A twin mattress is often a child’s first introduction to a “big kid” bed—and the one they might sleep on until they reach their teenage years and beyond. To select the best twin mattresses for kids, I consulted pediatric experts, pored over mattress materials and specifications and enlisted children ages 2 through 12 to provide feedback after testing and sleeping on more than a dozen top-rated beds in their homes, including my own. We named Avocado’s Eco Organic Kids Mattress the best overall due to its use of natural materials (generally preferred by pediatric experts) and because multiple kid testers and parents found it remarkably comfortable.
Here are the 10 best kids twin mattresses we tested, considering comfort, delivery process, materials and family-friendly attributes like flippable beds, cleaner materials and potty training–ready picks.
Dr. Logan Greenblatt, a general pediatrician with Staten Island University Hospital through Northwell Health in New York, confirms that after infancy, parents can start to move away from extra-firm crib mattresses. Toddlers and older kids can sleep on softer options tailored to their needs, such as their sleep posture and body weight. Based on his guidance, we tested a variety of mattresses, including those made with natural materials like cotton and latex, which offer breathability and are thus less likely to trap moisture and germs. We also evaluated kids mattresses with dual-sided designs, which allow you to flip them over to the softer side for more pressure relief as your child gets older. Below, read more about our findings after testing the best twin mattresses for kids, comfortably and safely used by real-life families night after night.
The Avocado Eco Organic Kids Mattress is an extra-clean, nontoxic organic kids mattress made by a company that has racked up some of the best independent certifications and verifications, including from the likes of Made Safe and the Environmental Working Group (EWG). It’s the mattress with the most accolades on this list, and there are no chemical flame retardants or other toxic materials here. This twin kid mattress is just 7 inches tall, but that’s a typical height for children’s beds, which average between 6 and 8 inches high; this height makes it ideal for bunk beds, lower-profile twin frames and younger kids. It’s a smaller version of the brand’s most affordable mattress, the Avocado Eco Organic Mattress, which we’ve also reviewed and love for older kids and teens.
The brand relies on Dunlop latex for its comfort layer instead of memory foam, individually pocketed steel springs for strong support throughout and organic cotton for the cover. The natural materials in this bed, like the wool and latex, keep it cool and breathable, and the GOTS-certified organic wool also works as a fire barrier and antimicrobial that keeps the buildup of dust mites and moisture at bay.
The Avocado Eco Organic Kids Mattress sleeps just a bit firmer than other latex beds I’ve tried, and it isn’t flippable, so kids have only one side of comfort at their disposal. That said, this firmness level was great for my back-sleeping tween, and the model’s numerous other virtues make it the ideal mattress for his asthma and allergy to dust. Another tester with a 6-year-old child found this kids mattress exceedingly comfortable for adults and kids and put the firmness at a medium-firm. “When I fall asleep with my son and wake up hours later, I feel no pressure buildup at all,” she explained. “My son agrees this bed is comfortable—he has been sleeping like a baby since we began testing and has not reported any aches or pains.” I did notice a bit of a natural odor upon delivery, but that dissipated fairly quickly.
The Helix Kids packs a number of handy, age-appropriate features. This hybrid model relies on 6-inch innersprings combined with two layers of memory foam. The flippable bed offers a firmer comfort layer on one side of the mattress, with a suggested age range of 2 to 7, and a softer memory foam layer on the other side that’s suggested for ages 8 to 12. With a generous weight capacity, you could certainly rely on this bed as they grow; the mattress is also available in a full.
The Helix Kids’ foams are both CertiPUR-US and UL Greenguard Gold certified, meaning the mattress doesn’t contain certain known problematic toxins, plus it’s lower in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to off-gassing. (Our guide to mattress certifications can help decode what all of this means.)
When tested in a family home, this mattress performed well: Our tester didn’t notice a strong scent when unboxing it for her toddler, who transitioned onto it from the crib. She also reported that the Helix Kids offers strong edge support, and her son, who is a restless sleeper, sleeps deeply and comfortably on it. “You still feel like you’re on top of the mattress versus sinking into it,” she adds. The only downside was that a potty training accident managed to stain our tester’s mattress, despite the plant-based, water-repellent finish (Ruco-Dry Bio NPE) and an antimicrobial compound (an Aegis Microbe Shield).
