Helix Kids Mattress Review

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 8 different factors that impact the comfort and feel of the mattress. Testing categories include:

Test	Rating
Cooling	Excellent
Sinkage	Minimal
Motion Transfer	High
Response Time	Very Fast
Bounce	Moderate
Edge Support	Excellent
Pressure Relief	Very Good
Off-Gassing	Excellent
Company	Excellent

Our tests and scores are based on the 8-12-year-old side of the mattress.

How is Helix Kids Different?

The Helix Kids mattress is a mattress for kids (age 3-12 years old) with poorer overall performance than average, but also a lower price tag—23% less than the average kids’ mattress (a savings of $186).

Advantages

Advantages of the Helix Kids mattress include better cooling performance, slightly better edge support when seated at the edge,

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 10% less sinkage than average as well as 5% less bounce than average. These two factors are considered neutral factors since both values are within acceptable range and more an issue of personal preference.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages include higher levels of motion transfer as well as a slower material response time. The mattress is also quite a bit thinner than average, but remember this is compared to the average across all mattress types (not just kids mattresses.)

Oftentimes, children can get by with thinner mattresses due to their lighter body weights, but this may not be a great long-term solution if your child is already nearing the cut-off age.

Factor	Helix Kids	Average
Overall	9.37	9.51
Price	$599	$785 (Kids only)
Cooling	9.5	9.4
Max Sinkage	1.95″	2.17″
Total Motion Transfer	11.38 m/s²	8.52 m/s²
Response Time	0.8 sec.	0.4 sec.
Total Bounce	9.21″	9.65″
Edge Support – Sitting Sinkage	4.00″	4.11″
Mattress Thickness	8.0″	12.0″
Comfort Material	1.8″	4.2″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Minimal	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	2 days	5 days
Trial	100 nights	160 nights
Warranty	10 years	26% have lifetime warranties, average of other 74% of mattresses is 14 years

Cooling on the Helix Kids mattress was excellent. In our objective tests, we measured a maximum surface level temperature of 90.5°F.

This is 0.3°F cooler than the average across all mattresses we’ve tested to date. While the max temperature was kept in check, the really impressive story was the heat dissipation curve.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Within 1 minute after getting off the mattress the surface temperature dropped from 90.5° to 85.8°, a decline of 4.7°F.

This is 1.2° better than the average heat dissipation by 1 minute. There was a notable and gradual heat decline from 2-5 minutes before ending at 83.4°F.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

My subjective experience on the mattress mirrored what we saw from the data. Even an adult-sized body and adult weight did not create any notable heat issues on the mattress.

In our pressure point sinkage test, we measured a maximum sinkage of 1.95”.

This is slightly below the average compared to all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which comes in at 2.22”.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

A moderate level of sinkage is ideal for child sleepers. Children generally need less sinkage, which creates a more supportive sleeping surface.

Children also tend to spend more time sleeping on the stomach and back, both of which benefit from less deep sinkage. In all cases, the 1.95” is an ideal level of sinkage for child sleepers.

In our motion transfer tests, we measured an acceleration range of 11.38 m/s².

The level of motion transfer is documented in the video below.

This is significantly more than the average of 5.87 m/s².

This indicates that there is significantly more motion transfer on the Helix Kids mattress compared to most others.

That said, motion transfer is going to be less of an issue for most kid mattresses.

Unless your child shares a bed with a sibling or their own movements during the night are able to awaken them, more or less motion transfer won’t be as big of a factor.

Response time was quite a bit slower than expected. It took 0.8 seconds for the mattress to mostly recover and 1.5 seconds before a full material recovery was able to complete.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

This is quite a bit slower than the average. On average, mattresses are able to mostly recover within 0.6 seconds and a full material recovery finishes by 1.0 seconds (based on all of our mattress tests to date).

A slower responding mattress could result in some children feeling that it’s harder to move on the mattress or “stuck”. In general, I would have liked to have seen a faster response time.

However, the response times we see here aren’t crazy slow, just slower than they could be. For most children, the response time on the Helix Kids mattress should not be problematic.

There was a moderate level of bounce on the Helix Kids mattress. During our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 9.21”.

This is just slightly lower than the average bounce height of 9.49”. As far as sleep for kids goes, having a moderate level of bounce like this is ideal.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

It helps the mattress feel easy to move around on it, easy to get in and out of bed, and easy to change positions.

As far as fun goes, it still has enough pushback for kids to jump on the bed and use the mattress as a play surface (if mom and dad approve).

Edge support on the Helix Kids mattress was excellent. While sitting directly on the edge we measured a maximum compression of 4.0”.

Considering the total thickness of this mattress, 4.0” is really impressive. Honestly, I was expecting a complete collapse of the edge while sitting.

Strong edge support on a kids mattress means the mattress is both supportive for kids while sleeping, and also supportive while reading, playing, or getting ready when using the edge of the mattress.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

While lying directly on the edge of the mattress I felt equally as well supported as I did when lying closer towards the middle of the mattress.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

Since the mattress was able to fully support my adult body weight while both sitting and lying there is no doubt it will be more than sufficient for children.

