As a recent college graduate, I've just moved into my own place. Although I love the independence, I couldn't wait to come home for the holidays. Everything feels better at home – apart from my twin-sized bed, which is a bit of a squeeze.
Since I moved out, my kid's mattress has been gathering dust. My parents are keen to swap it out for something bigger or donate it to a local shelter, but they just aren't sure where to start.
That's why I asked the experts. I've consulted mattress makers and professional movers, each of whom knows how to give your kid's mattress a new lease of life. If you follow their advice, you'll learn how to recycle and repurpose an old sleep surface and replace it with the best mattress to suit your sleep needs.
Should you replace your kid's mattress?
Opinions differ as to how often you should change a mattress, but most experts estimate somewhere around the seven-year mark. That's about how long it takes for the springs to sag and the foam to fall.
When you're shopping for a kid's mattress, it's a slightly different story. Kids grow so fast that they can easily move from a crib to their first big bed to a brand new twin in the space of seven years. As their beds get bigger, so should their mattresses.
Your kids might not have grown up and left home just yet, but they could still need a bigger bed and a better mattress. If your little one is going through a growth spurt, they'll appreciate the spare leg and headroom you get from a Twin XL. Teenagers might sleep more comfortably in a full or queen-sized bed.
Not all of the best sleep stores stock mattresses in Twin and Twin XL sizes. I've done some digging to bring you the best kid's mattresses for older tweens and teens.
If you're buying the mattress for your kid's first big bed, you should get them something that's built to last. This mattress combines the comfort of latex foam with the support of innerspring coils to support growing sleepers.
This mattress is specially designed to support tweens and teens. The thick layers of foam are filled with countless tiny air capsules, designed to boost breathability and create buoyancy to soothe aching joints and growing pains.
This dual-sided mattress is designed to follow growing sleepers from their first big bed into their teenage years. The top side should suit kids from ages three to seven, with optimized lumbar zones to support their spines. Flip the mattress over, and it's fit for ages eight to twelve, with comfort foam for a softer feel.
How could you repurpose your kid's mattress?
Tweens and teens should sleep more comfortably on bigger mattresses. Now, you're the one spending sleepless nights, wondering what to do with that old kid's mattress.
Nick Valentino has a few ideas. As VP of Market Operations at Bellhop, Atlanta Movers, Nick has helped hundreds of families restore and repurpose old mattresses. 'If your kid no longer needs their Twin or Twin XL mattress, consider repurposing it as an extra bed for guests,' says Nick. 'This is especially useful if you don't have a full-sized designated guest room since twin beds take up far less space than larger beds'.
Sleeping in a twin-sized bed might not be ideal, but it is doable. Trust me, I'm a sleep expert: shorter adults should be able to sleep comfortably in a Twin XL for an extended stay, while most sleepers could spend a night or two in a twin bed.
If you have two kid's mattresses gathering dust, and you want to create more comfortable sleeping quarters, you could set two twins beside each other to make a Split King mattress.
A Split King bed might just be the perfect solution for couples who share a bed, but not a sleep style. You could combine a firmer mattress with a plusher surface to suit front, back, and side sleepers alike.
Once you've made your Split King mattress, you should be able to place each piece on top of a standard king-sized bed frame. These are a few of the best bed frames to suit every style of room and size of budget.
A king-sized bed frame is bound to take up more space in your spare room. If you're keen to maximize storage, you might want to invest in a space-saving bed frame, such as this one from Saatva. This frame opens up to reveal a spacious cavity to store spare bedding, towels, toys, and clothes.
Handcrafted from iron and finished with Art Deco-inspired motifs, this bed frame would really make a statement against a plain white wall. It's supported by an intricate system of wooden slats, so you don't need to buy a box spring.
This mid-century modern bed frame should blend beautifully into any background. Handcrafted by skilled woodworkers from maple and walnut wood, this frame is made to last. I like the neat and narrow legs, which taper towards the corners for an elegant finish but offer serious support.
How should you store your kid's mattress?
If you want to keep your kid's old mattress, but already have a spare bed, you might be wondering how and where to store it. Although Twin and Twin XL are the smallest mattress sizes, they're still big bits of foam, weighted down with steel and springs. You shouldn't just shove the mattress uncovered into your closet and hope for the best.
Although it can be hard to find room for a spare mattress, expert mover Manny Sahmbi has a few space-saving tips. 'If you want to store the mattress for a later time, vacuum storage is the best way,' says Manny, 'as it will keep out mites and dust. Make sure that you have a vacuum storage bag in an appropriate size so that you can shrink-wrap your mattress effectively. Storage bags don't have to be expensive: you can pick up a twin-sized mattress bag for less than $30 when you shop at Walmart.
If you'd prefer to keep your mattress flat, Manny reckons 'under the bed is another great spot, where you can store your mattress trundle-style if you need to. Just make sure it's covered to keep dust and other objects away from it'. That way, your kid's mattress should stay looking good as new until you're ready to use it again.
How could you recycle your kid's mattress?
Maybe, now your kids have flown the nest, you're downsizing to a smaller home, and you really can't be bothered to cart their old mattresses around with you. If you don't want to reuse or repurpose your kid's mattress, it might be a good idea to recycle it.
Angelo Albertini is the founder and CEO of My Bespoke Mattress, so he knows a thing or two about making and breaking down mattresses. Angelo recommends that you 'look for local recycling programs that can break down and repurpose the materials in the mattress, preventing it from ending up in a landfill'.
If you've got a bit of time on your hands, and you like to get crafty, you could 'consider creative ways to repurpose the mattress'. Alberto suggests that 'the foam from your kid's mattress could be used for pet beds, in cushions for seating, or as part of a DIY home project'.
There's so much you can do with your kid's mattress, which means that there's no excuse for fly-tipping. If you dump an old mattress by the side of the road or a field, you risk spoiling our urban and rural areas and disrupting local ecosystems.
Kids' mattress FAQs
Why can't you throw away a mattress?
While you could drive your kid's old mattress down to the dump, I'd urge you to reconsider. Out of the millions of mattresses that end up in landfills each year, the vast majority are made with non-biodegradable foams and fibers. Mattresses resist compression and take up space in landfills, where they emit toxic chemicals back into the atmosphere. Where possible, you should seek out a specialist mattress recycling plant, or donate your kid's mattress to a local shelter.
Where can I buy the best kid's mattress?
As H&G's resident sleep writer, I've written a whole article locating the best places to buy a mattress. Since not every sleep store stocks Twin and Twin XL sizes, you might have to search to find the mattress that suits your tween or teen's sleep needs.
If you want to take stock of all your options, I'd recommend shopping at Mattress Firm, where you'll find innerspring, memory foam, and hybrid mattresses in every size. Since Saatva makes the world's best mattress, it stands to reason that their youth mattress provides a great balance of comfort and support. Buyers on a budget might be better off with a mattress from Leesa, which offers a premium feel at a more affordable price point.
Final thoughts
It feels good to declutter. Once you've started clearing out your kids' old bedrooms, you might not want to stop. With that said some things hold too much sentimental value to be thrown in the trash. If you're keen to keep old toys, clothes, and books, but you want to store them out of sight, then you should try out our kids' bedroom storage ideas. When you follow our top tips, you can get rid of clutter and keep hold of the good stuff.
