When you are trying to raise children on a budget there are some things that are classed as necessities and others that are luxuries. So what about mattress protectors? Is a mattress protector a necessity and most importantly are mattress protectors worth the money? In my opinion the answer would be a definite yes to both questions, here’s why.
An Extra Expense, but worth it
We have only recently bought a mattress protector for my 3 year old boy. In all honesty I just wasn’t sure whether it was entirely needed. The reason is that when we bought the cot-bed mattress for his first bed it already had a waterproof top layer for any accidents that might happen. It is because of this that I had totally taken for granted the simplicity of just having to mop up a puddle and spray it with a cleaning product before putting fresh bedding on and voila! He was back in bed 🙂
This all changed when we decided to upgrade Malachi and Isaac’s beds to a set of single sized bunk beds. We also invested in 2 good quality mattresses (with the hope of them lasting). At first I did remember wondering about whether I should buy some mattress protectors for them but my purse was already feeling the pinch of the beds, mattresses, two sets of duvets and pillows and two sets of bedding, so I decided that I’d just see how things went before buying yet another thing.
It wasn’t long before I realised just how much we needed a mattress protector (for my youngest son at least). My little boy is super dry in the day but does have the odd accident at night, especially through the summer months because you just can’t say no to a later than usual drink when it is so hot. The problem was that it was impossible to catch the accident when it was still on the surface and is very much easy to soak up and then sponge clean. By the time I had got to him after his accident it had already soaked right through his mattress and was dripping down onto the new carpet! I was totally gutted 🙁
It was actually so hard to clean properly that in the end we had to pay to have his mattress and their bedroom carpet professionally cleaned, which cost a lot more than the price of a mattress protector.
Do you need to spend a lot?
Well the mattress protector that I bought was a Love2Sleep Terry Towelling waterproof mattress protector* with 100% cotton pile top. It cost only £5.29 with free next day delivery as we use Amazon Prime.
Now one of the reasons I wasn’t so sure about buying one in the first place was because I had heard about how loud they can be and I was concerned that it would make my sons bed uncomfortable and noisy, however the one we eventually bought was advertised as a noise and crinkle free mattress protector. When it arrived I was really impressed. It is completely silent when it is on his bed and having the 100% cotton pile top means that it is super soft, so when underneath his normal bed sheet it has given him a lovely extra quilted top.
With regards to the amount of protection it has given I am really pleased. There hasn’t been a single leak through and it’s so easy to strip it off the bed and wash it out in the washing machine when the inevitable accident does happen. It washes really well too and has kept the soft top. Although you do have to make sure that you give it enough time to dry because with it being waterproof it takes a lot longer than a standard sheet.
So all in all I would definitely recommend buying a mattress protector. It gives you great peace of mind that when these accidents do happen it is nice and simple to clean it up and you don’t have to worry about any mattresses or carpets being ruined.