Pressure relief is good, but not great. However, I am less worried about that for a kids’ mattress.

Adults require a greater degree of pressure relief due to increased body weights and the increased strain and damage on the body over time.

Most children don’t have the same level of pressure relief needs that adults do.

Looking at the design of the mattress it makes sense. There is only 1.75” of comfort material on the mattress.

That’s simply not enough for an adult. However, for most children, it should be sufficient to create adequate pressure relief.

As your child gets begins to weigh more this is likely going to be the reason it’s time to upgrade to an adult mattress.

This is especially true if your child sleeps on their side. Side-sleeping children who are 10 and older are more likely to experience pressure issues.

The older and bigger they get, the more of an issue it could become. The closer your child is to a small adult the more likely this could be an issue.

Right out of the box the off-gassing on the Helix Kids mattress was minor. What little smell there was lingered for 2 days before dissipating.

This is better than the average dissipation time frame of 2.58 days. Overall, this is pretty standard stuff and not an area of significant concern.

Company Factor
Trial Period	100 nights
Warranty	10 years
Shipping	Free
Returns	Free
Country of Origin	USA

Helix has been around since 2015 and their company terms and policies feel pretty fair and favorable. They offer a 100-night trial period, with a 30-night break-in period which is pretty standard.

Outside of their Kids mattress, they also offer a huge lineup of adult mattresses as well. So it’s a great brand for multiple sleepers in your house.

From the Helix perspective, Helix tends to rate the sides a quite a bit softer than they are in my view.

Of course, it’s important to note that lighter sleepers will feel firmness differently.

My experience with personally rating the firmness of hundreds of mattresses estimates the Helix to be closer to the chart below.

• Age 8-12: 7 out of 10 (medium-firm)
• Age 3-7: 8 out of 10 (firm)

The Helix Kids mattress is designed for kids 12 and under so sleeping positions is a little less relevant than it may be on an adult mattress.

Materials are designed to support all sleeping positions for sleepers up to 500 lbs, although children will likely exceed the age recommendation before they exceed the weight restriction.

The image above shows how the level of sinkage varies when more weight is applied—or should I say BARELY varies. In this test, I put on a 60 lb. weighted vest to take my 140 lb. body weight up to 200 lbs. total.

Even with the extra weight, you can see that the Helix Kids mattress still supports the weight very well. Support is evenly distributed and I felt comfortable on this mattress.

Design

The Helix Kids is a flippable hybrid mattress designed for children, ages 3-12. One side is firmer and the other is a touch softer.

Materials

The Helix Kids mattress has a stain and water-resistant quilted cover. Inside the cover are two layers of foam that sandwich a central pocketed coil core.

• 0.5″ quilted cover
• 1.25″ gel memory foam
• 5.0″ pocketed coils
• 1.25″ poly foam (support foam)

Together, these materials give the mattress a good bounce from the coils, paired with pressure relief and comfort from the foam layers.

The Helix Kids is hypoallergenic and also includes an odor-fighting microbe shield treatment on the cover.

The Cover

The cover of the Helix Kids mattress is a 0.5″ Tencel cover. It has a plush feel, but is still relatively flat, with horizontal stitching detail that stretches across the width of the mattress.

For kids, especially younger kids, a slightly firmer mattress with a somewhat flat finish is better for sleeping.

Mattresses with too soft of a cover or too much compression can create support issues for children.

From the side of the mattress, you can easily see which side is designed for each age range. Simply flip the mattress over to the appropriate side and you’re good to go.

The Comfort Layer

Depending on what side the mattress is on, there are two different comfort layers.

For Side One, for kids 3-7, the comfort layer is a 1.25″ layer of poly foam. This foam is firmer than the opposite side and has a great firmness for kids transitioning out of infant or toddler beds, which are oftentimes even firmer than this.

For Side Two, kids 8-12 years old, the comfort layer is a 1.25″ layer of gel memory foam. This is a little softer than the other side and because it is softer, the gel infused into the foam helps to remain cool.

The Support Layer

Similar to the comfort layer, the support layer varies depending on which side the mattress is on.

If you’re lying on Side Two, designed for 8-12 year olds, the support layer will be the 1.25″ of poly foam. If you’re lying on Side One, designed for 3-7 years olds, the support layer will be the 1.25″ of gel memory foam.

Lightweight sleepers, ages 3-7, will engage less with the support foam because of their lighter weight, but the support foam is still an important part of the mattress as children grow.

Product Evolution

The Helix Kids mattress was first introduced in Q4 of 2021 and there have been no product evolution changes since its launch. As a company, Helix continues to grow and change, bringing in new models and tweaking older models as they do.

I would expect to see small changes to this mattress as it ages, but right now it’s pretty fresh off the presses and Helix is only just beginning to collect consumer feedback on this mattress.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Looking for other options specifically designed for your pint-sized dreamer? Check out three other top-rated mattresses for kids below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Helix Kids mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.