Kolcraft foam mattres at target vs Colgate recommended in book

[Judegirl]

I was struck by the same thing! I asked my mother-in-law how someone could possibly sleep in her baby's crib, and she thought that perhaps she has a "full-size" crib? I never heard of that...but pregnant belly or no, there's no way I'd be able to get myself into the crib we have!

Please enlighten us... :)

Jude

[jakobsmommie]

Well, first of all let me just say that it wasn't exactly the IDEAL thing to do. However when nursing a newborn exclusively and also working as a FT Mom - sleep was very valuable to me. As I'm sure most everyone can relate.

My DH and I co-slept with baby once he outgrew the bassinet, but I found my DH would wake up in the middle of the night lunging to the foot of the bed, worried that DS had somehow rolled off the foot of the bed. I felt so guilty after several restless nights that this is what I resorted to. LOL

I did have a very nice crib. In fact my Mother bought it for us and spent nearly $900 for just the crib. I see other cribs and think there was NO WAY I could have done it in those particular styles.
For example, a friend of mine had a Jenny Lind crib and there is absolutely NO WAY POSSIBLE that would've happened.

I will say that the mattress was extremely comfortable though.
Even now with using it in his toddler bed. It's an excellent mattress.

I've had friends offer me their old mattress for my new baby which I am expecting next month, but I really would prefer to just get another Colgate. They worked so well for me last time, I hate to change now and get something less than.

Hope I gave everyone a good laugh with imagining my previous sleeping arrangement :-)

[kransden]

Here is the difference when I looked 2 years ago. The Target and Burlington Coat Factory mattresses had plastic tape on the seams as opposed to the cloth seam binding on the Colgate. The Colgate also had a better grade of plastic covering the mattress. Cheap plastic splits easily and doesn't store well. So the Colgate mattress will last longer, probably 3 or more times longer. The question is more do you need to spend the extra money? The answer is "it depends". How many kids do you want to use the mattress? Will your kids use the crib? (mine sure doesn't) How long do you plan on using the mattress - in a toddler bed where they jump up and down? Are you going to sell it later? Will it be in storage? Will you be comfortable with duct tape on the mattress if it rips or will you buy a new one? So like much of life, there isn't one right answer.


Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[HoneymoonBaby]

But that still doesn't explain how you got INTO the crib! I'm a small person (5' 7" and 117 lbs. when not pregnant), and I don't think I could fit into a crib any way but sitting up. And even then, I don't think the crib would hold me -- they're only safety rated to something like 50 lbs. or so . . .

I want a play-by-play! :) Step by step, tell me exactly how you got into the crib, laid down with your baby, and got any sleep!

[jakobsmommie]

Well - that is pretty difficult to describe as you can imagine! LOL

I have a sleigh style crib - I never felt unsafe while in it. It's EXTREMELY durable, very well made. I can't remember the manufacturer off hand, but for the price it BETTER have been well made.

I know the tenda baby makes a crib where the mom can lay next to baby. I guess it's kind of like that????

I'm not sure what else to say, other than it worked and we ALL slept better!

[cmaika]

Colgate...your post is offensive! I have the Kolcraft mattress and frankly your "argument" that "intelligent, logical adults" would consider one mattress over another based solely on price and where it is sold is elitist and at best very naive.

[colgate]

To All Baby Bargains Message Board Readers and to the Baby Bargains Moderator,

The quality of a crib mattress is determined by the quality of the components used in making the mattress. Sometimes these quality features are obvious and sometimes they are not. For most consumers, foam mattresses are more difficult to evaluate from a quality perspective than are innerspring crib mattresses.

Here is what to look for in a better-quality foam crib mattress:

1. The firmer the foam, the better for baby’s development
2. The heavier the foam, the better in terms of foam quality.
3. The faster the mattress returns to a flat surface after a
weight is removed from the mattress, the longer the mattress
is likely to last.