It’s worth noting that some experts, like Sydney Swanson, a healthy-living science analyst on consumer safety science at the EWG with a specialty in baby and consumer products, suggest that parents avoid antimicrobials and other finishes on mattresses altogether, especially when the ingredient list is not disclosed. “For these chemicals that don’t serve a huge purpose, I’d recommend to just avoid the excess chemical exposure,” she says.
Helix offers a 100-day sleep trial without a return fee if you decide the bed is not to your liking—a bit of a rarity in the mattress industry.
The Birch Kids Natural Mattress offers all the best kid-specific features rolled into an organic, natural bed. There’s no memory foam, no fiberglass flame retardants and nothing hiding in the cover, like a fragrance or a chemical water-repellent finish. Instead, it’s a hybrid bed that combines GOLS-certified organic Dunlop latex, 6-inch innerspring coils, layers of organic wool and an organic cotton cover.
Both my side-sleeping daughters sleep well and deeply on Birch mattresses. My tween sleeps on the adult version of the Birch Natural Mattress, while my 7-year-old sleeps on the kid one. She immediately gravitated to the softer side of this mattress, which provides cozy cushioning in all the right spots, but I appreciate that there’s a firmer side for other children who might prefer a more supportive sleep surface. Because of its latex construction, it sleeps cooler than the typical all-foam mattress. Edge support is good in most areas, but nearly nonexistent at the foot of the bed, we found.
The Birch Kids Natural Mattress carries several important certifications for its latex foam, especially notable for those with concerns about off-gassing and toxins in their child’s mattress. These include UL Greenguard Gold as well as GOLS and the Eco-Institut, which, combined, certify lower VOC emissions and the lack of heavy metals, pesticides and banned phthalates. I didn’t notice any odor at all during unboxing, even when pressing my nose to the mattress—a definite plus.
This isn’t the cheapest twin mattress you can buy for kids, of course, but it does offer a generous limited lifetime warranty and an average sleep trial of 100 nights (though there is a $99 removal fee). I like that it offers a kid-specific height and flippable design in an organic bed. I was also glad about the option to add on white-glove delivery. I selected full-size beds (better for story time), and it was too heavy for me to move without my partner’s support.
At just 6 inches high and priced at around $200, the Brooklyn Bedding BB Kids mattress is an affordable twin mattress that’s a great starter model. It isn’t flippable, and both testers who trialed this mattress report that it sleeps firmer than most, but it does have enough give and softness to please their young children. Pressure can build up in some spots over time, so this might not be the right mattress for side sleepers, but our tester with a 3-year-old felt it was a comfortable upgrade from his child’s previous memory foam bed—and as the parent, he’s also more comfortable on this bed during their nightly story time.
Our tester pointed out more perks to consider with the BB Kids, including the darker cover that might help to hide those nighttime accidents and the bed’s fiberglass-free construction. Both testers reported strong motion isolation and edge support, as well as a mild odor at unboxing that cleared within the day.
Despite this mattress being made entirely of foam, it doesn’t sleep as hot as one would expect: One tester says his son, who runs warm and is generally a restless sleeper, isn’t waking up to shuck the covers since switching to the BB Kids. However, those seeking a more natural, breathable and durable mattress should look to one of the hybrid latex models listed in this guide. Brooklyn Bedding offers a lifetime limited warranty and 120-night sleep trial, but there is a $99 return fee to consider.
The combination of affordability and a hybrid construction in a child-size bed come together with the Bear Cub Kids Mattress. It offers just one side of comfort but combines 6-inch innersprings topped with two distinct layers of foam that create a cozy, medium-firm sleep spot. I still feel strong support in this bed as it rises up to meet those pressure points. It offered really good motion isolation, too—our testers didn’t feel much, even with two people on the mattress getting up and down. Its medium-firm profile makes this mattress a good option for any and all sleep positions. I placed this bed at the grandparents’ house for long-term testing—and all three of my kids now prefer it as their favorite twin bed in the house.
