Crib Mattress Review: Newton Baby vs. Safety 1st

If you’re trying to decide what crib mattress to buy for your new baby, I’m hoping I can help with this crib mattress review post! In this post I’m reviewing two popular crib mattresses at two very different price points. I’ll answer some popular questions, like: Is the Newton crib mattress worth it? Is a breathable mattress necessary? Can I buy an affordable crib mattress and help my baby get great sleep? What’s the best crib mattress to buy?

I never make a purchase without researching it about 900 times. Let me take that back… When I’m standing in line at HomeGoods, I will 100% make a purchase on a whim. Otherwise, I will research it approximately 900 times. There was no exception to this when I was putting together our baby registry, and especially when it came to the crib and mattress. I wanted to make sure I was looking at the best crib mattresses on the market. I read many crib mattress reviews and still couldn’t decide what would be the best baby crib mattress for us.

An old furniture-store commercial always rings in my head: “You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping.” I wanted our daughter to be comfortable, safe, and have everything she needed to sleep through the night. We tried out both the Newton Baby Crib Mattress and the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress. Here’s my crib mattress review of the two, and which crib mattress I recommend!

Newton Baby Breathable Crib Mattress | Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress

Newton Baby Mattress vs. Safety 1st Crib Mattress

There’s quite a price difference between these two mattresses (Newton Baby retails for $299 and Safety 1st retails for $68-75), so I assumed that I would see a BIG difference in sleep, too. I’ll get to that, but let’s cover some of the details first.

What is the crib mattress made out of?

According to their website, the Newton Baby Crib Mattress is made of food-grade polymer (10%) and air (90%), which makes up its Wovenair core. It is made to fit standard cribs and move into a toddler bed, too. Newton Baby’s biggest claim to fame with this mattress is its breathability.

The Safety 1st crib mattress is made out of a thermo-bonded fiber core, plus a vinyl outer cover. The outer cover is wipeable. It is made to fit standard-sized cribs and toddler beds.

Safety standards for crib mattresses

All crib mattresses sold in the US need to meet certain safety standards from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And don’t forget that even if you’re buying a mattress that meets these standards, you should always follow the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines.

That means you always put babies (under 1 year old) to sleep on their backs. They sleep on a firm mattress that fits tight in the crib with a tight fitted sheet and nothing else in the crib. (No stuffed animals, blankets, bumpers, pillows, etc.)

Crib Mattress Review: Pros and Cons of Each Mattress

Pros of the Newton Baby Crib Mattress

• The cover zips off and can be replaced if necessary (they sell replacement covers for $80)
• Its materials are 100% recyclable
• It holds its shape after 4 years of continued use, without any areas being more squashed down than others
• The mattress cover is machine washable! And if life REALLY got messy you could take the mattress core outside and hose it down. A HUGE plus for parents.

Cons of the Newton Baby Mattress

• Every review I found on Newton Baby’s mattress said that its breathable core is a major benefit to moms and newborns. I’m going to go ahead and be (possibly) the first mom reviewer to say that I think this claim is actually a “con” to the mattress. Let me explain… If you were just using the core of the mattress, it would be breathable… but put on the woven cover, a mattress cover, and a crib sheet, and there’s no way you (or your newborn) are breathing through that. I’m putting this as a big CON because so many people talk about its breathability – without realizing that some parents (including myself as a first time parent!) are probably going to be using a waterproof mattress cover, plus a crib sheet, on top of the mattress and its cover. Update: Newton Baby now makes a waterproof version of the mattress (retail $349), which would get rid of the need of a waterproof cover.
• It’s not cheap. $299 is expensive for some families. (Especially if you plan to go from a crib to twin-size (or bigger) bed and skip the toddler bed altogether, and especially if you only plan to use this mattress for one child.)
• The replaceable mattress covers are $80 each. If you plan to only use the mattress with their removable cover, you should have at least one extra mattress cover on hand because … well, sh*t happens. If you don’t have a second mattress cover, you have to time it JUST RIGHT if you need to take it apart and wash it. By that I mean if you’re relying on that crib mattress for a nap time, you need to get the cover washed and dried before it’s time for bed.

Pros of the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress

• It’s affordable! At $68-75 on Amazon, you won’t feel awful if something terrible happens to the mattress and you have to replace it
• It’s comfortable but still firm enough for an infant’s sleep

Cons of the Safety 1st Mattress

• The inside material is layered, with not a ton of structure. Over time, the mattress will flatten in some spots, like the corners. (Especially if you have a child who sleeps in the same position all the time or plan to use the same mattress through multiple children.)
• It’s not made of recycled materials, a con if that is important to you.
• It cannot be washed in a machine (like the Newton can), and you’re only able to spot clean the mattress itself.
• May 2023 update: Ours needed to be replaced after about 4 years (and 2 kids), where the Newton Baby is still going strong and looks brand new 3 kids later!

Want more baby gear reviews? Check out my Motherhood highlights!

Sleep: Newton Baby Mattress vs. Safety 1st Mattress

I assumed that my daughter would sleep 3x as well on the Newton Baby mattress, since it’s 3x the price. But I was so wrong. She slept JUST as well on the $68 mattress as the $299 mattress!

I used the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Crib Mattress from the time she moved into her own room (around 4 months old) until she was 15 months old. Then I swapped out her crib mattress for the Newton Baby Crib Mattress, expecting to see a huge change in sleep. To be honest, her sleep was exactly the same. That said, there are some definite reasons why you should upgrade to the Newton mattress.

How long will my baby use a crib mattress?

Most babies sleep in a crib from 3 months to 2.5 years, and then transition into either a toddler bed or a larger sized bed. Plan on using a crib mattress for about 2 years. If you use a toddler bed, you can continue using the same crib mattress (a toddler bed is generally the same size as a crib). You’ll need to get a bigger mattress once your child moves out of the toddler bed, but that could be at age 3+.

Which crib mattress should I get if I plan to have more than 1 child?

One big question to consider is this: How long will you actually use the crib mattress? We decided to keep using the Newton Baby crib mattress for our second child AND third child. The crib mattress has held up beautifully after over 5 years of continued use. The budget mattress, on the other hand, has been thrown out since it completely broke down after continual usage. If you do plan to have multiple children on the crib mattress you’re buying, then it is worth the upgrade to Newton Baby.

See more product recommendations for baby sleep on my Amazon Storefront

Final thoughts

This is all going to come down to personal preference, BUT… If you plan to have more than one child, 100% invest in the Newton crib mattress. But if you’re only planning on one child and/or don’t have the budget for a $300 crib mattress, it might be a good idea to stick with the cheaper crib mattress.

This post originally appeared in March 2019 and has been updated!