NOTE: It is very important that all three of these features co-exist to a high degree in the same mattress. It is possible to buy a very firm foam mattress that lacks a high degree of one or two of the other factors and therefore, the mattress may be perceived to be better than it actually is.

4. The more layers in the vinyl cover, the better due to its
greater resistance to tearing.
5. Cloth binding is better than vinyl binding for longevity.
6. Having Air vents is better than not having air vents due to
the air vents allowing the mattress to breath.

The Colgate mattress mentioned in the Baby Bargains book is a good value at the price it is being sold.

The Kolcraft mattress mentioned in the Baby Bargains is also a good value at the price it is being sold.

How can two mattresses made of foam with such disparate prices both be such good values? You, the consumer, must decide on the quality you wish to purchase. In this instance the question is what level of quality do you desire?

The Colgate Classica I foam crib mattress, from each and every one of the 6 perspectives mentioned above, is substantially better than the Kolcraft Deluxe mattress.

Colgate Classica I

1. Firmer
2. Heavier
3. More resilient
4. Triple laminated nylon reinforced cover
5. Cloth binding
6. Double row of eyelet vents around mattress

Kolcraft Deluxe

1. Softer
2. Lighter
3. Less Resilient
4. Single layer of vinyl
5. Vinyl binding
6. No vents

The quality of the features mentioned for the Colgate Classica I mattress is why this mattress has been ranked number #1 by a number of independent consumer publications and industrial publications. Colgate also offers lower priced mattresses than the Classica I and, in each one we try to offer the best quality for the price. These other mattresses include the Classica II, the Foam Supreme I, Foam Supreme II, Imperial I, the Slumber Tyme Supreme and even one mattress which simply has a label that says “Non-Allergenic Foam”. These other mattresses are available at various retailers throughout the country. All the Colgate Mattresses mentioned, except the one we label “Non-Allergenic Foam”, are of lesser quality than the Classica I, but greater quality than the Kolcraft Deluxe. The one labeled by Colgate with the small strip label stating “Non-Allergenic Foam” is of approximately the same quality as the Kolcraft Deluxe and usually sells for a similar price. Colgate also offers some foam mattresses that are of even higher quality than the Classica I. These include the Grand Premier I and the Visco-Classica. We at Colgate have such a broad range of products simply because we want you, the consumer, to be able to purchase the best mattress you feel you can for the amount of money you wish to spend. Our broad product line allows you that choice. We further feel that this is one of the most important purchases for your baby and hope that you will choose to purchase one of our higher quality products.

Thank you for allowing us to respond to your questions.

Sincerely,

Dennis Schuetz
National Sales Manager
Colgate Juvenile Products Co.

[american_mama]

Well, now I want to THANK Colgate for that very enlightening second response. I too thought the first response from Colgate was so weak that I thought it was fake, but this second response is clear, rational, informative, and relatively unbiased. I am very glad to know about the range of different Colgate products and to have some standards to use when selecting mattresses. I recall purchasing two adult mattresses and one crib mattress in recent years, and feeling like there were precious few facts to base my decision on.

It's not the easiest thing to provide an even-tempered response on an anonymous message board where consumers are ticked off, and I thank Colgate and Mr. Schuetz for accomplishing that.

[spunkybaby]

I just wanted to add that we bought the Kolcraft mattress from Target and have been very happy with it. After reading the Fields' recommendation in BB that a new mattress be used for each child (because of the possible connection between reused mattresses and SIDS), DH and I decided to buy the $30 mattress, thinking that the low cost (and good quality) makes it easy to toss out and buy and a new one if/when we have a second child. DD has been sleeping on it for more than 3 weeks now and seems to like it just fine.

New mom to spunky baby
March 2004

[kateho]

Burlington Coast Factory Direct has a Kolcraft Baby Dri Extra Firm Foam Mattress at http://www.bcfdirect.com/IWCatProduc...edProduct=true
that is $44.99. No print, all white...