New mattress for second baby or OK to use existing one?

[Taurean]

I know SIDS recommend not using second hand mattresses but is it really unsafe to use the mattress you've used for your first born for for your second child?

We have a really good quality inner-spring cot mattress for our Boori cot which we bought brand new with our cot. DD has been sleeping on it since she was 10 weeks old. She's still using it now (in her toddler bed) but she'll be in a normal single bed before our next baby arrives in late Dec so the mattress will have had a bit over 2 years use. Do I really need to buy a new mattress for #2?

[Taurean]

I should have consulted good old Google first I just found the following, it seems like the 'rules' have changed. Yay!

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.

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 the
back and on a firm, clean, well fitting mattress that is in good condition.

Sleep baby on a cot mattress that is the right size for the cot, is firm and clean and in
good condition with no signs of damage. A soft mattress can increase the risk of SIDS if
baby rolls over onto the tummy. Make sure there is no more than a 25mm (1 inch) gap
between the mattress, the cot sides and the ends of the cot as a baby or toddler can
become trapped between a poor fitting mattress and the cot sides. This is especially
dangerous if their face is trapped and covered, or their neck is restricted in any way.

[Redhead]

Glad you posted!
We bought a Boori cot off Ebay and the mattress came with it, didn't even think that it could be a problem!

[Taurean]

No probs! I'd get a new mattress if I didn't personally know the people I'd bought it from though. I'm a bit funny about mattresses though but I know the history with ours and can count on one hand the amount of times DD has wet through her sheets and thrown up in it

[Trillian]

We used the same cot mattress for all 4 of our kids - we never took the plastic off it when we brought it and always had a protector over it. SIL is now using it as well. Personally, I always thought it was bollocks to *have* to change the mattress each time and I'm glad the research now points to that being the case.

[NaeNae]

I'd get a new mattress if I didn't personally know the people I'd bought it from though.

Yep same here, also don't do seconds in sheets even though they can be hot washed

[minniemouse]

we got a new mattress because over time there had been nappies that had leaked wee through or the occasional vomit that gets on it and you can't clean those sorts of things too well (how i wish you could put them through the wash lol)

[Eenee]

With my mattress I can wash the entire outer shell of it. One of the reasons I brought it.

[Liz]

Well there's no way I'm buying a new queen mattress each time I have a baby and cosleep

We used the same cot mattress with our first two (not that they used it much).

I prob wouldn't use a 2nd hand one from someone else tho but def reuse for siblings.