Safety fears as cot mattresses fail crucial test.

Most Australians parents would assume any cot mattress for sale must be safe for infants to sleep on, but they’d be wrong.

Three popular cot mattresses have failed to meet basic safety standards designed to protect newborns from sudden unexpected infant death, prompting calls for mandatory safety checks.

Consumer advocates CHOICE tested 12 brands of cot mattresses and products from Childcare, Sealy and Love ‘n’ Care each failed the “firmness test” designed to reduce the risk of a baby suffocating.

“It is gravely concerning that three of the biggest brands in the cot mattress market have failed a safety test that has been in place for three years,” CHOICE’s Tom Godfrey said.

A standard for mattress firmness was established in 2013, but unlike the other safety requirements for cots around height and gaps around the mattress, it is not mandatory.

Mr Godfrey says “it’s time to put our kids’ safety first” by making the test compulsory.

“Currently, the Australian cot standard includes the mattress firmness test, but it’s only a voluntary clause and only applies to mattresses supplied with the cot. Cot mattresses sold separately are not required to meet mandatory safety standards.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will review testing guidelines later this year, but in the meantime Mr Godfrey advises worried parents to conduct a simple DIY check, outlined on the CHOICE website.

In 2014,  nearly 40 children under the age of one died as a result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Buying a new, correctly-fitting, firm mattresses is the best way to reduce risk, Mr Godfrey said.

The full mattress guide from CHOICE can be read here.