Why do you have to buy a new mattress?

[2catsand1rabbit]

A friend of mine has kindly lent me her moses basket. Two babies have slept on it. I have heard that you should buy a new mattress, why? It has a plastic cover.

It's got something to do with the chemicals inside it I think.

Unless there's been a change in research, there is a higher incidence of SIDS where people use a mattress from outside the family (siblings sharing a mattress doesn't have the same effect)

And depending on the babies, it may have been vomited on a lot

The same friend pointed out to me that she spent a week in hospital with her baby and it must have slept on a mattress in hospital that hundreds of babies must have previously slept on! I think I'll just dettol it.