What's the Best Mattress | FBM latex mattress review

FBM latex mattress review - updated 11/7

Sep 18, 2009 9:54 PM

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Joined: Aug 31, 2009
Points: 29

First of all, thank you all for your help! This forum is invaluable. And Bill, your pictures and review really gave me the courage to make this a DIY project and to go with FBM. After much debate, I ordered the 6&quot; firm (ILD 33-38) mattress core with a 2&quot; soft (ILD 20) topper from foambymail.com. I also ordered the snugfleece elite mattress pad from dreamsoftbedware (they put great discount codes up on their facebook page). Last Friday, the mattress and topper arrived. They were wrapped very securely in plastic and were then placed in boxes. The boxes were wet (it was pouring) and not in the best shape, but the packages inside were well wrapped. In fact, so well wrapped that it took us something like 20 minutes to get all of the plastic off! After we unwrapped them, I laid on the firm core by itself and it was definitely very firm. There was just a little give, and it was comfortable for a minute but it would have been much too firm for me to sleep on overnight. The 2&quot; topper changed the feel significantly, and I couldn't wait to sleep on it after it aired out! We aired them out for about 24 hours, though neither really had much of a scent to them and I think it would have been fine to sleep on them the first night. The next night we put the bed together (it's a bit trickier than I thought to get both in the terry cover, but totally doable). The topper and mattress were not exactly the same sizes (as my pictures will show once I get them posted!). There wasn't a huge difference, and once we got them in the terry cover, the difference was no longer noticeable. The first night I got the best night of sleep I've had in quite some time. In fact, my daughter woke up for her first night feeding and I felt so rested I assumed it must be 3 or 4 in the morning, but it was only midnight. Over the next few nights I remained happy with the bed, but I felt like I needed it to be a little bit softer. I wondered whether I might need another layer of soft latex, but we were still waiting on the snugfleece and I had high hopes for it. The snugfleece elite arrived on Wednesday. It added an inch and a half of loft to the bed, but it really squishes down, so it's not like a true inch and a half (if that makes sense). But, this thing is soft! When I layed on it at first I actually thought it might be too soft, but after sleeping on it, I LOVE it. The only way I can describe it is to say it's like sleeping on top of a nice, squishy stuffed animal. Now men, this may not sound great to you, but I'll be honest and say I slept with a stuffed animal well into college, a nice, squishy one, and this is like the full body version of what I remember the stuffed friend to be like. So, all in all, I'm happy! For reference, I'm 5&quot;4&quot; 170lbs, and I sleep on my stomach and side. My husband's take on the mattress: He's 6'1&quot; 220lbs and is a side sleeper. He thinks the mattress is too firm and he was waking up stiffer than before. I (just now) asked him if he'd be interested in another layer of soft latex and he said maybe, though he thinks the problem may be solved now with the Snugfleece. He surprised me by saying the Snugfleece is &quot;sensual&quot; - which could just be a ploy to seduce but it sounded sincere! It is very nice feeling! For myself, I am waking up less stiff. I also LOVE that there is so little motion transfer, which really helps me sleep more soundly as my husband is a tosser. I took pictures of the unpacking/setting up, so I'll work on getting those up, and I'll be back with more updates as we sleep on it (and if we tweak it). All in all, it's a great setup and we paid far less than we thought we'd have to! UPDATE 11/7/09 We've been sleeping on the mattress for a few months now, and we're still very happy. I don't know if the wool topper lessens the feeling of the latex, but it does soften the feel of the bed. I f it weren't for the topper, we probably would have purchased some more soft latex because it was just a little too firm before. We had to wash the wool topper shortly after we put it on, and that was a not so pleasant experience. We followed the manufacturer's directions, but it still shed a TON of wool and it's not as lofty now. Plus, while it airdried our house smelled like wet sheep (sort of wet doggish, but different). My husband could only smell it the first day, but I smelled the wet sheep smell for days. We aired it out for about a week before putting it back on the bed, and it's not quite as cushy as it was before. So, if I had to do it over, I'd buy the one that has to be drycleaned and see if it holds up better than the ones that can be washed (disappointing when it cost so much to begin with, but what can you do?). We're hoping to avoid washing it for a looooong time! I think I might like another inch or two of soft latex, but I'm not dissatisfied with the current setup, and so I'm not sure I want to tweak it. It's comfy, I sleep well when my 7 month old lets me, and buying new layers could turn into a real life princess and the pea saga. So is it perfect? Naaah. But it's really close.

This message was modified Nov 7, 2009 by wifecat

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