do i need a new mattress?

[issywoo]

just wanted to know the reasoning behind having to get the 2nd child a new cot mattress? our daughter slept in hers for 2 years and its like new but i've been told i need to buy a new one for the new baby (which i don't mind doing) - can anyone explain why this is? and what do i do with the old one?

Depends on how much wear the first mattress had. We had a really expensive M and P natural coir one for ds who wasn't big but it had really sagged by the time he moved to a bed at 2.4 so we decided not to use it for dd. Replaced it with a Mothercare sprung one which seems to have held up much better. I was also a bit paranoid wrt SIDS although the last advice I read (on MN) was that it would be fine to reuse a mattress in the family but not secondhand.

I posted this link recently: bbc news item

There is a small increased risk of cot death with second hand mattresses from other homes , but no proven risk with a hand-me-down from a sibling. The person who told you to get a new mattress will have seen the general statistics without looking at the ones from the same home, I guess.

PS read elsewhere that you shouldn't reuse a mattress if it looks worn at all but it sounds like yours is fine.

My kids sleep on my old matress at my parents - bought in 1965 I think

has done all of us three and our 7 kids

It might be worth having a look inside your mattress cover, before deciding what to do (this might mean unpicking the stiches and resewing them later. I did when trying to decide whjat to do, and ithe mattress was revolting inside. 2 and a half years worth of dribble and vomit had seeped through, so although it looked fine on the outside, I wasn't going to put another child on it. I suppose if the mattress is waterproof it would probably be OK.

Sil informs me that she is going to be buying a new mattress for her dd's cotbed next month as when she bought it she was told to replace it after 2 years.

Personally I have better things to spend my money on. Baby no2 will get a new mattress but dd will stay with her old one until it sags. It is waterproof and comes with a removable washable top cover so should be OK.

My moses basket matress was used for dd.then nephew and then a freinds baby so i think i'll get a new little matress when i have another! It was on my mind and after yor post Oakmaiden, i am decided