10 cot mattresses to help your baby (and you) sleep soundly

Score: 97/100

Our winning cot bed mattress comes from Snuz, a brand that also featured in our round-up of the best cot beds.

It’s a double-sided mattress that features a 3D breathable mesh cover to keep your baby comfy throughout the night. The pocket springs inside provide support as your child grows, offering a soft yet firm surface, which our panellists appreciated.

Once your baby is old enough, you can also unzip the cover, remove the interior pads and transform the sleep surface into a softer mattress. The waterproof cover is washable too, so it's easy to keep your baby’s mattress looking and feeling fresh.

Available in both a standard cot or cot bed size, or specifically to fit the matching SnuzKot bed, this is a well-designed and worthy winner.

Score: 92/100

Coming in a close second is this natural fibre mattress from The Little Green Sheep. It contains materials including natural cotton, coconut coir, latex and wool, which are all chosen for their moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating properties to keep your baby cool and fresh overnight. There are no chemicals or toxins either and the cotton cover also helps protect against dust mites.

This is another dual sided mattress with a firm wool side designed for younger babies, and a soft, yet supportive latex side for toddlers, which means it will last your little one for the first few years of their life.

We’d have liked the mattress to come with a washable cover, but you do have the option to add a mattress protector to deal with any spills or stains.

Score: 92/100

Wool is a fantastic material for a cot bed mattress as it’s naturally fire-resistant and helps to regulate body temperature, which was a hit with one of our at-home testers, who said their baby didn’t wake up on hot, sticky nights.

Taking full advantage of wool’s breathable properties, this mattress combines comfortable layers and filling with a coconut coir core for added support and firmness.

Both our panel and expert appreciated the eco-credentials of this design, with all fibres sourced and made within 35 miles of Manchester, minimising the carbon footprint and making it a truly British-made product.

While Woolroom doesn’t have a matching cot, it offers both a standard cot and cot bed sized mattress, as well as one to match Boori’s bespoke cot bed size.

Read our review of Boori’s cot bed in our best cot beds roundup.

Score: 92/100

The second Woolroom mattress on our list – this time, made to fit a crib, rather than a cot (so make sure you check the specs of the bed, crib or Moses basket you have at home). It's made from locally sourced British wool, which is naturally flame-retardant and will help to regulate your baby’s body temperature throughout the night. It also contains coir fibre in the centre to add support while the British wool and Alpaca fibres and the organic Lancashire cotton cover help to enrich the sleep experience.

Woolroom offers bespoke sizes on request, and each mattress comes with a five-year warranty so you can be confident it’s made to last.

Score: 87/100

If your little one loves to roll around at night, investing in a really good pocket spring mattress could make all the difference, as each section of the mattress reacts as they move, and then returns to its proper position, making it a good choice for stability.

Each of the tiny pocket springs is encased in a thick layer of nursery-grade foam to provide extra comfort and our at-home tester was pleased to find it was a perfect fit for the Obaby Maya Cot Bed.

Plus, the polypropylene cover provides a splash-resistant, removable and washable sleep surface, which alleviated any concerns about keeping it clean.

Score: 87/100

This double-sided mattress from IKEA has a firm side that’s suitable from birth and a softer side that can be used when your baby is over a year old.

Our tester was impressed with the breathability of this one and found the cover easy to unzip and remove. It was a breeze to clean too – just pop it in the washing machine at 60 degrees and leave to dry. The cover’s zip also has a neat pocket to help keep it away from curious little fingers.

With its foam core, this mattress may not last as long as a sprung design and may compress when used with an older, heavier child. But, for a budget buy, our panel was impressed with its snug fit and comfy sleep surface, which proved a hit with their little ones.

Score: 85/100

We love Simba's adult mattresses so we weren’t surprised by the strong performance of its cot bed mattress on test. Boasting eight layers, there’s a lot packed in to keep your little one supported and comfortable.

There are layers of Simba’s unique ‘Renew’ recycled fibres to add comfort, and a responsive Aerocoil layer with springs for support and edge-to-edge stability for toddlers. On top of that, there’s a water-resistant inner lining for durability and freshness. One side is slightly firmer, while the other offers more cushioning, which. Means it should last your baby for a few years too.

As one of our panellists said, “It’s pricey, but for a good reason.”

Score: 77/100

Perfect for adding to an heirloom Moses basket that you may already have, this fibre mattress will be firm and flat enough for your newborn and doesn’t need springs or fancy features, as it will be used for a relatively short time for your baby’s sleep.

Our tester liked this mattress for its firm inner recycled fibre pad, which will support your baby’s spine, and for its affordability. It also has no PVC (toxic plastic) in the cover, making it safer for your little one and the breathable, polypropylene mattress cover is water repellent and aids airflow, helping to regulate your baby’s temperature.

Score: 77/100

Designed only for use with the Boori Sleigh cot bed (reviewed in our round up of the best cot beds), this is another great natural fibre option with a double-sided design to suit your growing baby. On one side, there’s a compact coconut layer, which is perfect for younger babies, while on the other side, the pocket springs offer a softer, more responsive surface for when your baby can roll over in the night.

This mix of natural fibres offers the best of both worlds and means the mattress is chemical free too, which was a popular feature with one of our at-home testers. In both the real world and the lab, the machine washable cover was a lifesaver, helping to keep cots clean, with minimal fuss.

Score: 72/100

Our tester appreciated the firmness of this fibre mattress, which is made from recycled fibres and zero toxic plastics.

As it’s designed without springs or coils, it is likely to compress over time, so that’s something to bear in mind if your child always sleeps in the same position. However, the mattress is reversible so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you turn it frequently. It’s also a good value option if you’re looking for a cot bed mattress for occasional use – such as at a grandparent’s house.

It comes with a cover that’s machine washable at 60 degrees – perfect for reducing the presence of dust mites, harmful bacteria or fungi.