Saatva Youth Mattress Review

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This Mattress Could be for Your Child If:

• They are preparing to transition from crib to mattress.
• They move around a lot.
• You want a quality product capable of lasting the entirety of early childhood.
• You read bedtime stories and tuck your child in sitting on the edge

Mattress shopping for a child isn’t quite the same as it is for an adult. Not only do they have different firmness needs, but there are special considerations such as the increased chance of spills and bed-wetting. Kids also typically spend more time in bed, which needs to be considered from a durability standpoint. Ergo, if you’re shopping for someone age 12 or younger, it’s a good idea to explore products made particularly with kids in mind.

One such option is the Saatva Youth Mattress, a high-quality product I’ve had the chance to take a thorough look at over the past two weeks. If you’re preparing to buy a mattress for your child, you’re making a decision that’ll directly impact their ability to fully recharge their batteries every night for many years to come, so let’s take a close look at the Saatva Youth Mattress to see if it could be a good fit.

Saatva: The Story behind the Brand

Saatva launched back in 2010. It was the goal of the founders to take a new approach to getting high-quality mattresses to consumers. At that time in the industry, the founders had noticed multiple aspects to mattress marketing that was making for a terrible customer experience including:

• Misleading advertising
• Pushy salespeople
• Unreasonable prices

The Saatva founders realized they could provide solutions to all of these problems and more through the online sales model complete with a home trial, 24/7 customer support and significantly reduced overhead expenses. Now, a decade since their founding, they stick to the core principle of providing mattress shoppers affordable sleep products without compromising on quality.

Here at The Sleep Judge, we’re pretty familiar with the Saatva brand. We give them a five star rating due to their attention to quality, eco-friendly business practices and overall value. We’ve taken a look at their:

• Flagship double-coil mattress
• Zenhaven latex model
• Loom and Leaf memory foam option

Saatva’s First Youth Mattress

The Saatva Youth Mattress is especially beneficial if your child is transitioning from a crib mattress. That’s because it’s flippable with one side being designed with ages 3-7 in mind and the other side for ages 8-12. We’ll get into durability details later, but there is evidence to support its capability of lasting those full nine years of early childhood.

Designed for excellence in posture support, the Saatva Youth Mattress is produced using the same high-quality materials found in every luxury mattress made by the company. Today, though, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the two-in-one support technology that allows the Saatva Youth Mattress to provide optimal support and comfort to pre-teens through every step of their development.

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What’s the Saatva Youth Mattress Feel Like?

Let’s get started by talking about how each side of the Saatva Youth Mattress feels. Both sides are pretty firm, although the side for younger kids is a tad bit plusher, so let’s talk about why this is.

Why Increased Firmness for Younger Kids?

There are numerous reasons why many professionals recommend a firmer sleep surface for young kids:

• As the body develops in the primary years, it’s super important the spine is properly supported. An overly-plush mattress can exacerbate growing pains. A firmer mattress, especially one that incorporates targeted zoning like this one, promotes proper posture that can help kids develop habits that will benefit them for a lifetime.
• Kids are more prone to move around while sleeping, and a firmer mattress helps facilitate this movement.
• Firm is also often preferred by kids as they make the transition from the crib to a big kid’s bed.
• Plush products can pose suffocation risks to young children. When they sink in too deeply, it can make it hard for them to turn themselves. This is especially dangerous for stomach sleepers and also why many professionals recommend a very firm mattress for infants and toddlers.

A Few Possible Exceptions

With all that being said, sometimes a plusher mattress is the better choice. This could be the case if your child is older, a side sleeper who needs that extra contour or carries a lot of weight. If in doubt, check with your doctor before you make your final purchasing decision.

Saatva Youth Mattress: Versatile Firmness for Back and Stomach Sleeping

The coils located in the middle of the layer lineup do an awesome job providing adequate bounce to assist in movement, and the zoned support is especially compatible with back and stomach sleeping. Since they typically weigh more, the hips and shoulders sink further into the mattress. When they sink in too deep, it throws the spine out of alignment, so the added support in the center third keeps things properly aligned.

Issue for Side Sleeping

While support is excellent on the back and stomach, when side sleeping, the weight of the hips and shoulders is consolidated to a smaller area, and this can become uncomfortable. So, if your child is past their primary years, able to move around easily and sleeps primarily on his or her side, you may wish to explore plusher options. However, considering most kids switch positions during sleep, the Saatva Youth Mattress is a relatively versatile option.

