Would you buy a 2nd hand cot bed mattress

[Goodliz]

Sorry, I am not sure if posting in the right place but I wanted to get some opinions.

The time will be coming soon for me to sell a cotbed and junior bed. Both with nice mattresses - all John Lewis. I don't know whether to bother advertising the mattresses as I am not sure whether people feel safe to buy them. The advice seems to be that 2nd hand cots are fine but the mattress has to be new.

The mattresses are not stained as they have always had protectors on them. Does anyone think it is worth advertising them? The only reason for selling is that the kids will be getting bunk beds at some point.

Thanks.

[The Nappy Lady]

Hi Liz,

I think people may buy them, for instance, if you can't afford a brand new mattress better to get a very clean, good quality 2nd hand one.

I did some investigating when I was having my 2nd baby, and whilst there was general advice to have a new mattress for each baby, this was followed up with some good common sense information to say that actually a lot of it is about how a mattress has been used and stored....the main issue with old mattresses is that if a baby has been sick (or had leaky nappies) on them, then over time if it has been stored in damp conditions then spores can grow, and those spores can be dangerous to a newborn.

In my case, I had a very good quality mattress with a zip off top that could be washed, and a waterproof layer between that and the mattress itself...so little danger of problems. It had been stored in a sealed bag in a dry environment. We therefore used it again for baby number 2, despite the 4 year gap. I think lots of people use the same mattress for more than one baby in the same family at least.

If in doubt it is possible to have a mattress cleaned, and then, in summer at least it could be well aired before use. I know someone that does mattress cleaning if anyone needs details if that would help....

So, I would say, advertise them and see if they go...even if it is for free to a family who are less well off. Unless of course you decide to keep one of them pushed under the new bunk beds as a handy spare bed for sleepovers?!

Best wishes, Molly

[Goodliz]

Thanks Molly. I never thought of keeping one for sleep overs but that is a good idea and I could do that with the oldest one. The other one is about 2 and a half years old and is a really good one (I ordered it by accident!). So when we find some bunk beds I'll advertise the mattress with the cot bed too. Thanks for the feedback.

Liz

[pebbles]

Hi Molly

Would I be able to have the details of your mattress cleaning person

Thanks

Sally

[lorraineliyanage]

I wouldn't mine buying a clean secondhand mattress for my daughter when she moves into the cotbed, she'll be about 2 then and if it was in a good condition i wouldn't feel the need for her to have a brand-new one at that age.

[The Nappy Lady]

Hi Pebbles,

Dayon for mattress, carpet and general house cleaning; 07956 512362

My friend had both her son's matresses cleaned after they had measels back in the summer and was very pleased with him.

Molly