Looking for a mattress protector that's waterproof, silent, and durable

August 10, 2015 7:49 AM

I'd like a mattress protector for my daughter's double/full bed that's waterproof (no milk, pee or vomit leaking through), silent (doesn't make crinkly noises when rolling around on it) and durable (stays waterproof after many washes). Any suggestions?
posted by clawsoon to Home & Garden (18 answers total)

We recently bought this one and it's exactly what you want (except we have a king mattress). But most of them are the same.
posted by kindall at 8:11 AM on August 10, 2015

We have the same one kindall just linked to (on a king). We haven't tested the waterproofness, but it isn't crinkly, and is overall not terribly annoying. The one thing I will disagree with kindall on is that most of them are the same. We went through three before finding this one. A lot of them are really noisy/crinkly, and some also made us sleep way too hot.
posted by primethyme at 8:18 AM on August 10, 2015

So... uh... would you care to test the waterproofness for me? :-)
posted by clawsoon at 8:23 AM on August 10, 2015

That was exactly our concerns when we bought ours and I was so excited to go and look at our tag and tell you the name, but unless 1ab is manufacturer name I am out of luck. However, the way I would describe it is how the tag describes its materials - terry cloth. It is a very thin cover, totally waterproof, and not crinkly. The top side is a very thin terry cloth. So I would add in terry cloth waterproof cover into your search terms.

For example, there is a highly rated one on overstock for $25 (for a full bed) that looks like what we have and reviews state it is waterproof and not crinkly.
(Terry Waterproof Mattress Protector)
posted by dawg-proud at 8:33 AM on August 10, 2015

I don't have one to recommend because the three different kinds I've tried all lost their waterproofness to one degree or another. I am nighttime potty training my daughter so sometimes there is a A LOT of pee. However, I bought these pads and they have been a better solution than just a waterproof cover. They absorb the liquid, they don't crinkle, and they have made the laundry situation much easier to handle.
posted by stowaway at 8:36 AM on August 10, 2015

I was just coming in to suggest you do a normal mattress pad cover (they're sort of like a plastic towel material) but do those pads under key spots that will get wet.
posted by k8t at 8:42 AM on August 10, 2015

I liked this one for our needs- I also needed an allergy barrier for cat dander. I am not sure how it will wash up, but the cover has been holding up well to water spills and blot cleanings. The cover completely covers the mattress and zips closed.

I was able to pick it up in store with the pillow covers. A note though, I leave the zippers about 1/4 of the way open on the pillow covers because they fill with air and it's just weird laying down on a pillow that mimics a soufflé.
posted by comicgirl001 at 8:42 AM on August 10, 2015

Oh, and I meant to add, that I would go crazy if I had to unzip a fully encased mattress every time my daughter had an accident when we were potty training, so if if you are planning on regularly washing the cover that is something to consider. Ah, on preview, I see stowaway highlights my next point, which was we had a pad on top of the sheets, so in the middle of the might you might not need to put on new sheets (you would still have to have a waterproof mattress cover underneath the sheets so that if two accidents happened in the night you'd be prepared. Now that she is older we just have the mattress cover on and it gets washed less often.
posted by dawg-proud at 8:44 AM on August 10, 2015

One thing I'd like to warn you of, and that I learned the hard way, is that very few waterproof mattress pads protect the side of a mattress. Which is not that big a deal unless it shifts a bit under the sheets, or your kid barfs down the side of the bed.

We have a thin one marketed to grownups that we bought at the mattress store, that is very thin and noncrinkly and a second one on top of it with a thick pad on top of a vinyl waterproof layer. I think we just got it at Target - no fancy brand. I slept on it last night and there were no crinkles. The padding helps to absorb whatever needs absorbing and keep it from running down the sides.

The side of the mattress still got nailed in the aforementioned incident, though.
posted by telepanda at 8:55 AM on August 10, 2015

I can vouch for the pads made by Priva as non-crinkly, and also completely and utterly bombproof. I used them as large changing pads and after extensive laundry abuses (one was a hand-me-down, and despite years of use still in excellent shape) they completely retained their waterproof properties. I was crazy-impressed with the quality. They were also very unique in that the top, non-waterproof side was comfortable and not the usual comfy-as-fibreglass texture of some of the cheap poly used on similar things.
posted by kmennie at 10:36 AM on August 10, 2015

We've been using the pads, but she's big enough now that they get kicked way out of place as she rolls around in bed during the night.
posted by clawsoon at 10:41 AM on August 10, 2015

We went through three before finding this one.

Which ones sucked?
posted by clawsoon at 11:27 AM on August 10, 2015

I bought this one and so far so good. It has been "used" several times and no liquid has made it onto the surface of the bed (in my case, I have an evil cat, but I'm sure the principle is the same). The topside is covered in terrycloth so it doesn't sound crinkly, either.
posted by zug at 11:40 AM on August 10, 2015

Do you use the pads with the panels that tuck under the mattress? I put those under the fitted top sheet and they don't move at all.
posted by stowaway at 12:33 PM on August 10, 2015

I have this Luna mattress protector. It's definitely waterproof, and you wouldn't know it's on there unless you pulled up the sheet and looked.
posted by radioamy at 1:44 PM on August 10, 2015

I just put pads UNDER the bottom sheets... 2-3 of those flannel crib pads work wonderfully. Yes, if there's an accident I have to change the sheet, but I don't have to wash the whole dang cover.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 6:17 PM on August 10, 2015

(To clarify -- the company I liked to also manufactures mattress protectors.)
posted by kmennie at 7:55 PM on August 10, 2015

You want this one.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:33 PM on August 11, 2015