Saatva Youth Mattress Firmness & Contour Testing

If you aren’t quite sure about firmness and how this product will measure up for your child, let’s take a look at some details that’ll give you a better idea of what you can expect and demonstrate the degree of firmness difference between the two sides of the mattress. Using our proprietary firmness and contour testing tool, I gathered the data we need.

The chart generated compares 33 sleep surface firmnesses. The Saatva Youth Mattress age 8-12 side ranks third while the age 3-7 side ranks sixth. So, even though the side for younger kids is plusher, it’s still a very firm sleep surface. No matter which side, the Saatva Youth Mattress ranks in the top 20% in terms of firmness, a great feature for really young kids, those transitioning from crib to mattress and back and stomach sleepers.

Saatva Youth Mattress Layer Lineup

To get a better idea of how everything works, let’s take a look at the anatomy of the mattress. If you already have a foundation, that’s great. If not, Saatva offers several options:

• The 8 ¾ inch foundation I’m using in this review, a good option for taller children.
• For smaller kids, the 4 ¾ inch frame is also available.
• If you’d like to raise the mattress off the floor, you can also choose to purchase the 7 ½ inch metal bed frame that’s built to be paired with either foundation.

As mentioned, the layer lineup is flippable to accommodate growing children. On the front of the mattress, you’ll find age ranges located at the top and bottom of the company logo.

The Cover

No matter which side you’re on, though, the 100% organic cotton cover is water resistant to protect against accidents and spills. It’s really soft, and the water barrier makes it super easy to clean, a feature any parent will appreciate. You’ll also rest assured knowing your little one is protected since the cover includes a Guardin® botanical antimicrobial fabric treatment enhancement.

Age 3-7 Lineup

As we explore beneath the cover, we’ll start with the age 3-7 lineup. Both sides are pretty firm, and we’ll get into more detail on that in a moment, but this side is slightly plusher to add just a little extra cushion for smaller, lighter bodies that don’t sink very deeply into the comfort layers.

The Saatva Youth Mattress features a simple but strategic three-layer combination of innersprings and foams. For the younger kids, this kicks off with a five-zone support layer that provides increased firmness in the center for proper spinal alignment as it prevents the hips from sinking in too deeply.

The coil unit follows to provide flexible support capable of changing with your child’s body. Its placement in the center allows it to act as the primary support layer sandwiched between foams capable of serving the dual purpose of transitional comfort as your child grows.

The high-density foam base is firmer than the five-zone support foam, and it serves as the final base layer up to age seven to provide structure and stability to the mattress as a whole.

Age 8-12 Lineup

Flipping over to the age 8-12 side of the Saatva Youth Mattress, we find the same layer lineup backward. The high-density foam becomes the comfort layer, the same foam found in Saatva adult luxury mattresses. It’s convoluted for good airflow, a feature that is enhanced by the naturally-breathable coils.

The patented Spinal Zone Active Wire found in the center of the coils ensures proper spinal alignment. Finally, the five-zone comfort layer found in the age 3-7 lineup becomes the base when flipped. The total mattress thickness is 10 inches.

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Saatva Youth Mattress Heat Transfer Capabilities

Since children typically have a tougher time than adults at regulating their body temperature, a mattress that sleeps too hot can cause serious disruptions to restful sleep and make fevers even worse when your child gets sick. Innerspring units are naturally breathable since they allow for free flow of air.

Taking a look at the cooling properties of the Saatva Youth Mattress using our thermal imaging test, I found it to have average cooling capabilities, so it should meet the needs of most kids. If your child sleeps hotter than average, I’d suggest taking a look at the Bear mattress since it incorporates cool-sleeping technology.

Saatva Youth Mattress Performance Testing

Edge Support

Edge support for a child is important since they move around so much. When they sink into the edges, it makes it more likely that they’ll fall out of bed.

Age 3-7 Edge Support

The coils and overall firmness provide excellent edge support, and there is a high-density layer of perimeter foam that encases the spring unit to ensure adequate support.

Age 8-12 Edge Support

When your child moves into the 8-12 age range, they’ll obviously weigh quite a bit more than they did during toddler and early childhood years. The high-density foam that becomes the comfort layer when you flip the mattress helps ensure edge support is bolstered slightly to keep up with the increased pressure.

You can see when I sit on various areas of the edge that I’m very well supported, and this is good news if you spend time on the edge reading bedtime stories and tucking your child in.

Motion Isolation

Motion transfer is a primary aspect we focus on for sleep partners. When movement on one side of the mattress travels across the sleep surface, it can bother the person on the other side. For a kid’s mattress, this isn’t as big of a concern unless you’ll be buying your Saatva Youth Mattress for two kids to share. In that case, let’s take a look at what you can expect.

