Panda Mattress Topper review: "a butter-soft layer of luxury"

Price on writing: £99-£199 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Mumsnet editor Poppy tested the Panda Mattress Topper over the space of a month in her home. Sleeping on the cooling topper every night, she took detailed notes on its ease of use, cooling effects, comfort and quality.

Read next: The best cooling pillows for a great night's sleep

Our verdict

Whether you're a hot sleeper, suffering from night sweats or just trying to get through a heatwave, keeping cool at night can be a struggle. Placing a quiet fan near your bed, or even investing in a portable air conditioner goes a long way toward cooling down your bedroom, but when you want to snuggle down in comfort, cooling bedding is in order.

Mumsnet users swear by the Panda Mattress Topper, both for cooling down their nights as well as transforming a too-firm mattress. With Mumsnetters calling it "bloody marvellous", "amazing" and "bliss", we decided to see for ourselves, and it did not disappoint.

While I'm not too fussy when it comes to bedding - I don't need the very best mattress or bed sheets in order to doze off - I've always found memory foam to be too soft and a bit claustrophobic. For me, the Panda topper added just the right amount of softness on top of my medium-firm mattress, giving a nice, gentle support.

While it did arrive with that classic new memory foam smell, it faded enough to become unnoticeable within two nights.

When it comes to night sweats, the topper doesn't seem to prevent or lessen them, but it does create a more comfortable atmosphere. Its moisture wicking properties mean sweat is drawn away from your body, so you feel drier and more comfortable even on hot nights.

Read next: The best air coolers for summer

How easy is the Panda Mattress Topper to set up?

The Panda Mattress Topper comes tightly rolled and boxed, so it does take a few hours to settle and become flat. It's best if you can unroll it onto your mattress in the morning so it has a good stretch of time (12-16 hours is recommended) to flatten out and lose the ridges you can see in the picture.

The topper has adjustable straps at each corner to hook under your mattress, plus a non-slip layer, so it stays put really well. At 2 inches thick, it does add a considerable amount to the height of your mattress, so you may struggle to get a fitted sheet on, or even find you now need extra-deep bedsheets instead.

Once it'd had a few hours to breath and settle, the topper was ready to be slept on. We did have to put up with the memory foam whiff for the first night, but on the second night it was barely noticeable.

Read next: The best neck fans for keeping cool on the go

What's the Panda Mattress Topper like to sleep on?

In a word, blissful. The feeling of the Panda Mattress Topper is hard to describe - it's cosy without being warm, cool without being chilly and supportive without making you feel like you're sinking into it. I could still feel the support of our medium-firm mattress underneath, so the topper is like a butter-soft layer of luxury.

The topper definitely makes our bed cooler and more comfortable to sleep on, and when night sweats strike, it dries and regulates the temperature under the covers, making it easier to fall back to sleep.

Does the Panda Mattress Topper offer good value for money?

One of the situations we see the Panda Mattress Topper recommended most is when a Mumsnet user has invested in a new mattress and regretted their purchase. Mattresses are both expensive and a pain to get rid of, and the Panda Mattress Topper has come to the rescue of many a Mumsnetter.

At £99 for a single, up to £200 for an Emperor size, the Panda Mattress Topper isn't cheap, but when compared to buying a new mattress, it's a bargain.

Similarly, if you've been tossing and turning due to overheating at night, the Panda topper will certainly cool down your sleeping environment. It's hard to put a price on a better night's sleep, so we give this topper our seal of approval.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing baby and child products for 2 years, with a particular focus on baby essentials, toys and books for toddlers and outdoor play equipment. From potties to paddling pools and bunk beds to bedtime stories, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.

After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and a PGCert in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from University of the Arts London, she worked in fashion for most of her 20s. When her children were young, she undertook an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester and re-trained as an author and freelance writer.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.