Mamas and Papas Essential Pocket Spring Mattress Review

Charlotte Clarke and her 18-month-old daughter Adelaide tested out the Mamas and Papas Essential Mattress to see how it faired against its competitors.

Mamas and Papas' offering is this pocket sprung design which comes with a washable, quilted cover. ‘It’s a bit uninspiring to look at,’ admitted our tester Charlotte who said the mattress came in blue, plastic wrapping. Looks can be deceiving though and she found that her daughter quite happily settled down to sleep on its firm support.

The Mamas and Papas Essential Mattress doesn’t have much in the way of features but it does come with a soft, quilted washable cover which protects the inner part of the mattress below from spillages and your baby above from dust mites. At £89, this mattress falls into the ‘Budget’ category and generally offers good value and a safe sleeping space for newborns and toddlers.

Available sizes: 120 x 60 cms, 140 x 70 cms | Type: Pocket Sprung | Price: £89.00

Design

This Mamas and Papas cot mattress doesn’t come with lots of fancy extras but it is a decent, run-of-the-mill pocket sprung cot mattress that does what it should. Individually pocketed springs respond to baby's changing weight and movement while a fibre core lining promote airflow and keep baby cool.

It’s pretty firm to touch so would probably better suit a younger baby but our tester’s 18-month daughter had a comfortable night’s sleep. ‘Some toddlers may not like how supportive it is and it bounces back quite quickly when you push it down, but Adelaide is quite easy-going and seemed relatively unfussed,’ said Charlotte. This firmness is due to its inner construction which has ‘crush-resistant walls’ for enhanced support, great for promoting good posture in babies whose bones are still hardening.

Comfort and features

This cot mattress might not boast the features of more expensive brands but it does have a removable, washable cover that is hypoallergenic, soft to touch and has ‘a nice, quilted’ property. Inside the mattress itself is also a wipe-clean inner cover so you don’t need to worry about a separate mattress protector to keep things clean.

‘The washable cover was very easy to remove and put in the washing machine after my daughter had a bad night with a cold,’ said Charlotte. ‘I did notice though that there wasn’t a pouch for the zip. Even though it’s unlikely a baby would find the zip, this would give me more peace of mind.’

Value for money

This Mamas and Papas mattress costs £89 and for the price, you get a good quality piece of nursery kit that’s easy to keep clean. You would need to spend between £40-£50 more to get the next level of mattress and, though this offers less in terms of extras, you can be confident that it’s a safe and quality sleep space for your child.

This is a great choice for anyone on a limited budget who doesn’t care about an all-singing, all-dancing mattress. ‘It’s a good option for parents on babies 2 or 3 who don’t have lots of money to splash out on new nursery furniture,’ says Charlotte.