feels like it’s enveloping you in a cushiony hug. Also, memory foam is a bit harder to move around on top of, which can prevent a child from rolling off the bed while they sleep.
• Foams meet CertiPUR-US standards for content, emissions, and durability.

What to Keep in Mind About the Nectar

• This mattress sleeps a bit hot, as the foam layers tend to trap body heat rather than allowing it to escape. So, if your kid prefers to stay cool at night you may need to crank the AC up a little bit.
• The Nectar doesn’t provide a ton of support, earning a 3.5/5 score from our testers. Your child might find it less and less comfortable as they grow, especially if they’re on the taller side.

Learn more in our full Nectar mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Memory Foam Mattresses for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

The Bear Cub mattress has a hybrid design that should be pleasantly springy, allowing your child to switch sleeping positions with ease. This mattress isn’t just great for kids who are restless throughout the night, however. Active kids of all varieties should find the Bear Cub does a good job of supporting recovery through spinal support and pressure relief. It also is the perfect bed to jump around on in case your child gets a burst of energy before bed. 

What We Love About the Bear Cub

• The Bear Cub comes in two different colors. So, if you have two children, especially twins, they will be able to have their own unique mattress styles.
• The Bear Cub is constructed with a heat-dispersing gel memory foam, which should help with temperature regulation for kids who sleep hot.
• GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certifications that Bear stated display their “commitment to the highest quality products,” according to the Bear website.

What to Keep in Mind About the Bear

• Bear recommends the Cub mattress for children under 150 lb, so if your kid has an early growth spurt you may need to upgrade their mattress sooner than expected. 

Stay tuned for our full review coming soon. Or, check out our list of Best Mattresses for Athletes for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

As a parent, it can be tough to make the right call for your child’s growing body. But what if there was a mattress out there designed with growing bodies in mind? A bouncy innerspring mattress called the Saatva Youth could be the solution. As a flippable bed, it has a side for 3 to 7 year olds and a side for 8 to 12 year olds. For support on both sides, there’s a layer of 13.75-gauge recycled steel coils at the center of the structure. This layer helps earn the Saatva Kids a score of 4/5 for support.

What We Love About the Saatva Youth

• The Saatva Youth has a flippable design that specifically accommodates growing children. One side is quite soft with a 5-zoned support layer, making it great for most kids between 3 and 7 years old, while the other side—with a high-density comfort foam—offers more support, making it more suitable for kids between 8 and 12 years old. 
• This mattress has great edge support, scoring 4.5/5 in that category. So, if you buy your child a twin they’ll be able to get maximum use out of the entire mattress surface, since the perimeter likely won’t sag under their weight.
• CertiPUR-US certified, meeting standards for for “health and environmental safety,” according to the Saatva website.

What to Keep in Mind About the Saatva Youth

• This might be a little bit more expensive than you were hoping to pay for a kids’ mattress. If you’re after something a bit cheaper, consider the Nectar. 
• The layer of 13.75-gauge coils make the mattress very bouncy, so if your child is partial to a memory-foam feel, you may want to look elsewhere.

Read our full Saatva Youth mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Flippable Mattresses for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

If you’re looking for a hybrid mattress for your child, look no further than the Nolah Nurture. Like many great hybrid mattresses, the Nolah Nurture features a great balance of comfort and support for all sleeping positions, earning it a score of 4.5/5 for support. It is also flippable—with a soft side and firm side—and is designed to give your child the comfort they need as they grow. Being flippable, it is also a durable mattress and should be a good long-term investment. We expect the Nolah Nurture mattress to last 10 years.

What We Love About the Nolah Nurture

• The Nolah Nurture’s hybrid design makes it a good match for kids who sleep hot, with the bed earning a score of 4.5/5 for cooling ability. It features a layer of 6” steel coils that allow for a great bit of airflow through the mattress. These coils might cause discomfort for  adults, but create adequate support for young, lightweight sleepers.
• An organic cotton cover and organic wool layer keep the top of the mattress nice and cool.
• GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certifications.

What to Keep in Mind About the Nolah Nurture

• The Nolah Nurture has poor edge support, scoring a 3/5, according to our tester. This means that as your child moves toward the edge of the mattress, they may notice some sagging. This can be a big problem on a twin mattress, since surface area is already so limited. If good edge support is a priority for you and your kid, consider the Saatva Youth instead.
• Your children may outgrow the Nolah Nurture, but Nurture offers the Nolah Natural 11” and the Nolah Signature 12” models if you need to size up.

Read our full Nolah Nurture mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Hybrid Mattresses for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

It’s essential that a child sleeps on a mattress that can accommodate lightweight sleepers, and the Brooklyn Bedding Essential is up for the task. Brooklyn Bedding’s Ascension X coils—independently-moving steel coils—help keep your child’s hips slightly elevated while layers of high density base foam allows them to sink below the mattress surface enough to feel cozy. Our lightweight mattress tester felt great when she slept on the Brooklyn Essential on her back. 