While it isn’t an organic bed—there was a mild synthetic odor when we unboxed it—its foam does carry two important certifications to verify it contains less of the bad stuff: CertiPUR-US and UL Greenguard Gold. And the brand states that it’s fiberglass free, nor does it contain additional waterproofing or antimicrobials. We also like its lifetime warranty and 120-night sleep trial without a return fee. The bed is available in both twin and full sizes.
My Green Mattress’ Pure Eco Organic Kids Mattress makes an excellent choice for any child—in fact, it rivaled our pick for the best overall mattress in this story but was narrowly edged out. This model relies on a layer of GOLS-certified organic Dunlop latex for its comfort layer, a soft GOTS-certified organic cotton and wool quilted cover, and 875 individually pocketed 6-inch coils for durability and excellent support. It does feel like a medium-firm but with a nice softness to it that really makes it great for a variety of sleep positions. Our long-term tester reports her 6-year-old (mostly) side-sleeping son has been sleeping much better and longer after transitioning to it from a crib mattress.
The Pure Eco Organic Kids Mattress is 8 inches tall, putting it an inch above the Avocado Eco Organic Kids Mattress and on par with the Helix Kids and Birch Kids Natural Mattress. Parents might appreciate that this kids mattress is available in more bed sizes than most competitors; select it in twin, twin XL, full or queen. Another tester also raves about the strong edge support—kids can sit at the edge of it and tie their shoes if needed—and breathability, to prevent overheating and night sweats. It can hold up to 400 pounds, adding to its long-term potential, but it is not flippable, and there isn’t any built-in waterproofing. (However, its wool construction does make it naturally moisture-wicking, fire-protective and antimicrobial.) My Green Mattress offers a generous 365-night sleep trial, and one of my favorite stipulations for a full refund within that time period: proof that you donated the not-right-for-you mattress to a reputable charity.
The Naturepedic 2-in-1 Waterpoof Organic Kids Mattress carries EWG and Made Safe certifications just like the Avocado kids bed. However, there are some key differences. The Naturepedic 2-in-1 kids mattress offers flippable sides and a sugarcane waterproofing barrier for potty training on one side, whereas the Avocado lacks any additional waterproofing and is not flippable.
Both beds are the same height, and both sleep on the firmer side of the spectrum, but the Naturepedic is firmer, a little less cushy and quite bouncy with its 5-inch innerspring unit. While the Avocado’s comfort layer is composed of Dunlop latex, the Naturepedic relies on a wrapped micro-coil layer atop its sturdy innerspring layer for comfort and support. The Naturepedic, however, also offers a much higher weight limit (325 pounds) than the Avocado Eco Organic (250 pounds), and it comes in more sizes: twin, twin trundle, twin trundle short and full.
Multiple testers found the strong odor during unboxing off-putting, with one long-term tester saying it lingered for months. The edge support is a bit underwhelming, and the waterproof side is a bit noisy.
The Saatva Youth Mattress is the tallest bed on our list at 10 inches high, so this isn’t the one to place on your top bunk, on a higher frame or with a tot. It’s a sturdy, durable, flippable mattress with a top-notch warranty and a yearlong sleep trial (there is a $99 removal fee). We found it sleeps a bit firmer than the competition (each side offers foam comfort layers of different degrees—a plush side for ages 3 to 7 and a slightly firmer one for ages 8 to 12), and the surface is a bit bouncier than some thanks to its dual-sided steel innerspring unit. Our tester claimed this is the child’s bed that she most often conks out on given how comfortable it is for her as an adult. She also appreciated the white-glove delivery, making it seamless to get it set up in her child’s room.
