Moses basket - do we really need a new mattress?

[redhead78]

We've had a moses basket bought for us (I know it came from a charity shop but other than that don't know it's origins) and have read that you should always get a new mattress is you use a second hand cot/moses basket. However, the mattress in the basket is a waterproof one ie; totally wrapped in a waterproof material and sealed up.
If the mattress was just like a normal foam mattress that couldn't be cleaned properly I could understand the need to buy a new one, but surely just disinfecting this one should be enough, shouldn't it?

No you don't.
There was a big flap about this after Anne Diamond's baby died but the science was flawed. Apart from anything else, it would mean kids using hotel cots would be dropping like flies.
If it looks to be in good condition, clean it with Dettox and use it.

there is a slightly increased risk of SIDS with a second hand mattress that has come from another family rather than having been used for a sibling. I would buy a new one as you dont know the history of the old mattress - at least they are fairly cheap.

I re-used a cot mattress between dd and ds but they were siblings and I knew the mattress history

from the lullabytrust website (the SIDS website):

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.

From a charity shop I would definitely replace the mattress. You don't know where it has been stored and for how long. You can get a replacement for a tenner, which is a very small price to pay in order to have one less thing to worry about.

Wow I hadn't even thought of this. I gave my crib to my sil who used it on both her DC (I too used it on both of mine) and I'm pregnant again and I wouldn't have remembered to replace the mattress.

I wonder is it because we don't know another family's hygiene, of they're smokers etc? I think the guidelines say it is ok to use among siblings in the same house.

I can understand the reasoning behind not knowing if it's come from a smoking household etc I just thought that with it being completely waterproof it might be different to a non-waterproof one. I'm just terrified of turning into a neurotic mother that panics and worries about everything!!

I paid £5 for a new Moses basket mattress from asda, it's really not worth the risk IMO :)

When I got one handed down from my cousin I didn't get a new mattress for DS, and plan to use that one again for DC2.

We bought another moses basket second hand on ebay (just for the stand because ours was broken, I was planning to throw out the basket but it was beautiful and I couldn't bear to). Cost the grand total of £2.20. So I chucked the mattresses and bought a new one for a tenner.

Of course now we still need a stand for the original moses basket

we have been given a crib and travel cot. I have new mattresses for both.