What We Love About the Brooklyn Bedding Essential

• We gave the Brooklyn Essential a score of 4/5 on our edge support test. This is important for children who tend to move around when they sleep, as they’ll be likely to want to use as much space as they can on their mattress. 
• As your child grows, you may need to replace their bed sooner than you expect. Luckily, the Essential mattress won’t break the bank. A twin size mattress retails for $532.
• Brooklyn Beddings says their foam is CertiPUR-US certified, as it lacks mercury, lead, and other heavy metals.

What to Keep in Mind About the Brooklyn Bedding Essential

• Surprisingly, this mattress did not keep us cool when we tested it, earning only a 3/5 for cooling ability. While not the hottest mattress we’ve ever tested, if you’re after something especially cooling we would suggest the Helix Kids instead. 
• If your child finds comfort sleeping on their stomach, side, or is on the heavier side, you may want to explore alternative beds. One of our testers—weighing more than 270 lb—only experienced extreme discomfort on his stomach.

Read our full Brooklyn Bedding Essential mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Mattresses for Back Sleepers for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

There are a lot of reasons you might be interested in an organic mattress for your child: hypoallergenic materials, free of harmful chemicals, sustainably sourced and manufactured. The Birch Kids Natural was designed specifically to meet these desires. In addition to having eco-friendly traits, the Birch Kids Natural is flippable; one side is firmer than the other, so as your child grows you can flip the mattress to accommodate their needs.

What We Love About the Birch Kids Natural

• The Natural’s flippable design has a significant amount of value, as instead of purchasing a new mattress when your child needs something firmer to accommodate their growth, you can simply flip the mattress over.
• Many mattresses contain materials that can aggravate a child’s allergies. The materials used in this mattress are naturally hypoallergenic, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
• GREENGUARD Gold and eco-INSTITUT certified. Birch says its goal is to “always have our quality and your safety in mind,” according to the Birch website.

What to Keep in Mind About the Birch Kids Natural

• This mattress is more expensive than most of those featured on this list. A twin will run you around $998 before any sales. This is typical of organic mattresses but might affect your decision to buy if you’re on a budget. If you’re after something cheaper, consider the Leesa Kids.

Stay tuned for our full review coming soon! Or check out our list of Best Organic Mattresses for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

Whether they’re a kid or an adult, stomach sleepers tend to need a firmer mattress with a ton of support. This keeps their hips lifted and aligned with their shoulders, preventing them from sinking too far into the mattress, causing discomfort. Scoring a 5/5 for support by our testers, the all-foam Plank Firm might be the ideal bed for these folks. 

What We Love About the Plank Firm

• The Plank Firm is one of the firmest mattresses we’ve ever tested, clocking in at a 9/10 on our firmness scale, making it a great option if your child sleeps on their stomach. The sturdy surface will keep their hips nice and elevated, helping to ensure proper spinal alignment.
• It’s a flippable mattress that comes with both a firm side and an extra-firm side. Stomach sleepers should be comfortable on both, depending on their size and weight.
• The foam used in the Plank Firm is CertiPUR-US certified.

What to Keep in Mind About the Plank Firm

• The Plank Firm doesn’t excel at cooling, an unfortunate factor that can be attributed to its all-foam construction, which tends to trap heat. We measured the surface temperature of the Plank Firm with a thermal camera after it had been rested on for several minutes. We noticed that it trapped a decent amount of body heat, as it went up 4.5 degrees. If your child often complains about sleeping too hot, then you might want to consider a mattress with cooling features. We recommend looking at the DreamCloud mattress.
• If your child sleeps on their side, then we highly recommend you steer clear of the Plank Firm. It isn’t soft enough to provide side sleepers with the pressure relief they need for a good night’s sleep.

Read our full Plank Firm mattress review for more information. Or check out our list of Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

Helping your kid stay cool without sacrificing support is an important part of making sure they receive a good night’s rest, and the Leesa Kids is up to that task. It’s made with a breathable cover for cooling benefits, and three memory foam layers stacked on top of one another provide both comfort and support. 

The top layer is made with soft foam that can help with contouring. The second layer is a denser foam that may help with joint-pain relief, which can be very important for growing kids. The base layer is the densest of the three and provides reinforcement for the rest of the mattress. 

Leesa also markets its Kids Mattress as being a great option for children who are ready to transition from a smaller mattress—or a crib—to a twin-size or full-size bed.

What We Love About the Leesa Kids

• The Leesa Kids is made with CertiPUR-US® certified non-toxic foam. Basically, this means that the materials used have been vetted by outside parties to ensure safety and environmental sustainability. You can read more about these types of certifications here. 
• This mattress has a low profile, so it works well with bunk beds or short bed frames. This will make it easier for your child to get into and out of bed.
• GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US® certified.

What to Keep in Mind About the Leesa Kids

• Though we can’t speak to the quality of this mattress directly, we do know that foam mattresses tend to have less responsiveness than hybrid mattresses, according to prior testing notes. If your child likes to move around in bed, they may have difficulty doing so on this mattress. 

Stay tuned for our full review coming soon! Or check out our list of the Best Cooling Mattresses for more great options!