foam cot mattress with mildew...

[DonnaLouise]

a foam mattress bought last sept and used from december last year has mildew on either side.

I regularly turn it and was shocked to find this time that it was damp and black down the middle on both sides.

I took it back to the shop and they were quite dismissive about it saying they'd never seen anything like that before and that it must have got wet somehow, which, yes, it must have but it was during the course of normal usage.

The shop will speak to the manufacturer this morning (tuesday 29) and call me back later. I don't think anything will happen. Do I legally have a leg to stand on? to my mind the foam mattress is not fit for the purpose it was intended.

cheers.

Have you contacted your local Trading Standards people or a Citizen's Advice Bureau, DonnaLouise? They could probably help you. They should both be in the phone book. Good luck!

Message withdrawn

Which mattress is it? My Mothercare Sleepright one is the same but one side only so it goes that side down. I wasn't prepared to buy a new one for a short period of time figuring DS2 (over 1) would be fine with the washable cover and sheet.

I guess it's the combination of dampness and the plastic waterproof-ness of part of the cover.

Message withdrawn

Donna Louise

Your complaint is with the retailer(Mothercare?) not the manufacturer so don't fall into the trap of being told to deal with them directly. If you do not get a satisfactory response from the shop, ask for the Head Office Customer Services number and a contact name there.

IMO a mattress should not mildew after such a short time in normal use (the cover should be breathable enough to let any moisture out surely), but for all you know it could have been stored in its polythene cover in damp conditions (warehouses are rarely warm) for a while before it even reached the shop and you purchased it - is there a tag attached to the mattress with a manufactured date printed on - I'm sure our pram mattress did but have just checked our cot one and it doesn't.

Good luck with the complaint - I would press for a replacement.

I think if everyone inspected their foam mattresses closely they would find the same. I think it is caused by dribbling sweaty babies - it is amazing how wet it can get. I cleaned mine with vanish soap and tried to stop it forming by folding a muslin nappy over the head part of the mattress to give some protection. I think that only completely waterproof mattresses would not have this problem. Don't know what is currently on the market as my youngest is now 9 years old.

I remember now that this problem was worse on the mattress for the swinging crib. Dh drilled some holes in the base of the crib under the head end to allow more ventilation which helped.
The mildew certainly did not form as quickly as you describe DonnaLouise. Also at the time I did not consider that it was a design fault, but on reflection I think it is. Too late for me to do anything now but I bet lots of parents have had this problem and assumeed there was nothing they could do. Babies do produce a lot of moisture and products should be designed to cope with that. Good luck with your complaint.

The bottom part of my mattress cover is waterproof, the top is breathable with a thin layer of extra foam.

I think ours is fine simply because the mildew's on the bottom, well away from DS. I'm not even going to check what it's like now! DS2 will be in a bed before the end of the year so I don't want to know

Agree that you should deal with the retailer.

Message withdrawn

Personally, I don't have a problem with this if it's well covered (DSs one is). They come into contact with all sorts of moulds etc in the air around etc. I probably wouldn't be happy with a younger baby sleeping on it though.

Message withdrawn

There was a suggestion a few years ago that cot death was linked to mouldy matresses and the fumes given off (an older baby kind of moves away or sits up if it gets too much). Although it was also linked to fire retardants in new matresses. So what do we do old mouly one, or new fire chemical one.

I am using ds1's old mattress (foam) for ds2 and it does have some mouldy stuff on it (away from the head and not too much) . If I had a ds3 I would probably buy a new one though.

Just to confuse us all!