The Saatva Youth Mattress does contain an antimicrobial and a water-resistant finish in order to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Our tester reported that a spilled water bottle easily wiped away, and a full pee by a 2-year-old also cleaned up nicely. Saatva says its antimicrobial compound is plant-based and that no toxic chemical sprays are added to its kids mattress. The brand also calls out that its fire barrier is made from natural thistle, not fiberglass. Again, however, Swanson warns about antimicrobial finishes on kids mattresses, especially when their exact makeup is not disclosed—so keep that in mind as you evaluate the right mattress pick for you. “Certain antimicrobial agents are often made from quats—quaternary ammonium compounds—so those can irritate the skin and the lungs,” she explains.
If you’re looking for that cushy memory foam feel for your kids, Leesa makes several kids mattresses of varying heights, all ideal for bunk beds, trundles or their first twin mattress. The brand’s standard Kids Mattress is 7.5 inches high and costs less than $500 for the twin, making it a little more expensive than other 100%-foam kids beds. That said, Leesa’s foam does carry two certifications for cleaner mattresses: It has the more common CertiPUR-US, as well as the UL Greenguard Gold certification. We think it’s worth paying a bit more for that second certification if you are going to go with an all-memory foam bed.
A 10-inch Leesa Youth Mattress is also available for older kids and teens, as well as a 5-inch Trundle Mattress, so parents can select the right one for their child. Both our panel testers feel the Leesa Kids Mattress sleeps on the firmer side, but also that it does cushion their bodies and provides excellent pressure relief. A family with an 8-year-old combination sleeper sleeping on the bed for nearly a year now says it opened up and softened a bit. “It remains firm but comfortable,” she reports, and she praised its overall value.
The edge support is a bit lacking, but the motion isolation is strong—and despite it being memory foam and our tester reporting that the cover is not cool to the touch, our kid testers slept well on these beds without waking themselves up from being too hot or restless.
The Lullaby Earth Dream Easy Kids Mattress is an innerspring bed with a polyester fill—and it’s supremely comfortable in several sleeping positions. Several kids, including my 6-year-old, were drawn to its soft cover and pretty rosetta pattern. It’s made by the same team that produces the Naturepedic organic kids bed, and while this one isn’t organic, it carries several certifications indicating it’s made without the worst offenders, like flame retardants or vinyl. There’s also no polyurethane foam in this mattress.
It can hold up to 325 pounds in the twin size or 450 pounds in the full version—which isn’t always the case with kids beds—so you could buy this for a young child and keep it as they grow, or even use it as an adult guest bed later on. Kids of various ages and sleep positions, as well as a tween and an adult tester, all found it comfortable. A long-term tester told me it’s the family’s new “favorite bed,” and that she fell asleep on the twin bed with her 6-year-old several times and was perfectly comfortable.
The removable, washable waterproof cover is soft to the touch and made with polyester fabric, a TPU waterproof backing and an elastane elastic band. There was a slight natural smell when unboxing, but it dissipated quickly. You can try out this bed during a 100-night sleep trial and enjoy a lifetime warranty.
How We Tested The Best Twin Mattresses For Kids
I began our search for the best kids twin mattresses with deep research: I studied the market, competitor reviews, online customer reviews, brand sites and our own sleep team’s mattress testing feedback. I also paid special attention to the certifications each mattress earned from independent organizations to ensure each model tested was safe for kids and complied with pediatric experts’ recommendations.
With all of these data points in hand, I sought out top-quality brands and best-in-class materials to create a list of worthy contenders to test. While I personally trialed several of these mattresses and brands, I also relied on other parents and their children to panel-test mattresses over the course of months by sleeping on them night after night. Each parent panelist then shared their scores and testing insights on each of the factors below:
Delivery And Setup
We considered how quickly beds were shipped and how they were delivered. In most cases, we did not pay extra for white-glove delivery, so our panelists noted how heavy their mattress was and how easy (or difficult) it was to carry to their room of choice, unbox it and place it on a frame.
Odor When Unboxed
Testers made note of any strong odor (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least odorous) as soon as the bed was unboxed. They also recorded when the smell dissipated and how long it lingered before clearing.
