This blog is intended as a resource for parents looking for a mattress that will fit the Birch Montessori Floor Bed and/or the Sosta Bed. We know this is an important transition for parents and children alike, and we hope parents feel empowered and educated to make the proper decisions for their unique child. If you'd like to learn about specific safety regulations for children's bedding, our Bedding Recommendations blog can be a helpful resource. 

Jump To:

• What Mattress Should I Get
• Mattress Safety Guidelines
• Community Mattress Recommendations
• Infant Sleep Recommendations
• Mattresses to Consider Avoiding
  
  

What Mattress Should I Get

Birch Montessori Floor Bed

Crib Size: 52" L x 28" W

Twin Size: 75” L x 38" W

Full Size: 75" L x 54" W

Sosta Bed

Twin Size: 75" L x 38" W 

In order to allow a child greater independence to use the floor bed without assistance, we suggest a mattress thickness of 4-8 inches. We encourage this because a thinner mattress allows the child greater independence to get in and out of their bed without assistance. If you’d prefer a thicker mattress, perhaps consider your child’s height and if they’ll be able to utilize the bed on their own. 

The Sosta Bunk Bed requires a mattress thickness of 4-8 inches for the top bunk. Never use a mattress that exceeds 8" on the top bunk. The surface of mattress must be at least 5" (127mm) below the upper edge of the guardrails.

Mattress companies have different standards for how much variation is allowed within their mattresses. Some companies have a small amount of variation, while others’ sizes can vary up to an inch. Their standards are continually updating and changing, which makes it difficult to give specific brand recommendations. For the most accurate information, we recommend you reach out to the mattress company you are considering for your child and ask them for their variance standards. 

Mattress Safety Guidelines

It is important for your child’s mattress to fit snugly in the bed frame. If the mattress is too big and is forced to fit inside the bed frame, the quality of the mattress may be compromised. If the mattress is too small, gaps between the mattress and the bed frame can lead to entrapment. (Entrapment is when a child’s body or limb becomes trapped between the mattress and the bed frame, or between the bed frame and the wall, and they are unable to free themselves. This can result in injury or death, depending on the severity of the entrapment.)

Children are curious and love to explore their environment. We encourage you to prepare their sleep environment with their curiosities in mind and prepare for any and all safety concerns.

Community Mattress Recommendations

Below you’ll find the top 5 mattresses we have heard be recommended by customers who have used them with a Sprout bed frame. As we have not seen every mattress in person and do not know the variance, we can NOT guarantee that they will fit in your bed frame. We don't get any perks from these links, they are just customer recommendations on mattresses they were satisfied with. We ask that if you have any negative experiences with any of these mattresses contact us so we can update our list.

Newton
Brentwood Homes Juniper Mattress from Costco
Nest BKB- Puffin

If you are hoping for mattress details, we recommend reaching out to the mattress company. Here are the top things to consider and ask about: 

1. What is the recommended mattress firmness for your child’s age? 
2. What kind of airflow do they recommend for your child’s sleeping style? If they are a hot or cold sleeper, how will this affect how much airflow they need? 
3. What level of size variance do they allow in their mattress? 

Infant Sleep Recommendations

Please note that we can never advise whether a child is ready for a certain bed or not. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations prevent companies from selling beds that are not enclosed as products for infants under 15 months. Many families choose to switch their children earlier than 15 months. We say that ultimately, as a parent you'll know what's best for your child to meet their specific needs. The Montessori way promotes growth at a younger age, which can contradict safety regulations, which is why we defer that decision to you as a parent. 

We recommend that for the sake of your child’s safety, you conduct in-depth research into the firmness needed for your child’s mattress, as there are greater concerns for sleep safety the younger the age of your child. 

If you would like to learn more about specific mattress recommendations for children and infants, check out these links: 

Mattress Clarity

Babylist Article 

Mattresses to Consider Avoiding

Please note that the following mattress companies consistently manufacture mattresses that do not fit our bed frames. We do not intend to shame these companies by listing them here; rather, we seek to provide you with information so that you can make an informed decision. 

Avocado Mattress 

We have heard of experiences with customers purchasing the Avocado mattress that worked just fine, but we also had customers share experiences with the Avocado that have been negative. The Avocado mattress has a high degree of variance that can make the mattress either not ideal in the frame, or not fit at all. Below are photos of the mattress on top of the frame, or squished into the frame. Their posted measurements of the mattress would allow the mattress to fit, but Avocado's allowed variances keep this from being certain.

"We make our mattresses a tad bit larger than crib dimensions so they fit snug, eliminating gaps between the mattress and crib and we also allow for up to a 1" in variance from the advertised dimensions"- Avocado

Naturepedic Organic Mattress

While we have had some customers purchase the Naturepedic Organic Mattress without any problems, other customers have found that the mattress was too short, even though the dimensions on their website are within the recommendations for the Sosta Bed. This was acknowledged by Naturepedic as a sizing issue on their end, but we want to make our customers aware of it as well. 

Helix Mattress

This mattress was advertised as meeting the recommended 75" length, but when the customer received the mattress, it only measured 71" in length. 

Leesa Kids Mattress

This mattress was previously recommended, but a customer recently reached out to let us know that there was significant gapping between the mattress and bed. 

 Please note that we are not a mattress company. Our Customer Support agents are not trained or qualified to answer questions about mattresses aside from giving the mattress size we recommend to fit in our bed frames. As such, we defer to the expertise of mattress companies when it comes to providing the most accurate information regarding the specific type of mattress your child needs for a safe sleep environment.