We get the phone call all the time about "What price is a child's mattress?"
There really is a lot that goes into that answer, maybe more than what you can grasp over the phone. First, we would respond back by asking, "How old is the child?" Looking for a mattress for a 2 year old should look different vs a 10 year old. There are very inexpensive mattresses made for very young children. These mattresses have basically only a spring unit within it. No foam, no cushion, and just enough springs to hold the weight of a small child.
Putting a larger child on one of these mattresses will not withstand the growing weight of the child. The mattress will wear out and more importantly, it will not allow the child the proper support as their body grows and matures, It is very important to have a supportive mattress for your back, spin and structure as you are growing. Your posture is developing and so much more as you sleep. Some people note that their babies and children grow a few inches overnight. I remember Lee saying about our son one morning, many years ago..."When did he start being able to see over the kitchen table?" and I swear that it happened overnight. It is a fact that children grow overnight. Sleep encourages the body to develop and the muscles and bones to stretch. The balance of hormones is just right to help lengthen the body. Studies show that while they sleep the growth hormone is able to be released. This tends to remain dormant during times of awake. So a child needs good sleep in the earlier years of life to make sure they grow quickly. As their growth starts to slow down, they don’t need as much sleep on a daily basis. During the teenage years though, the hormones are all over the place, and there is a growth spurt, which could lead to more tiredness and the need for more sleep. The growth hormone isn’t just about height, either. This is the hormone that affects muscle mass , weight and bone density. A child that gets good sleep on a daily basis will find that they have stronger and leaner bodies.
So there are many reasons to buy a better mattress for your child.
Health and growth is most importantly the first reason to consider.
Price may be lower with the lower quality of course, but you will be replacing the cheaper mattress in the near future and therefor you will spend maybe double what you did in the first place.
Buying a more supportive mattress will last longer (especially if any jumping happens when the babysitter is over)
When family comes and the kids move to tents in the living room, your family will appreciate a better mattress as well.
Let's face it...when you end up on the bed, you will appreciate a better sleep as well!
Sleep definitely helps in so many ways. It also grows and withstands our immune system.
During sleep, children produce cytokines, a type of protein. The body needs this to be able to fight off illnesses and infections. The proteins are produced more during illnesses to help promote sleep and encourage anyone to sleep more to fight off the illness. There is a cycle that God has created to ensure our bodies fight off infections as much as possible instead of yielding to them. Children who don’t get that much sleep will find that their levels of cytokines are diminished. This means the body isn’t able to fight off infections as well and it can impact adults later in life.