Panicking about mattress decision

[mommy111]

So the BRU rep today talked me into buying a Simmons Maxipedic firm mattress and I'm panicking now...its was certainly way above our price range ($99) and we had been thinking about getting a foam mattress before this. Should we have bought a foam mattress? And is this too hard a mattress? I was thinking of buying a softer mattress, but the rep hummed and hawed and said firmer was better. Should I consider returning? Or is this really a good choice and I am backing off because the sales rep came on too strong? If some of you have the mattress and love it, pls let me know.
I guess my questions are, foam vs coil, and soft versus firm.
This is why I keep away from stores, too much stress involved.
Please help!!

[HannaAddict]

Firm v. Soft. Go with firm for safety (SIDS) etc. Don't worry that the mattress is too firm, you don't want a softer mattress. Firmer is better. Baby will be comfortable with a firm mattress too, really.

Foam v. Coil. We went with foam after reading BBB and lurking on this board. The big benefit to foam is weight or I should say lack of weight, foam mattresses weigh a lot less than coil and so are much easier to move when changing the crib sheet. A good firm foam mattress isn't necessarily cheaper as the top rated (Consumer Reports and BBB) Colgate Classica I is around $100. We have this mattress and love it, it fits the crib snugly, is firm but light to lift. For a cheaper option, the well thought of Kolcraft foam mattress is around $30-40 I believe (our Target never had them in stock).

If you really don't want to spend that much money on a mattress, I would check your local Target and see if they have the Kolcraft foam mattress in stock. And if you will be changing the sheets yourself, I would really think about a foam mattress because of the ease of lifting it and working with it.

Good luck with your decision. Don't feel bad if you end up returning the mattress.

Kimberly
DS 3/18/04

[elliput]

Firmer is definitely better. But my suggestion is to buy the best quality mattress you can afford. Foam or coil- I leave that one to personal choice. When DH and I were wandering around BRU doing our registry we ran in to another couple who were purchasing a new mattress for their DC. They said they had gone with a much cheaper mattress to begin with thinking there was no significant difference and were disappointed when it started to sag after less than a year. Keep in mind your DC will be spending many, many hours on this mattress.

HTH

[mommy111]

Thank you ladies for your support...I feel a lot less stressed about the decision now. So, let me know if I'm wrong but it sounds like the only advantage of a foam mattress is that it is lighter. If that's the case, then maybe I will stick with the coil mattress I have now, it is of reasonably good quality and I lay down on it to see what its like and it feels relatively comfortable (hard, but I can't feel the coils through it). So maybe this was not such a bad choice after all.
Thank you so much!