Second Hand Cot Mattress?

[morgan78]

We have been buying a 2nd cot from a lady a couple of doors up from us and today she has offered to give us the mattress for free. I know it has been used by both of her grandchildren and was hoping to get other peoples thoughts on whether we should/could use it for our little one. If so how would you clean it...i was thinking about sticking in the sun for a couple of days

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated

[Visitor7]

You can get mattresses steamed clean just like you would carpets. How old is the mattress? I think it's the SIDS foundation who suggestion not to use second hand cot mattresses for your baby though, so keep that in mind.

[Nai]

Yes, the SIDS foundations don't recommend you use a second hand cot mattress.

However, we also got a mattress with our second hand cot and found that it was useful to have a spare eg. during emergencies such as gastro events when the usual mattress suffers an "incident" or to keep under the cot to pull out easily when you need to bunk down on the floor of bubs bedroom for those difficult nights. It has also been useful to put next to the toddler bed too if bubs falls out of bed. Another handy use is for visiting toddlers to sleep on as a spare bed.

[morgan78]

Jodi - i was under that impression but when i checked out their website it appears they have changed their minds

October 2005
Information Statement Second Hand Mattresses There has been recent media attention in relation to a theory that there may be a link between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Recent media reports have been warning parents not to re-use cot mattresses in the belief that S. aureus in foam mattresses is the trigger behind 50% of cot deaths. 1, 2 SIDS and Kids has reviewed the research to date and has found that there is no evidence to show that there is an increased risk of SIDS for babies who sleep on their back and on a firm, clean, well fitting mattress that is in good condition.

This was the intro to a 3 page fact sheet.

[Visitor7]

Thanks for that info, I didn't realise it had changed.
Like I said, you can get mattresses cleaned, and then probably leave them out in the sun to dry, to kill off any nasties that might still be hanging around?

Nai - good idea having a spare around the place. God knows how many times that would have come in handy whenever Nina had gastro or something.

[~breeze~]

Jodi - i was under that impression but when i checked out their website it appears they have changed their minds

October 2005
Information Statement Second Hand Mattresses There has been recent media attention in relation to a theory that there may be a link between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Recent media reports have been warning parents not to re-use cot mattresses in the belief that S. aureus in foam mattresses is the trigger behind 50% of cot deaths. 1, 2 SIDS and Kids has reviewed the research to date and has found that there is no evidence to show that there is an increased risk of SIDS for babies who sleep on their back and on a firm, clean, well fitting mattress that is in good condition.

This was the intro to a 3 page fact sheet.

Wow, I dont think many people know they've changed their recomendations... me included (until now!)
Thanks for sharing, I know there are alot of people who simply cant afford a brand new mattress & this will ease their minds knowing their not putting their precious baby in harms way as long as the mattress is clean, firm & well fitting in a good condition.
I'll be using DD's cot mattress for my son when he needs it (he's not yet born hehe) so I'm one who will be using "second hand", although I know it's definately clean & well looked after

[ShootingStar]

My sister gave me Jesse's cot with a matress she used for her kids. Its in perfect condition as she always used matress protectors on it and also has a built in matress protector. We're using it for Jesse and will for Keira. Im happy to use it as i know who used it prior and know its not coming from smoking or pet house hold. So i guess its personal choice when it comes to that.