While the coil unit does produce some motion transfer, it’s pretty minimal and countered well by the foam layers. In a kid’s mattress, it’s typically more important to cater ease in mobility over motion isolation. This not only minimizes hazards but also considers kids typically switch sleep positions more than adults. In the case of the Saatva Youth Mattress, motion isolation and bounce are pretty well balanced.

Saatva Youth Mattress Durability Expectations

Let’s face it. Kids are rough on things, including their mattresses.The Saatva Youth Mattress is designed to last the entire nine years between ages 3-12, so let’s take a look at the measures in place to give us reason to believe this is feasible:

• Starting with the coils, a coil count in a full-sized child’s mattress of between 400-600 is built to last, and the Saatva youth full mattress contains 462.

• Taking a look at foam densities, we’ll start with the age 3-7 comfort layer where we find a memory foam at four pounds per cubic foot. In adult mattresses, three pcf is good, and 4-5 is excellent. Considering the significant difference between adults and kids in terms of weight, the foam quality is above and beyond.
• The poly foams found in both age 8-12 comfort foam and perimeter edge support foam range from 1.5 to 1.8 pcf, which is in the upper level of quality for this foam type.

Maintenance, Protection, Care and Warranty

At every layer of the Saatva Youth Mattress we find above-average materials that should hold up, and it features an impressive 12 year, non-prorated warranty. Of course, there are things you can do to make the Saatva Youth Mattress last as long as possible in terms of cleaning and maintenance.

1. The cover isn’t removable, so once weekly or at least every other week, strip and wash all bedding.
2. While the bed is uncovered, vacuum the entirety of the sleep surface, and spot clean stains.
3. If possible, set the mattress outside in the sun to allow the UV rays to kill off bacteria and dust mites. If that’s not possible, sprinkle baking soda over the mattress, and allow it a couple of hours to sit before vacuuming it up.
4. Rotate the mattress once every six months.
5. As with any mattress, it’s never a bad idea to purchase a mattress protector.

Cost

If you think the Saatva Youth Mattress is the solution for your little one, let’s take a look at size options and pricing.

• Twin- $699
• Twin XL- $799
• Full- $899
• Foundation- $195 for both the 4.75” and the 8.75” options
• Add a metal frame for $119

Are you active military or a veteran, first responder or teacher? If so, you qualify for a special $225 discount, a special “thank you” from Saatva for your service. You’ll just need to verify your status with ID.me.

Who We Recommend the Saatva Youth Mattress For

We’ve covered everything you need to know when it comes to the Saatva Youth Mattress. So, to sum things up, is it the right mattress for your child? It could be a good choice if:

• Your child likes to sleep on their side and/or back.
• You’re looking for something that can last throughout the entirety of early childhood.
• You appreciate a product that incorporates measures to protect against spills.
• You’re looking for an eco-friendly product that keeps your child safe with natural materials and antimicrobial fabric treatments.
• You appreciate solid edge support to facilitate bedtime stories and to prevent your child from falling out of bed.

Saatva Youth Mattress: Our Final Verdict

Now that we’ve taken a look at the Saatva Youth Mattress both inside and out, let’s start wrapping up. It’s an excellent purchase for young kids considering the durability is so high, and it’s built to offer highly targeted and transitional support as your child grows.

Might Not be for You If:

• If your child is already 10-12 years of age, you might want to start seeking out a mattress geared toward more developed bodies to ensure you get your money’s worth.
• This isn’t the best option if your child is a dedicated side sleeper as it’s too firm to provide adequate contour for this sleeping position. However, considering most kids switch positions frequently, this is a preferred firmness in the facilitation of that movement.
• Although it sleeps about average in terms of heat transfer, if your child sleeps particularly hot, you may want to seek out something that incorporates specific measures to counter heat buildup like copper infusion in the foams.

With that being said, for the average kiddo, the Saatva Youth Mattress does an excellent job checking all the boxes. I appreciate that it’s designed using eco-friendly materials, and the Guardin® botanical antimicrobial treatment keeps your child safe. Saatva offers free white glove delivery, so you don’t have to worry about an unboxing and the resulting trash removal.

If you think this all sounds good, but you’re not 100% sure, you can rest assured knowing you’re covered by Saatva’s 180-night home trial before your purchase is final. Saatva also provides 24/7 customer support and a 12-year, non-prorated warranty.

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