Hellobee Boards

@Goldengirl: we bought a sealy mattress that has a waterproof cover that isnt removable. we still added a mattress pad to that

@goldengirl: In 4.5y, i have never put anything other than one crib sheet on our crib mattress. It does have a non-removeable waterproof cover. Apparently I'm the minority

We did layer a waterproof mattress pad and sheet over our waterproof crib mattress. I could just pull both of them off if there was an accident and put new on without having to think about wiping down the mattress before replacing the sheet. Worked for us especially since we knew we wanted to use the mattress again for LO#2. I'm not a germ freak but it seemed a little more sanitary to be able to throw them in the washer.

@Goldengirl: I think the thing is in the middle of the night, even if those are removable, you are just going to want to change the bed quick and go back to sleep. So maybe if you remove the cover that's normally on there, you might want a back up while it is in the wash?

@Goldengirl: ah yes my mattress itself is covered in a non removable plastic material. If yours has an additional layer I wouldn't bother.

I did use a crib mattress protector for a lot of things though like laying the baby on my bed for night changes when they were still in my room. Or when laying them on the floor or couch if they spit up a lot.

@Goldengirl: of course it is totally up to you, but for diaper changes and things where you are watching the baby something that is non-breathable would be fine.