TOPIC:

I feel like I am lost in a sea of crappy or too expensive mattresses. FIrst off. My husband and I are in our early 20's. He works a labor intensive job and I have back pain from a bad epidural. We both started having back pain and it finally dawned on us that it was from our mattress. Then it started sagging. We bought the mattress 3 years ago from an outlet store for pretty cheap. It's a king size Beauty Rest. I just walked in and bought a mattress thinking "It's name brand. It will be great" No. Just no.

I have read a bunch of info (here and on sleeplikethedead) and looked at tons of mattresses online. I have come to the realization that for a firm mattress that will last longer then a couple years, latex seems to be a top choice. The problem with that is our budget doesn't seem to allow for a latex mattress. I understand that it's an important purchase and you get what you pay for to some extent but I can't pay with money I don't have. Our budget is around $500-700, not including a foundation or bed to set it on and a protector. I'm feeling like it is impossible to find something at that price. I know that we absolutely want to avoid a memory foam that less then 4lb density.

The other major factor in our choice is that we bed share with our son. He is almost 2 years old. But we also plan on having more children within the next few years. I prefer to be able to co-sleep because getting in and out of bed all night to nurse every 2 hours is pure hell. Will a foam mattress cause a baby to roll toward us like on an air mattress? I've tried a few memory foam mattresses or toppers but never with a little one present. With co-sleeping we also really need a king size bed. Foot to moms face seems to be a favorite position for our son and I will seriously never sleep again if we downsize.

The Dreamfoam 12 in 1 customizable mattress seems to be a good choice for us but I'm not sure if I feel this way out of frustration or fatigue. LOL. I'm just a tired mom

I also have to say THANK GOODNESS I didn't toss our money out for one of the popular foam mattresses from Amazon like I intended before I found this site. Sketchy quality at best.

Hi vade11,

Just in case you haven't read it yet ... the first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice ... and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

I feel like I am lost in a sea of crappy or too expensive mattresses. FIrst off. My husband and I are in our early 20's. He works a labor intensive job and I have back pain from a bad epidural. We both started having back pain and it finally dawned on us that it was from our mattress. Then it started sagging. We bought the mattress 3 years ago from an outlet store for pretty cheap. It's a king size Beauty Rest. I just walked in and bought a mattress thinking "It's name brand. It will be great" No. Just no.

Unfortunately most of the major brand mattresses use lower quality materials in the comfort layers of their mattresses which are a weak link in the mattress and much more likely to soften or break down prematurely. I would tend to avoid major brands or any mattress where you aren't able to find out the quality and durability of the materials inside it (see the guidelines here ).

I have read a bunch of info (here and on sleeplikethedead) and looked at tons of mattresses online. I have come to the realization that for a firm mattress that will last longer then a couple years, latex seems to be a top choice. The problem with that is our budget doesn't seem to allow for a latex mattress. I understand that it's an important purchase and you get what you pay for to some extent but I can't pay with money I don't have. Our budget is around $500-700, not including a foundation or bed to set it on and a protector. I'm feeling like it is impossible to find something at that price. I know that we absolutely want to avoid a memory foam that less then 4lb density.

You are certainly in a lower budget range but there are better and worse quality options available in every budget range and it's just as important to make sure that you choose higher quality and more durable materials in lower budget ranges as it would be in higher budget ranges. Some of the better options or possibilities I'm aware of that are available in your budget range are listed in post #4 here . You are just inside the budget range where a latex/polyfoam hybrid is a possibility as well.

The other major factor in our choice is that we bed share with our son. He is almost 2 years old. But we also plan on having more children within the next few years. I prefer to be able to co-sleep because getting in and out of bed all night to nurse every 2 hours is pure hell. Will a foam mattress cause a baby to roll toward us like on an air mattress? I've tried a few memory foam mattresses or toppers but never with a little one present. With co-sleeping we also really need a king size bed. Foot to moms face seems to be a favorite position for our son and I will seriously never sleep again if we downsize.

Post #2 here includes some guidelines for children's mattresses and links to some of the better forum posts and topics about mattresses and children but If you are planning to co-sleep with a baby or an infant I would tend to avoid memory foam completely (see post #2 here ).

Air displaces under pressure so it would tend to have more "roll together" than a foam mattress but it will also depend on the specifics of the foam mattress and the firmness of the support core and the thickness and firmness of the comfort layers. You will sink in more to softer mattresses which will create a deeper "valley" that your baby can roll into if they are close to you. It will also depend on the specifics of the material and how "point elastic" it is (how well it conforms to the shape of the body without affecting the wider area around where it is being compressed).

