My 3-year-old rates the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress 'nice' (and that's high praise!) – here's what Mum thinks too

Our Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress review tries out the brand's only children's mattress to see if it's the best mattress to lull a restless toddler to sleep.

Quick review

The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress gets close to top marks from our family of three (soon to be four). What I like about it is that it is comfortable for children – my three-year-old daughter loves it – and grown-ups when they need to climb into bed for bedtime stories and cuddles. Unlike other kids' mattresses my daughter and I have tested, this Simba option combines a decent amount of bounce in the springs and a cradling comfort in the foam.

This was the second kid's mattress that we have reviewed; the first was the REM-Fit Remy Kidz Eco Mattress, and the two couldn't be more different. The Remy Kidz Eco is a firm-feeling all-foam mattress our daughter rated "too hard", whereas the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress is a bouncier and squishier combination of springs and foam. The Simba offering is by far the favourite of both our three-year-old (it was immediately declared "nice") and her Mum and Dad.

You will just need help to rotate the Hybrid Kids Mattress because, annoyingly, there are no side handles and whilst the price of £349 is competitive, I do feel that it is a little high.

Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress review

Overall we consider eight factors when we test kid's mattresses. We then use these to score each mattress out of 5. The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress scored 4.5 out of 5. Read on to find out why.

Specifications

Type: hybrid memory foam
Materials: polyester cover, CertiPUR foam and titanium alloy Aerocoil springs
Sizes: Single
Comfort level: medium-firm
Height: 16cm
Side handles: No
Manufacturer sleep trial: 200 nights

1. Comfort

The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress is constructed from five layers of spring and foam. These include the removable and machine-washable cover, an open-cell memory foam layer, high-definition foam for support, titanium alloy Aerocoil springs, foam edge support then a foam support base. It has a total depth of 16cm which is slim enough to be used in bunk beds.

In practical terms, we found that this hybrid mattress is true to the 6/10 medium/firm tension Simba promises (10 being at the firmest end of the scale) with plenty of squish and bounce yet support. Our 3-year-old was previously sleeping on the REM-Fit Remy Kidz Eco Mattress which had a firmness rating of 7/10, and was, in her words, "too hard" for her with no bounce.

While we were reviewing the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress, we also received the Little Green Sheep Natural Junior Mattress. This is made from completely natural fibres; coconut fibres (core), natural latex, wool and a cotton cover. While our daughter found this mattress comfortable it was, again, "too hard" with no bounce.

She is a side, front, back, and everything in-between sleeper and she found the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress to be "nice" for her. Myself and my husband concur, as we often slept on the mattress whilst our daughter was in the big bed with mummy or daddy.

Of course, there are individual factors that can affect how firm you find a mattress, the main ones being your weight and build. Whilst Simba doesn't specify the weight limit of their Hybrid Kids Mattress they do suggest that it is 'suitable for sleepers aged three and up (including grown-ups)'.

2. Responsiveness

With this mattress being a hybrid I found that it achieves the perfect balance of responsiveness, unlike all-foam mattresses that can sometimes lack this. This is because hybrid mattresses combine spring with foam; the foam contours around the body whilst the springs ease movement.

To test this I filled a glass part way full of water, covered the top of it and placed it on the mattress. My little helper (our daughter) then rolled around on the surface of the mattress. The glass didn't topple and no water was spilt. It was only if you were to deliberately quickly apply pressure to the sleep surface next to the glass that there was some water sloshing.

3. Temperature regulation

I continue to be amazed by the temperature regulation of synthetic mattresses, and the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress is no exception.

Standard memory foam mattresses can be prone to causing overheating because the material is too dense to allow for airflow. The foam in this hybrid - Simbatex foam layer - encourages heat absorption and air flow. This layer is the first which is in contact with the body, underneath the knitted polyester cover. Springs also allow air flow throughout the mattress, so this kids mattress ticks both boxes in terms of the materials.

Throughout our time trying it out, neither of the three of us (a 3 year-old, mummy and daddy) experienced any over heating. I tend to be cold getting in to bed but warm up quickly, which is the same for our daughter. My husband, on the other hand, is warm the majority of the time. We didn't wake in the night sweaty or even wanting / needing to hang a leg out the side of the duvet to cool down.

4. Edge support

To test the edge support on the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress our 3-year-old sat on the edge of the bed to see how easy it was to stand up from it, and also pressed her hand down on the sides of the mattress to get a closer measure of the support.

This mattress is 16cm deep which is thicker than the REM-Fit Remy Kidz Eco Mattress (13cm) and the Little Green Sheep Natural Junior Mattress (12cm).

It sank down to 10cm when sitting on the edge of the bed and when applying pressure by hand on the edge too. It's also worth noting that at no point in the night did any of us feel that we were going to roll out of bed and, in the morning, we didn't struggle to get out of bed either; the top Simbatex foam layer was a comfortable launch pad.

5. Ease of care

The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress needs to be rotated rather than flipped to ensure even wear and tear. It's recommended that you rotate it regularly - at least once a month for the first three months, and then every three to six months - but there are no handles so you may need some help with this.

A one-sided mattress may lack some longevity, compared to a high quality two-sided mattress, over time. However, after two months of use the Hybrid Kids Mattress still feels like new so I guess it depends on the size of the child and/or grown up on the mattress, how much bouncing the mattress endures and whether or not a mattress protector is in situ that'll effect this mattresses condition.

