Mattress for baby strollers: the secrets of choice and care recommendations

The choice of a mattress for a child must be approached responsibly, since his health depends on it.

It is important to consider that the mattress in the stroller or baby bed will be used actively at first. Therefore, it should be as comfortable and safe as possible: without metal fasteners, buttons, ties, zippers, thick seams. Various modern hypoallergenic coatings and removable covers from natural fabrics provide hygiene, protecting the delicate skin of the child. Such accessories for babies will create the desired temperature regime, favorable conditions for supporting the back and forming the spine, will help avoid its curvature.

If you want to ensure a quiet sleep of the baby, the mattress must be matched in size depending on the model of the stroller (its length and width), otherwise it will periodically move out, thereby disturbing the child. Inaccuracy in choosing the size of the product can result in trauma to the newborn, when the leg or handle gets stuck between the wall of the stroller and the mattress.

In the first months of a baby’s life, parents should choose a mattress in a stroller responsibly, since in infancy the muscular corset is weak and the spine is fragile, but it is during this period that the foundation of a healthy organism and its musculoskeletal system is laid.

Often we opt for mattresses with orthopedic properties with spring blocks and a small diameter of the springs. Such a system carries both a therapeutic role and a prophylactic (in the spine). An independent unit ensures normal blood circulation and uniform body support.

For young children, it is preferable to purchase a springless version of the bed, with a constant and even load on the baby’s spine. Such mattresses are based on breathable, safe, eco-friendly and synthetic modern fillers with an appropriate ratio of materials and cost.

The stroller, equipped with a mattress with ears, maintains cleanliness, and the existing recess will not impede movement, which will ensure a comfortable position of the newborn in a dream.

In cold weather, such materials retain heat, and in the heat the baby does not sweat. Flax has antiseptic properties, cotton fabrics withstand high temperature treatment.

In the color scheme, quiet colors with less dyes are preferable. Sometimes an anatomical pillow is sold with the cover, which is recommended to be placed under the mattress.

Universal mattresses used in wheelchairs, highchairs and car seats are convenient. Their shape assumes slots for belts, water-repellent materials are used for manufacturing, there is a possibility of using them from two sides (winter - summer), dependence on the weather is excluded, other useful functions are present.

A small child in a stroller is better to put a hard mattress with natural filler:

• One of the hypoallergenic options are mattresses made of coconut fiber. They do not absorb moisture, have good orthopedic properties, regulate the temperature, have high rigidity.

• Linen filler - natural antiseptic, suitable for newborns in density, creates the appropriate microflora. The disadvantages include its ability to absorb moisture and high cost.

• Seaweed - eco-friendly material with an aromatic effect, contains trace elements, does not accumulate moisture. The disadvantage is a short lifespan, since soft material is used.

• In the cold season, the accessory made from wool (sheepskin). Often such a filler is used in double models, where one side has fur and the other flax, thereby providing air circulation and retaining heat.

• Modern latex seals They are excellent in their qualities of hypoallergenicity, elasticity, wear resistance. They get along well in bilateral models (winter and summer) with coconut and flax fibers. Latex can be found artificial and natural (from the Milky Juice Hevea). Natural material after thermal and chemical treatment has good elasticity, porous structure, does not lose its antiseptic properties and has a relatively high price.

By artificial, but still popular materials include:

• Polyurethane foam (latex substitute). It has positive orthopedic characteristics, but cheap options can cause allergic reactions in a child.
• Cotton (cotton) base it competes with other variants only in price, but in operation it quickly acquires a lumpy structure, gets loose, absorbs moisture (especially in wet weather), and it is difficult to fight it. A large mass of cotton is a good environment for the accumulation of skin microparticles and the growth of bacteria. The heat capacity of the mattress often contributes to overheating of the body and rashes on the body of the child, and the thickness makes the wadded mattresses soft.
• Similar accessories in a carriage can be met also from foam rubber. The low price of such products does not provide the parameters of hypoallergenicity, rigidity, wear resistance.

Currently, it is not difficult to make the right choice when purchasing children's goods. Famous manufacturers guarantee quality:

• Russian-Italian company Lineaflex (Tore branch - Italy) produces orthopedic mattresses, hard and medium hard, breathable, with natural and synthetic high-quality fillers, durable, with covers from natural materials. In the expensive version you can buy mattresses with springs "Bonnel".
• Successfully produces orthopedic and anatomical mattresses Russian company Afalina. In their production, all-cross-cutting technologies, environmentally friendly materials that quickly restore form, taking into account the characteristics of the body of newborns, are used. Accessories are equipped with covers of quilted jacquard or natural fabrics and at the same time have an affordable price.

• Brand Vegas (Belorussia) offers high-quality mattresses made with the latest technology. For babies, a smooth and tough sleeping surface is proposed, based on coconut copra (external coconut fibers) impregnated with latex, thereby achieving resilience and flexibility.A nice addition is the Frotte terry cloth case - environmentally friendly, pleasant to the touch, providing regulation of moisture and air, creating a perfect microclimate. Popular models of mattresses for kids are Teddy and Coco.

• Universal mattresses are produced by Ceba (Poland). Convenient double-sided models (made of polyester on one side and cotton on the other) are also suitable for strollers. High quality certified materials create a safe and comfortable environment around the newborn.

Buying a children's mattress in the stroller, it is desirable to pay attention to several components. For example, an accessory must necessarily be selected according to the size of the cradle, in order to avoid its deformation, empty seats on the sides or excessive creases. It is necessary to pay attention to the degree of rigidity, which is very important for the emerging organism of the newborn. It is preferable to buy a bilateral basis with the subsequent possibility of choosing the right side.

Save the mattress and ensure hygiene is easy, but even when choosing it is better to pay attention to the features of care. Frequent use of the accessory can lead to the formation of irregularities, which can adversely affect the body of the baby. In order to avoid this, it is advisable to regularly turn the mattress from one side to the other, straighten it and air it, prevent accumulation of dust and dirt in the wheelchair, improve air exchange.

Mattress covers and covers are recommended to be cleaned in dry cleaning or washed at home once or twice a week, because after waking or sleeping a child, stains and dirt remain in the wheelchair. The rules of washing depend on the materials of which the product is made, and are usually indicated on the packaging.

Safe environment around the baby - the main criterion when choosing a bed. Children are susceptible to allergic pathogens and abnormal body position. Therefore, when choosing a bed, it is necessary to avoid synthetic materials, preferring environmentally friendly, natural. In the stroller is better to use hard, double-sided mattresses. Also, the presence of a cover or mattress topper, which can be used both for the stroller and for the crib.

For more information on how to choose a mattress for the pram, see the following video.