The Dreamfoam 12 in 1 customizable mattress seems to be a good choice for us but I'm not sure if I feel this way out of frustration or fatigue. LOL. I'm just a tired mom

The Dreamfoam certainly uses high quality and durable materials for its budget range (2 lb polyfoam) and it also has good options to customize the firmness of the comfort and support layers after a purchase so it would certainly be one of the options that are available in your budget range that would be well worth considering.

There is more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress that can help you identify and minimize the risks involved with each of them in post #2 here and there is also more about the most important parts of the "value" of a mattress purchase in post #13 here that can help you make more meaningful comparisons between mattresses in any budget range.

There may also be some good options available to you locally and if you let me know your city or zip code I'd be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I'm aware of in your area.

Phoenix

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will definitely read the posts you mentioned and have already read some of them.
I am interested to see if there are any places where we could try mattresses in person within a reasonable distance, we live in a rural area. I'm leaning toward the 12-in-1 because I can adjust the layers. But I am also tinkering with the idea of the Dreamfoam Ultimate Dreams Latex. I have never felt a latex mattress so I don't really know what to expect. That's my biggest hang up with that one. What if I hate latex? After reading more about how you sleep IN memory foam I have realized it is probably a poor choice for co-sleeping.

Hi vade11,

I have never felt a latex mattress so I don't really know what to expect. That's my biggest hang up with that one. What if I hate latex?

The only way to know whether you like any material or type of mattress is to test it in person or sleep on it. This is why it's always a good idea with any mattress that you aren't sure would be a good "match" for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) to factor in the options you have after a purchase to "fine tune" the mattress by rearranging or exchanging layers or exchanging or returning the mattress itself as part of the "value" of any mattress purchase just in case your choice doesn't turn out as well as you hoped for.

After reading more about how you sleep IN memory foam I have realized it is probably a poor choice for co-sleeping.

I would agree that memory foam isn't the best choice for a baby or a young child.

Phoenix

My zip code is 46534. I would certainly be interested in knowing where some retailers might be located.

Hi vade11,

My zip code is 46534. I would certainly be interested in knowing where some retailers might be located.

The better options or possibilities I'm aware of that are in reasonable driving distance from you (subject to the guidelines here ) are listed in post #4 here .

I did take a look to see if there were any other local options that were a little closer to you but I didn't see anything closer than the options on the list that I would consider.

Phoenix

Phoenix wrote:

factor in the options you have after a purchase to "fine tune" the mattress by rearranging or exchanging layers or exchanging or returning the mattress itself as part of the "value" of any mattress purchase just in case your choice doesn't turn out as well as you hoped for.

Just wanted to add my experience so far with the 12-in-1. It's a really good value when you look at what's out there, but I found it was not quite comfortable enough to be happy with in the long term no matter how I arranged it, due to lower back issues. It seems most people that get it are happy with it though. For me, and I suspect most people, talalay latex is a better material for a bed, but it's also far more expensive.

The good news is that Chuck at Dreamfoam is easy to work with, and he gave me a good deal on a mid-soft latex 3 inch "topper" that I'll be using to replace the softest layer on the top of my 12-in-1, giving me a more elastic body conforming comfort layer. So something like that is also an option beside just returning it, if it doesn't work out.

I've been going back an forth between the Dreamfoam 12-in1 and the Dreamfoam Ultimate Latex. I just don't know. The other issue is I have to also find a platform bed with slats that is in our budget and will work with the mattress. That is proving to be a whole different beast.

Hi vade11,

I've been going back an forth between the Dreamfoam 12-in1 and the Dreamfoam Ultimate Latex. I just don't know.

The choice between latex and polyfoam comfort layers would primarily be a preference choice but the only way to know for certain which one you tend to prefer will be based on your own actual testing or personal experience. As you know the 12 in 1 customizable also has many ways to customize the mattress while the Ultimate Dreams latex is a finished mattress that doesn't provide the option to change the firmness of the comfort layers after a purchase. They also have a Eurotop version which allows you to exchange the firmness of the latex comfort layer which may also be worth considering although the cost is higher. If you purchase either one of them from the Dreamfoam site then you would have the benefit of the additional 10% discount (compared to Amazon) and you would also have the benefit of their 45 day comfort trial as well so the "worst case" risk of choosing a mattress that didn't work well for you would be the $99 return fee.

The other issue is I have to also find a platform bed with slats that is in our budget and will work with the mattress. That is proving to be a whole different beast.

There is more about the different types of support systems that are suitable for different types of mattresses in the foundation post here that may be helpful. Some of the wire grid platform/foundations are a low cost choice that may be worth considering.

Phoenix

We ended up ordering the Dreamfoam 12-in1. If we decide later that we would like to add latex to it then that's an option. I placed the order through Amazon (didn't realize it could be ordered on their site) on the 3rd. It's already here!!? That was crazy fast. I wasn't expecting it until Monday. Now we have to paint and put new flooring down. The anticipation is going to kill me.