While you can remove the knitted cover from the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress you can not machine wash it. I see this a little pointless; to have a removable mattress cover that you can not wash, especially on a children's mattress that you can pretty much guarantee will get damp and stained in its lifetime.

Simba does have removable and machine washable covers on most of its adult mattresses, such as the Simba Hybrid Original and Simba Hybrid Pro mattress, so they have the technology already in place and it's a little disappointing not to see it utilised on the kid's version too.

However, you can always invest in a mattress protector to keep it clean and avoid any staining to the mattress itself. It's a lot easier to wash a mattress protector than it is to figure out how to clean a mattress.

Ready for a top tip? Add a couple of layers of protection with a mattress protector and a fitted sheet for a quick (and easy) sheet strip should an inventible toilet accident happen. You can then all go back to sleep without (hopefully) any further disruptions.

6. Sleep trial

As with any Simba mattress, kids and grown-ups can trial the mattress for 200 nights. This is a chance for every member of the immediate family to sleep on it, roll on it, and jump on it to see if it's the right big-person mattress for them.

After testing several mattresses our daughter found too hard, I would say a sleep trial is vital in getting this important purchase right.

7. Delivery

The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress arrived wrapped and rolled in a cardboard box; it's the typical arrival of a mattress-in-a-box. Being a kids mattress, it wasn't as heavy or as big as the grown-up beds so manoeuvring it was relatively hassle-free. Delivery can be made to a room of your choice, and an old mattress removed; you'll just need to opt for this at checkout. Not all mattress retailers offer this service. Emma, for example, only deliver its mattresses to outside your door.

I received the Hybrid Kids Mattress within 24 hours, from the time of ordering through to the point of delivery. It's a free next day service between 7:00 and 19:00 to most UK postcodes. Also, depending on what you order, weekend and preferred time delivery options are also available, as well as a free Click & Collect service for pillows, duvets and bedding and a bespoke VIP home delivery service for mattresses and frames for a small additional fee.

The VIP home delivery service, for example, means is that for just an extra £50 a specialist team will install your new mattress for immediate use and remove all packaging. Whilst this won't be something everyone needs, if time isn't on your side or you just don't want the hassle, it is a helpful option to have.

I recycled the cardboard box and disposed of the plastic wrapping into landfill. Whilst Simba's packaging is up to 60% recycled and comes from approved FSC sources, this is only relative to the cardboard so there's is perhaps some more attention required on the lifecycle of the plastic wrapping used.

Once unpacked, the Hybrid Kids Mattress mattress took just an hour or so to reach it's true depth of 16cm. I didn't notice any strong off-gassing odours from the mattress after unpacking it – a common feature of foam and memory foam mattresses - and it was ready to use that night.

8. Value for money

The Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress is one of two mattresses in the brands baby and kid mattress range. This mattress on test is for single-sized frames, whereas the Hybrid Cot Bed Mattress is for toddlers aged 3-and-under whilst using a cot bed. It can be bought either direct from Simba for £349 or from resellers such as Mattress Next Day and Amazon which, at the time of writing, were oddly cheaper than buying direct.

It would be worth bookmarking our mattress deals page which includes all of the latest discounts on offer from Simba and resellers, plus its competitors.

To compare, the REM-FIT Remy Kids Mattress retails for £349 and the Little Green Sheep Natural Junior Mattress retails for £345.95. These are both competitively priced with the Hybrid Kids Mattress, especially when there are sales on. I do feel that this price is high for a children's mattress, especially when you can buy grown-up sized mattresses for £100-or-so more (when there is a sale on). The materials used are also not natural like the Little Green Sheep Natural Junior Mattress which I appreciate commands it's high price due to the sources.

I haven't seen any comments on the Simba site, or reseller sites, that are specific to the price - although one reviewer notes that it is "An investment totally worthwhile!". Overall, reviewers rave about the Hybrid Kids Mattress and have awarded it 4.9-out-of-5 stars on simbasleep.com and 5-out-of-5 stars on Mattress Next Day based on the delivery service, comfort and suitability for a top bunk.

How I tested

Jennifer Oksien

I'm Jen, one of the Ideal Home team's Consumer Experts. My previous REM-Fit Remy Kidz Eco Mattress was the first mattress for children that my 3-year-old and I have tested so we were keen to compare it with the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress, and to see if an all-foam or hybrid mattress is better to sleep on.

Here are our sleep stats:

Sleep position: side (me), side, front and back (daughter)
Tension preference: medium / firm (me), medium (daughter)
Sleep problems: shoulders, lower back and 9mo pregnant (me), kicking off the duvet (daughter)
Height & weight: 5ft 8 & 80kg (me), 2ft 9 & 22kg (daughter)
Average sleep time: 8 hours (me), 11 hours (daughter)

During my testing of the Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress, I assessed the eight factors that the Ideal Home team deems vital to any kid's mattress purchase.

With the help of my 3-year-old daughter, I assessed the mattress for comfort, responsiveness, temperature regulation, and edge support through at-home testing. This means that the mattress was slept on by my child (and me or my husband every so often) for a minimum of four weeks before writing my review.

I also took into consideration durability, any sleep trials available, the delivery process, and the mattress's environmental impact and its value for money.

Where possible, I also took into account third-party customer reviews – to see if they aligned or were at odds with my own experience – before writing my own review and giving this mattress a star rating.