1. What was your overall impression of the Emma Cot Mattress?
The mattress seemed comfortable (I tried lying on it too when it arrived); firm but with more give in it than our previous simple mattress. The outer cover seemed well made, with no loose threads etc. It arrived in a compact box and I did not find it had a chemical smell when I took it out.
One gripe, with the courier rather than Emma, is that I had an email from Emma to say my mattress was at the DPD Ireland depot and I would receive an automatic email once it had been shipped. There was also a tracking number, which said my delivery would come on the Tuesday. I never did receive an email to say it was out for delivery, and although I was luckily in when DPD dropped it off early in the morning on the Monday, i.e. a day before it was due, this could have been irritating if I'd been out. As I said, I suspect this was a DPD issue rather than an Emma one.
2. What would you say are the top three features of the Emma Cot Mattress?
The mattress feels well-made.
The mattress is supportive and firm whilst still having some "give" in it.
The mattress core is fully covered in waterproof material, but this is not overly crackly (but admittedly not the most silent waterproof material I've seen on a mattress).
3. If you washed and replaced the cot mattress cover, how easy did you find this? If you didn’t, how important is this feature to you?
I did have to wash and replace the mattress cover due to a bit of wee leaking onto it. The outer cover washed well and I was impressed by how dry it already felt coming out of the washing machine. Meanwhile, if the mattress needs to be used before the outer cover is ready to be put back on, the inner, waterproof layer is still encasing it.
The inner cover is waterproof on the inside but feels like fabric on the outside. I have seen from the label that luckily this is washable too (I think most would want to have the option of washing it as it could probably get stained or smelly if enough leaked through the outer cover). However, on my particular mattress the zip seems to be jammed and I am unable to get it off so far. (The zip pulls on both covers are also enclosed, for safety - the idea is to prevent the child from unzipping the mattress covers. In practice, because of the fact the pull is tucked in in this way, I found it fiddly getting the outer cover off (couldn't get the inner one off at all) and would probably just leave the zip pull outside the enclosed fabric next time. But it's good there's the option of tucking it in for those wanting this safeguard.
A benefit of the outer cover is its breathability, so there is a good mix of the safety of waterproofing with the breathability of the outer layer. That said, if the cover were needing to be washed a lot it could get annoying having to take the whole mattress out to unzip it and potentially also the inner cover. In that sense, a fitted waterproof sheet over the top might be easier in practice.
In the past, with a smaller cot (rather than a cotbed), I had used a mattress with a waterproof "easychange" cover which zips off from the top surface only and is instantly replaceable with a spare. This was very convenient as it was quicker to change than having to lift the whole mattress up to change the cover (but I did always worry a little that there could be leaks down the side). However, it would be no bother to put a waterproof sheet over the top of this Emma mattress.
Overall, I have found this to be a very versatile and convenient mattress so far. I was previously using the cheapest cotbed mattress from Ikea and although that was in all honesty absolutely fine, I do feel this mattress is more comfortable and will last better as a toddler bed mattress. I think it is expensive compared to what I would normally buy, but worth the money for those who can spare it (especially in the larger toddler bed size rather than the cot size, as this will get more use over years).
Thank you very much for providing the opportunity to use and review this mattress.