Edge Support
Strong support at the perimeter of a mattress can help prevent kids from rolling out of bed if there isn’t a bed rail on it. It also means a child can sit along the edge and tie their shoes, or a parent can sit at the head of the mattress for story time without sinking backward.
Each panelist assessed edge support by sitting at the edges of the bed, at the top and so on, making note of how much the bed collapsed beneath them and if they felt they would slide off while tying a shoe, for example. They also completed this test while lying on the bed and rolling to the edges. If you’ve ever tried this test, you know that a mattress with strong edge support almost pulls you back into the bed, while one with poor edge support lets you just roll or slip right off.
Pressure Relief
We asked sleepers and testers to rate the mattresses’ pressure relief on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst. This can be hard to do with kids, so we asked the parents to test the bed themselves but to also consider whether their children called the bed comfortable, and whether or not they woke up with any new aches. They also noted their typical sleeping position, such as side, back, stomach or restless.
A bed scoring a 1 or 2 offers little pressure relief; a tester would feel a lot of painful pressure at their hips and shoulders while lying on their sides, and on their bottoms or shoulder blades while lying on their backs. A middle-of-the-road bed might allow pressure to build up in a few spots along the body in certain positions, but it wouldn’t be terrible. And a bed with really excellent pressure relief—a 9 or 10 rating—doesn’t allow any pressure to build up along any spots on your body or in any position during sleep.
Comfort
Comfort was rated along with pressure relief, with the idea that sometimes an extra-firm bed is the most comfortable one for that individual sleeper. However, the most comfortable bed is likely the one that offers optimal pressure relief in a lot of sleeping positions. We asked parents and children to share their thoughts on the overall comfort of the bed.
Cooling Properties
Generally speaking, a hybrid or innerspring mattress is likely to sleep the coolest, as there is simply room for airflow; memory foam mattresses are much denser, and thus sleep hotter. Additionally, natural materials like latex, wool and cotton are known to be more breathable. To determine brand claims from reality, our panelists tested for how hot or cool the mattresses slept, making note of whether or not they woke up unusually hot or sweaty after a night of sleep on these mattresses. They also reported on whether the covers felt cool to the touch in the morning.
Motion Isolation
As someone who has many a time tried to extricate herself from the bed of a child who finally fell asleep after many, many stories, made-up songs, trips to the bathroom and so on, I can confirm the importance of motion isolation in a kids mattress. There’s also the possibility that stronger motion isolation might help prevent a restless sleeper from waking themselves as frequently. With all this in mind, we had panelists assess each bed’s motion isolation while lying in it with their child and making note of how easily they felt the other’s movements.
Overall Value
Finally, we weighed all the testing insights we gathered on these mattresses, along with their key attributes like the types of materials they’re made with, the independent certifications they carry, the length of their warranties and sleep trials, and the overall price and ultimate value of the bed to pull together a final score or rating of each.
How To Pick The Best Twin Mattress For Kids
To help you decide which kids twin mattress is best for your family, consider the following priorities:
Bed Type
When it comes to choosing a mattress—whether for an adult or child—one of the first things to decide is the type of construction you prefer. There are four main types of beds:
- Foam or memory foam: Foam or memory foam beds are designed to contour to the body for optimal pressure relief and motion isolation. However, these dense materials can trap heat, so they’re not ideal for kids who sleep hot.
- Latex: This natural material cradles joints like a foam bed but is more breathable. Made from the sap of rubber trees, it’s typically considered “cleaner” than man-made foams, but it’s also more expensive.
- Hybrid: These mattresses combine a base of springs with layers of cushy foams, latex, wool and/or cotton. They offer more airflow than foam beds and are an excellent middle ground between support and comfort.
- Innerspring: These beds have a bouncier feel, tend to be firm and supportive, and promote airflow. But they’re not particularly plush or adept at motion isolation.
A final consideration is whether you’re buying a mattress for a bunk bed or low-profile frame. If that’s the case, be sure to browse options that are shorter in height (aim for 7 inches tall or less) to reduce fall risks.
