Best crib mattress -- Colgate? Kolcraft Tender Vibes Mattress?

[etwahl]

We are starting to purchase items for our nursery, and since we just ordered our crib, we want to know what is the best possible mattress available. We bought our crib at USA Baby, and they have "their" version of Kolcraft's vibrating mattress. They sell theirs for over $200 while you can actually purchase the Tender Vibes mattress for between $100-130 online.

Does anyone have experience with the vibrating mattress? Is it a worthwhile product? It seems like a great idea to put a baby to sleep (vibrates for 15 minutes then shuts off).

Also, I am very interested in people's opinions of the VERY BEST mattress that is out there. This will be our first child, and we plan to have another, so we definitely do not mind investing in the best that is available. Thanks for your feedback!

[kristine_elen]

We bought a Colgate Classica I based on fact that it was recommended in Baby Bargains book and by Consumer Reports. (See below.) Baby is due in December, so I can't say much about it from personal experience. It is VERY firm, though. And nice and light.
Consumer Reports
May, 1993
HEADLINE: HOW TO BUY A CRIB MATTRESS
...RECOMMENDATIONS
Select the firmest mattress you can find, foam or innerspring. Check by squeezing the center and edges. Look for double- or triple-laminated ticking, fabric binding along the seams, and plenty of vent holes.
The top-rated Colgate Cradletyme Classica I, $ 99, is well constructed of firm, lightweight, high-density foam. It weighs just seven pounds. Because it's only five inches thick at the center (most other mattresses are six inches thick), the sheets you buy may not fit tautly. Nearly as firm: the Simmons 9006 Baby Beautyrest Backcare VI, $ 99. But, like many high-quality innerspring mattresses, the Simmons is heavy - 24 pounds- which makes it harder to handle.

[suzska]

I bought the Classica I for the same reasons. After owning a foam crib mattress, I wouldn't buy anything else. It's so easy to change the sheets. I'm sure I would have problems with a mattress that weighed 24 pounds!

Evan has no trouble sleeping on it. He's definitely in the bouncing stage (he watches Sesame Street in his crib while I get a shower and I can hear him bouncing the entire time!), and the mattress seems to be holding up just fine.