Unsure about whether to buy a new mattress, any advice?

[KiwiBanana]

We still have the cot mattress we used for DS, it's still in good condition but have read things about it increasing the risk of SIDS. Does anyone know how much of a risk it is?

Money is tight but I obviously don't want to put my baby at risk!

I'm not sure of risks but would get a new one, I got one from ikea and it was a good price.

Every time I've seen this question on mn all people have advised to get a new one :) x

Get a new one. I wouldn't take any risk no matter how small.

Not sure anyone could give you a definitive risk and even if they could that wouldn't remove the worry that your baby could be the 1. I would buy a new one.

I would say it depends how old your son is and how the mattress has been stored (up in the loft for 3 years would be a no for me). The main risk is getting a second hand mattress from a new house. In my case I will not be buying new as DS will vacate the cot and DD will go straight into it.

From a different household was what I meant to say.

I reused mine, but there was only 18 months between my DDs so it hadn't been in the loft or anything. If you are a low risk for SIDS anyway then I would just reuse it. By low risk I mean non-smoker, full term baby etc.

Eek I just don't know! Would be interesting to actually see the research but I can't seem to find a link to it.

DS is 4 now and used it for 2.5 years, has just been sat in the spare room since then.

I'd buy a new one. You can buy a basic foam one from Mothercare for around £30.

Kiwibanana... I kind of totally agree with you, I cant really see that a mattress that has been used could cause SIDS and I saw the stats on here recently, cant remember where they had came from and they were TINY. HOWEVER, if, god forbid, the worst did happen I would always be questioning whether it was because I didn't spend that extra £40/£50 on a new mattress.

I think I will just find the money and get one. Even if it's a small risk it's still better not to take that chance.

If anyone does have a link to the research though then the geeky side of me would love to see it!

The NHS has said if a waterproof cover was used on the mattress, it is safe to reuse. They recommend this between siblings and not taking a stranger's word for it.

there is a very small increased risk but especially if the mattress was used by another family rather than a sibling - less risk when used in the same family.

I reused dd's mattress for ds as it had a removable washable cover and the mattress itself was fully waterproof and could be washed down.

The Lullabytrust (used to be sids.org) says this:

We have been given a cot and mattress second-hand. Is it safe to use with our new baby?

Generally we would advise it is safest to have a new mattress for each baby, though we know this is not always possible. There is some evidence to suggest that bringing in a mattress from another home might increase the risk of sudden infant death very slightly.

When using your own mattress for a second (or more) time, ensure it is still firm and flat with no tears or holes, and is not sagging in places. Thoroughly clean the waterproof layer and ensure the mattress is clean and dry before making it up with fresh bed clothes

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/file/-----internal-documents/Fact-Sheet-Mattresses-bedding-and-cots.pdf

The risk is to do with mould spores inside the mattress that you can't see, I don't know how big the risk is though or if they'd get inside a completely waterproof one in the first place