Cover
The of the 5 Little Monkeys mattress are covered in a removable and machine-washable organic-cotton cover. If you have kids, you know that a washable cover is a plus. Below, our testers demonstrates zipping off the cover. The cover feels very sturdy and well made.
Comfort & Feel
There are three aspects that make up our assessment of comfort and feel. We call these "preference-based characteristics" because no rating here is better or worse – rather, the attributes that are most desirable to you will be determined solely by your personal preferences. We apply the same classification standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
Softness ( what’s this )
Keep in mind that what mattress companies call “firm” or “soft” is a purely a preference. All mattresses should be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment. Whether a mattress is fluffy and squishy (what mattress companies call soft or plush), or less so (what companies call firm), is purely down to your personal needs and preferences.
We looked at the 5 Little Monkeys mattress from a child's point of view; a heavier adult would find this a much softer mattress than a lighter child. We would call this mattress a Medium overall - it's plenty soft but has firmness below.
Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.
Softness Level (1=Least Soft, 9=Most Soft) |
5 | Medium |
Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )
This refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress or feel cradled or hugged, versus a feeling of floating on top of the bed. This is definitely more of the latter. When we pressed into the mattress, our hand got quite deep into it, for what we would term as deeper than average cushioning. However the weight of your child will be a big factor here. Neither of our child testers felt that they were being swallowed by the mattress or had any trouble changing positions.
Cushioning Depth (1=Shallowest, 9=Deepest) |
6 | Slightly deeper than average |
Responsiveness ( what’s this )
Responsiveness refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. When you press your hand into the mattress, for instance, then remove it, does it take several seconds for the mattress to return to flat, or does it recover immediately?
While the 5 Little Monkeys mattress does have some memory foam, we found it to be a very quick-responding foam, with little of that slow responding memory foam feel. The mattress also has very little bounce (like most all-foam mattresses).
Response Rate (1=Slowest, 9=Fastest) |
7 | Quick recovery, little bounce |
Back Support & Pressure Relief
The two things that you should always be sure to get from your mattress are spinal alignment (commonly thought of as "back support") and pressure relief. Unfortunately, no mattress will deliver these two things equally well for all sleepers. In particular, spinal alignment and pressure relief capabilities will vary across sleepers with different weights, body shapes, and sleep positions.
Children need proper spinal alignment and support as much as adults. A mattress that's too firm might result in a child not sinking in at all, which a too-soft mattress might allow the back to curve too much. In our observations with our child testers, support and spinal alignment did not appear to be issues, whether back, side, or stomach sleeping.
Other Characteristics
Beyond the preference-based characteristics of comfort and feel, and the body matching for spinal alignment and pressure relief, a mattress will have a number of other attributes that can make it a better or worse choice for you. We call these "priority-based characteristics" because they are areas in which a mattress can be better or worse, but that will have differing amounts of importance to each sleeper. So, determining how much importance to give to these features will be entirely a matter of your own personal priorities. As always, we apply the same ratings standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.
For the 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System, we looked at factors that would matter to children.
Temperature ( what’s this )
Children can have a tendency to sleep hot. 5 Little Monkeys solution for this is the inclusion of gel in the top layer of memory foam. Gel is a known conductor of heat, and it's used in many other mattress brands for the same reason.
Overall, we did see any reason to think a child would be any warmer on this mattress than any other.
Stays 'Cool' Rating | 6/10 | Average |
Edge Support ( what’s this )
Edge support can be important for a children's mattress for a couple of reasons, and more for a parent than perhaps for a child. In the top photo, you'll see one of our child testers sitting on the side of the 5 Little Monkeys mattress. He's stable and doesn't sink down too much--helpful if your child likes to sit on the edge, or perhaps to tie their shoes.
But edge support also has a role for caregivers, too. If you and your child like to read a book together, for example, you'll find yourself squeezing in to fit on the side of the bed. Same if you need to comfort a child at night. Our adult tester felt fairly stable on the edge, but as you can see in the lower image, he's sinking quite a lot. Overall, edge support is good, but not the best among foam mattresses.
Edge Support Rating | 6 /10 | Good but not the best |
Green Features ( what’s this )
For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe.
In the case of the 5 Little Monkeys mattress, the foams are petroleum-based, so not a natural product.
The foams are certified to the CertiPUR-US standard, which verifies that a material has low VOC off-gassing as well as a lack of chemicals and other substances regulated by the CPSC. This certification is so common to be almost standard these days.
While the main mattress materials aren't natural, the Sleep System's mattress cover, mattress protector and pillow cover are all made of organic cotton, so the items that are closest to your child are more natural than the innards of the mattress itself.
Green Rating | 4 /10 | Okay |
Price & Value
How Much Does the 5 Little Monkeys Mattress Cost?
Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on all online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers.
The 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System comes in three sizes: Twin, Full and Queen.
What Are You Getting?
The 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System includes three components: The mattress itself, a waterproof mattress protector, and a pillow. The mattress cover, protector and pillow cover are all made of organic cotton and are machine washable. The mattress cover zips off for cleaning. The mattress also comes with a 100-night trial, with full refund including pickup should you decide to return the mattress.
Also included in the System is a toy monkey, which our child testers were fond of.
How Long Will the 5 Little Monkeys Mattress Last?
When it comes to estimating the comfort lifespan of a mattress, we tend to use foam density as our best, albeit imperfect, predictor of how long a foam will retain its shape and resiliency. In the case of the 5 Little Monkeys mattress, the top foam layer has a 4 lb. density, and the next layer a 3.5 lb. density. While not the highest density memory foams we've seen, they are certainly higher than many, if not most, competitors at this price point.
Overall Value
The twin sized 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System is very competitive, and the cover and pillow add further value. The cover, protector and pillow cover are organic cotton, adding more value. Compared to mattresses you would find in stores, as well as compared to similar all-foam mattresses available online, we do think the 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System is an excellent value.
Value Rating | 9 /10 | Excellent value |
Other Factors to Consider
Delivery
- Free delivery to your door step
5 Little Monkeys includes free delivery with this sleep system, which has become fairly standard among most online mattress competitors these days.
Return Policy
- 100-day trial period
- Full refund within trial period, including free pickup
5 Little Monkeys offers buyers a 100-day trial period. Returns within the trial period are free, with pickup of the mattress included. Get the full return-policy details.
Read more here: 5 Little Monkeys return policy
Warranty
- Warranty Length: 15 years
- Indentation Coverage: 1.5” and above
One of the biggest, if not THE biggest complaints about any mattress from consumers regards body impressions—the inability of a mattress to spring back, eventually creating a low spot/sinkhole in the mattress. As such, mattress warranties all contain a term defining how big a sag or ‘body impression’ (measured when no one is on the mattress) is considered a defect, and thus covered under the warranty. The industry standard for foam mattresses is generally between ¾” and 1”. 5 Little Monkeys has chosen to cover indentations that meet or exceed 1.5" which is higher than most. Practically speaking, that means any softening or sagging would need to be at least that deep before the warranty would offer you protection.
As a mattress meant for children, we do not think that sagging is a large risk since children are lighter in weight. If you intend to use the mattress for an adult or heavier teenager, body impressions could be more of a concern in your decision-making.
Read more here: 5 Little Monkeys warranty