Expert says adult mattresses aren't safe for babies – and demonstrates the dangers

A baby sleep expert on TikTok has said you should never put your baby to bed on an adult mattress, as they may struggle to breathe while laying on their stomach

Have you ever wondered why cot mattresses are so firm? According to baby sleep experts, it’s to reduce the risk of “rebreathing” which can be fatal to babies.

Rebreathing occurs when a baby breathes in their own exhaled air, and this is more likely to happen when the infant is sleeping on a soft mattress or with bedding, stuffed toys, or a pillow near the face.

TikTok user BabySleepCode has urged parents not to put their young child into their bed to sleep without first ensuring they have a mattress that is safe for babies, as they demonstrated the differences between beds using weights.

In one video, it says: “Most babies will learn to roll from back to tummy between eight weeks and five months. The average eight-week-old baby weighs five kilos, and by five months, seven kilos.

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“When sleeping on a cot mattress, there will be no indent around the baby, and any risk of rebreathing is low.

“Now imagine that same baby on this medium firm adult mattress.”

The clip shows the weights staying level on the cot mattress, but sinking down into the mattress on the adult bed.

The video has received almost 100,000 likes and 500 comments, with many people thanking the sleep expert for sharing the important information.

One wrote: “I wish more people understood this when buying baby mattresses, they always want it to be soft for them to be comfortable so to speak.”

While another said: “So that’s why they are so firm! I didn’t think that would be comfy, but this makes sense thank you.”

As some viewers said that co-sleeping can be done safely, one person added: “Everyone in here justifying co-sleeping because of their firm mattress … remove all your blankets as well, it’s not just the mattress!”

And a second said: “Yep and if you bedshare, your adult mattress needs to be as firm as a crib mattress.”