Every crib we deliver arrives with a firm 3" foam mattress, a waterproof protector and a laundered fitted sheet. That is a good, safe, entirely sufficient setup, and most of our bookings never change it.
We also stock Newton Baby mattresses as an upgrade. This page exists because "should I add the Newton?" is the most common question we get, and the honest answer is "sometimes." Here is how to tell which sometimes you are in.
What each one is
The standard foam mattress
A 3" firm polyurethane foam core in a wipeable waterproof cover, with a washable protector over it and a cotton fitted sheet on top. Firm and flat, which is exactly what safe sleep guidance asks for. It is the mattress most cribs in most houses have, and there is nothing second-rate about it.
The Newton
Newton's core is Wovenaire, a spun food-grade polymer that looks a bit like a solidified bowl of noodles and is roughly 90% air by volume. Two consequences follow from that.
First, it breathes straight through. You can genuinely blow air through the mattress. Newton's argument is that this reduces the CO₂ rebreathing risk if a baby ends up face-down. It is worth being precise here: no mattress prevents suffocation, no mattress replaces back-sleeping, and the safe-sleep rules are unchanged. Breathability is a margin, not a licence.
Second, the whole thing washes. Not just the cover; the core itself can go in a bath or a shower, be rinsed, and air-dry. There is no other mattress category where that is true, and it is the reason we can offer it as a rental at all.
The three cases where the upgrade is worth it
1. Your baby already sleeps on a Newton at home
This is the strongest reason by a distance, and it is why the upgrade exists. Vacation sleep problems are almost always about unfamiliarity: new room, new noises, new light, new smell. Removing one variable, and specifically the one your child is physically in contact with for twelve hours, does real work.
One of our reviews puts it better than we could: "I got the crib and mattress he has at home & even a splash pad!" That family was optimising for exactly this.
2. You are in an upstairs bedroom with no air conditioning
A meaningful number of LBI houses have window units downstairs and nothing upstairs, and a second-floor bedroom in August holds heat well into the night. A breathable mattress makes a genuinely noticeable difference to a hot sleeper, and this is the most common reason families who do not own a Newton add it.
3. You have a roller, and it worries you
Once a baby rolls, they will end up face-down, and every guideline says to let them stay there once they can roll both ways on their own. Knowing that does not stop you checking the monitor at 1am. If the breathable core buys you a night's sleep of your own, that is $75 well spent. Peace of mind is a real product, not a soft one.
When to skip it
- Your baby sleeps on standard foam at home. The foam mattress is the familiar option. Do not pay to change it.
- Newborn, tightly swaddled, not mobile. Little upside.
- The house is properly air conditioned. The heat argument disappears.
- You are here two or three nights. Put the money toward mini golf.
Things worth knowing either way
Both are firm, and both are flat
People occasionally expect the Newton to be plusher because it is the premium option. It is not, and it should not be. A crib mattress that gives under a baby's weight is a hazard, not a luxury. Both of ours pass the same firmness expectations.
Both get cleaned between every single stay
Foam mattresses get a wipeable cover and a laundered protector. Newtons get the cover machine-washed and the core rinsed and fully air-dried. Nothing goes back on the van until it is dry, because a mattress that is not fully dry is worse than one that was never washed. More on our process on the safety and cleaning page.
You cannot use your own mattress in our crib
Occasionally somebody asks to bring theirs. We say no, and the reason is fit: a full-size crib requires a mattress that leaves no more than two fingers' gap at any edge. We cannot verify that for a mattress we have not measured, so we do not guess.
The one-line version
If your baby sleeps on a Newton at home, add it, because that is what it is for. If the bedroom will be hot, add it. Otherwise the foam mattress is a good mattress and you should keep your $75.
Check availability and you can add or drop the upgrade on the same screen; we hold Newtons separately from cribs, so the calendar shows you honestly whether one is free for your week.