Baby mattresses and children’s mattresses

Katarina Rickan, nurse at the Neonatal Department at Astrid Lindgren’s Children’s Hospital, Stockholm Sweden describes:
In the Neonatal department, we use the SAFE Med Neonatal mattress-incubator mattress and the mattress is cut and used in smaller parts for positioning and relief of the head, ears and arms. The small cut cushions can be used without a cover and alternatively covered with a thin cotton sheet. The advantage of using this type of neonatal mattress is that it can be sterilized at high temperatures in an autoclave, can be machine washed at 80°C and dried in a warming cabinet, alternatively the incubator mattress can be tumble dried. t provides security to minimize the occurrence of bacteria. It is an advantage that the incubator mattress can be cut and adapted to the child’s size and needs. It can be reused as it is machine washable. The neonatal incubator mattress is not expensive and for the safety of the child, mattress pieces are used for positioning and only for a period of 2-3 times washing and then thrown away.
We cut the incubator mattress in freehand, and we have no specific measurements. I order a large mattress no. 101IC.3 size 200x100x2.5 cm, which we cut to the measurements we need.
For example, we cut a piece of mattress for the head and cut a hole where a needle sits, so that there is no pressure. The headpiece is placed in a pillowcase. Likewise, we cut pieces into tiny sleeping pads and cut holes in them for total relief of various body parts. Among other things, we do this to relieve children with poor circulation due to, for example, asphyxiation. As a mattress under the child, the mattress piece is placed in a pillowcase.