Nontoxic Materials
Organic materials are the cleanest, but they’re also the most expensive. Still, you don’t have to splurge on an all-organic bed to eliminate toxins from your kid’s sleep space. Sydney Swanson, a healthy-living science analyst on consumer safety science at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) with a specialty in baby and consumer products, strongly suggests avoiding certain materials when you’re shopping for kids mattresses. She advises, “Try to find companies that are transparent with their ingredients and materials. PVCs and vinyl chloride, which contain phthalates and other chemicals linked to asthma and hormone disruption, are commonly used in mattress covers.”
Other things to avoid are added fragrances or fiberglass, which is a fire retardant that can irritate kids’ respiratory systems if the mattress cover is accidentally damaged.
Certifications
Speaking of unwanted materials, trusted independent certifications like CertiPUR-US and UL Greenguard Gold, and stamps of approval from organizations like Made Safe, are an easy way to determine whether a kids mattress is free from major harmful toxins like formaldehyde, heavy metals and banned phthalates. Our handy mattress certification guide explains each certification in detail.
Firmness Level
How firm your mattress is, and whether you opt for one that has two sides of different firmness levels, also depends on your child’s age and comfort preferences. Dr. Logan Greenblatt, a general pediatrician with Staten Island University Hospital through Northwell Health in New York, advises: “For ages 3 to 7, I would recommend a slightly softer mattress, but on the firmer side. After 7 and into their adolescence is when you can start prioritizing their own comfort needs, because nothing’s worse than a teenager who doesn’t get a good night’s sleep.”
Take note of their preferred sleeping position: Back and stomach sleepers tend to do best with a firmer bed for ample spine support, while side sleepers like plusher or softer mattresses that can properly cradle their shoulders and joints.
Child’s Age And Size
Once your child is ready to transition from a crib mattress (around the age of 3), our recommendation is to upgrade to a kid-specific twin mattress like the ones we’ve tested here. These mattresses typically measure between 6 and 8 inches in height to make them easier for children to climb into and less dangerous in case of falls. Many kids twin mattresses are flippable: The firmer side is for tots who’ve outgrown their extra-firm crib mattresses, and you can switch to the softer side as they grow. (Greenblatt says that kids ages 8 and up will probably prefer flipping to the softer side, which I’ve found to be the case with my children.) This extends the time your child enjoys the bed.
If you’re upgrading a child’s mattress who is age 8 or above, I would recommend shopping our picks for teens, as they might outgrow these child-specific beds too soon.
Price And Overall Value
Typically, kids mattresses made with higher-quality materials like organic cotton and latex or with lower VOCs are more expensive than those constructed with man-made materials like memory foam. Furthermore, hybrids—which use several components like innersprings and a memory foam or latex layer—are usually priced a bit higher than an innerspring. As a mom with three kids, I understand the attraction to going for the cheapest mattress available; my expert advice, however, is to look for something on the higher end of your family’s particular budget if you can, and to prioritize your child’s individual needs, organic materials and lower-VOC certifications.
My Expertise
I’m a longtime journalist who has covered a number of subjects over the years with a special focus on kids, baby and parenting in the last decade (when I became a mother myself). As a deputy editor at Forbes Vetted, and the former senior kids and baby gear editor, I closely monitor, research and test myriad baby and kids products, from toys to smartwatches to mattresses. I also attend key industry events, such as the ABC Kids Expo and Toy Fair, monitor the CPSC for product recalls and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for safety updates, and regularly interview and speak with pediatric health and product experts, including pediatricians.
For this guide, I tested 10 mattresses at home with my three children and coordinated panel testing of other beds with additional parents, including Forbes Vetted editors and staff. I also deeply researched numerous mattress brands and materials, spoke with brand representatives and interviewed several experts to understand what makes for the best mattress for kids. Two of those experts are quoted within this guide:
- Dr. Logan Greenblatt, a general pediatrician at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, who sees children both at the hospital and for routine well visits.
- Sydney Swanson, a healthy-living science analyst on consumer safety science at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) with a specialty in baby and consumer products.
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