HIGH POINT, NC, 1999

Shopping for juvenile mattresses isn't just kid stuff.

"Infants and children are in a serious growth phase for upwards of eight to 10 hours each night," says Dr. Barry Stein, New York City-based pediatrician and assistant clinical professor at Mt. Sinai Hospital. "During a youngster's formative years, it's crucial for parents to buy only a high-quality mattress that provides good spinal support for healthy development."

Just like adults, children require a mattress with first-rate innersprings and a foundation which provides a sleeping surface that supports and aligns the lower back and relieves any tension, strain and or muscle fatigue.

"A quality mattress isn't just for adults," says Gale Steves, editor-in-chief of Home magazine, which examines bedding in its November issue. "The best juvenile mattresses are constructed like adult mattresses, only smaller. If kids have a good, supportive mattress it reduces chances of developing sleeping disorders or back problems later in life."

Today, mattress makers engineer bedding to meet the specific health and safety needs of youngsters.

Sealy's Posturepedic® crib mattresses, for example, are made to fit snugly into a standard crib so infants can't slip or slide between the railing and the edge of the mattress. The company's crib and youth mattresses, which are designed to graduate to junior-size and trundle beds, feature the patented PostureTech® coil with Sensory Arm™ feature that senses and cushions movement and responds with increasing support, key requirements in kids' mattresses.

Sealy's new line of juvenile mattresses, dubbed My First Posturepedic®, has all the features of its adult mattresses, only the coils are downsized from 6 inches to 4 inches. These juvenile mattresses come with special components to address growing problems unique to early childhood, including anti-microbial foam cushioning and waterproof, Scotchgard-protected covers for keeping mattresses clean and fresh.

And Sealy's juvenile mattresses are built to withstand all that an active youngster can mete out. These youth-sized mattresses can pass the same tests adult mattresses do, including rolling a 270-lb. drum back and forth over a mattress 100,000 times and dropping a 180-lb. weight on the mattress 20,000 times.

Although parents are ultimately responsible for selecting infant and youth mattresses, experts feel that kids should be involved in shopping for their bedding.

"Get the kids involved by making shopping for a mattress fun," suggests Mt. Brook, Alabama-based designer Andrea Carmichael, ASID. "I like to motivate them with the promise of choosing sheets imprinted with their favorite Disney, Muppets or other funky characters."

There's no shortage of appealing choices today, not in a youth bedding market conservatively estimated at $200 million annually and growing.