Crib Mattress on a Cot?

April 5, 2008 9:27 AM

Crib Mattress on a Cot?

I've got a cot and a crib mattress would fit it perfectly. What kind of crib mattress (Make and Model) would be good to support about 300 or 400 pounds (two people sitting on it)?

I suspect that getting a good crib mattress would give more bang for the buck than buying a futon mattress.

posted by Eiwalker to home & garden (8 comments total)

A good crib mattress costs about the same as a futon mattress. And crib mattresses are little.
posted by The World Famous at 10:07 AM on April 5, 2008

There's nothing I hate more than feeling the bars under a futon mattress. I don't think I'd feel the bars under a thick crib mattress.
posted by Eiwalker at 10:29 AM on April 5, 2008

In my experience, crib mattresses have a lot of give (e.g. If I sit on one, it compresses completely). A mattress that can support 300 or 400 pounds would be like sleeping on a concrete slab for a baby that weighs 8 (or 15 or 30) pounds.
posted by winston at 11:32 AM on April 5, 2008

Let me tell you that, from first hand experience, a 22-lb toddler jumping up and down on a crib mattress for 10 minutes can result in splitting of the mattress. I would think that, PSI aside, 300 lbs distributed across two two-foot radius seating areas on multiple occasions would eventually find the same end result.
posted by acoutu at 11:41 AM on April 5, 2008

@OP

why would you think that?

why would a mattress designed for a 10lb baby work for two adults?

it makes no sense whatsoever
posted by swbarrett at 11:51 AM on April 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm also going to chime in that this probably won't be the most comfortable choice. My crib mattresses have metal wire running around the edge to keep the shape, but if someone was sitting on it, that part would dig into the thighs. Plus, the rubbery coating wouldn't be too comfortable either.
posted by saffry at 12:10 PM on April 5, 2008

Most crib mattresses that I know of are coated with a plastic like protective outer lining for hygiene reasons as well as to protect from wetness and allow for easy cleaning. I wouldn't imagine that this type of surface would work too well as a seat.
posted by paul003 at 6:47 PM on April 5, 2008

Can I ask what a cot is, to you? I only know cots as being narrow, collapsible beds, with metal frames -- things people used to stick their guests on before air mattresses -- or else beds in movies set in WWII. In neither case are they the same size as standard crib mattresses.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:49 AM on April 6, 2008