Nest Bedding Puffin 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 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

NOTE: Nest Bedding lists a 110-pound weight limit for the Puffin mattress. I personally performed all the tests in this review, although I do weigh 140 lbs. At 140 pounds, our tests definitely pushed the Puffin to its limits and beyond.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Nest Bedding Puffin	Average
Overall Score	8.24	8.57
Price (Queen)	$674	$1,004 (Kids only)
Cooling – Score	7.0	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	2.33″	2.14″
Sinkage – Feel	Deep	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	8.2	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	8.93 m/s²	8.78 m/s²
Response Time – Score	10	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.3 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	7.66″	9.53″
Bounce – Feel	Low	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.4	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	4.00″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Good	Good
Pressure Relief – Score	8.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	2.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	7″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	9.7	8.1
Off-Gassing – Smell	Minimal	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	1 day	7 days
Company – Score	9.0	8.6
Trial	365 nights	178 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Nest Bedding Puffin Different?

The Nest Bedding Puffin mattress has below-average performance, but also a price tag that is nearly 50% less than the average mattress for kids.

Advantages

Specific advantages include faster material response time, better edge support, and less off-gassing than average. The long 365-night trial period may also be a big advantage for some sleepers.

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 9% deeper sinkage than average as well as 20% less bounce than average. Both sinkage and bounce are still within an acceptable range and would be more issues of personal preference.

Disadvantages

Specific disadvantages for the Puffin include higher levels of motion transfer (compared to average), thinner 7.0″ mattress thickness, only 2.0″ of comfort material, and poorer cooling performance.

Cooling on the Nest Bedding Puffin mattress is fair, but not particularly. During our tests, I definitely felt a noticeable level of heat retention and warming. It wasn’t a crazy hot level, but it also wasn’t nothing.

• 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

Looking at the design and material construction it makes sense. The mattress is 7” thick and 5” is a denser support foam base.

As a result, that’s a fair sizable percentage of total foam that has the propensity to absorb and retain heat more.

While the Puffin mattress does utilize a 2.0” layer of Energex on top (a branded poly foam), it’s not a thick enough comfort layer to prevent heat retention issues.

With all that said, we should note that our cooling test utilizes my adult-sized body on a kids’ mattress.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

As a result, it’s not all that surprising that there were some heating issues. For adults who may sleep on the Puffin mattress from time to time, the cooling could be noticeable.

However, for kids, cooling is less likely to be an issue. Children’s relative size and weight just don’t put as much pressure or heat into the mattress as an adult body is going to.

In our pressure point sinkage tests, we measured 2.33” of sinkage on the Nest Bedding Puffin mattress.

This is deeper than the average across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 2.14”. Quite frankly, I expected far more sinkage on the Puffin mattress.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

With only 7.0” of total mattress thickness, the Puffin really has its work cut out for it when it comes to supporting an adult body.

However, the mattress did a fantastic job. It allowed plenty of sinkage to create appropriate levels of pressure relief but still has fantastic support capable of supporting even adult weights.

Note: The maximum weight recommended by Nest Bedding for the Puffin is 110 lbs., the same max as the Nest Bedding Lark mattress.

Motion transfer on the Puffin mattress was low. In our motion transfer tests, we measured a total acceleration range of 8.93 m/s².

This is slightly more motion transfer than the average acceleration range of 8.78 m/s². A motion transfer acceleration range of less than 5.0 m/s² can be considered quite low. Puffin is a good bit beyond that.

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

The Puffin’s relative thickness and firmness are both having a negative impact on motion transfer. Unlike thicker and softer mattresses, it doesn’t have the types of materials in sufficient quantities to significantly reduce motion.

Our motion transfer chart shows the full data picture from our accelerometer. By 0.22 seconds the vast majority of the energy has been dissipated.

A moderate level of energy persists up until 0.6 seconds, after which we see motion return to near-zero levels.

While motion dissipates fairly quickly, the peaks are still more significant compared to many other mattresses we’ve tested to date. All of that said, motion transfer generally isn’t as important a factor for child mattresses.

Response time on the Nest Bedding Puffin mattress was lightning fast.

In our tests, we measured a mostly recovered response time of 0.2 seconds and a fully recovered response time of 0.3 seconds. This is as fast as mattresses ever get.

The Puffin mattress is tied with a number of other mattresses for the fastest response time we’ve tested to date.

A fast material response time ensures sleepers never feel stuck in the mattress and it aids with ease of movement. 

Bounce on the Puffin mattress was moderately low. In our bounce tests, we measure a total bounce height of 7.66”.

This is a good bit lower than the average bounce height across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 9.53”.

Looking at the material construction of the mattress this bounce level makes sense.

The 5.0” layer of support foam is not designed to return significant levels of bounce, so that just leaves the 2.0” layer of poly foam (Energex).

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

While the Puffin isn’t the type of mattress you should be jumping around on, for most children, it’s going to be a perfectly acceptable level of bounce.

It’s enough bounce to feel comfortable and avoid feeling “dead”, but not so much as to create issues.

Edge support was surprisingly good on the Puffin mattress.

I say surprisingly because generally thinner mattresses (really anything less than 10”) perform worse when it comes to edge support.

In our sitting edge support tests, we measured 4.0” of compression. This is better than the average compression of 4.04”.

To be fair, 4.0” of compression on a 7.0” mattress is more relative sinkage than the vast majority of mattresses we’ve tested. Even so, I still felt that the mattress fully supported my weight and was not collapsing.

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

If it’s able to support an adult’s sitting weight then there is no question that it will be sufficient for children.

It’s the type of mattress you could sit on the edge of to read bedtime stories without worrying that you’re going to damage the edge or slide right off of the mattress.

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

Lying edge support is good, just not great. Which really makes sense given the materials.

Because of how thin the mattress is, it’s really got pretty good lying support. For kids, it should be more than sufficient, though in the event an adult was sleeping on the mattress, it could be less than desirable.

Pressure relief on the Puffin mattress is good, just not great. The Puffin utilizes a quilted cover combined with 2” of comfort material.

While the comfort layer is doing as good as it can, at the end of the day it’s still pretty thin.

That said, for kids, the thickness of comfort material should be good enough…at least until they start getting bigger, say around age 12.

However, adults who need to sleep on the mattress (in a guest bed type of situation) may find the pressure relief just isn’t there.

The sinkage may be a little too deep for adults and bigger kids, which could create support issues and lead to uncomfortable pressure points.

There was a minor smell upon initial unboxing that lingered for just 1 day. Overall, this is a great performance.

On average, we see that most new mattresses have a strong smell that lingers for 7 days.

Not having to worry about a significant off-gassing period is a big win for the Puffin mattress. Most kids should be able to sleep on the Puffin mattress immediately after unboxing.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	10	365 nights
Warranty	10%	10	Lifetime
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	8.0	Good
Country of Origin	0%		USA

For Nest Bedding, these individual terms and conditions generated a company score of 10 out of 10.

Nest Bedding offers a long 365-night trial period with a lifetime warranty. Shipping is free and returns are free.

The Nest Bedding Puffin mattress comes in around a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Bear in mind, that this is how I perceived the firmness as an adult. Nest Bedding considers this mattress to be much firmer than I thought it was.*

* All firmness ratings are scored based on the mattress firmness compared to 180+ other mattresses I’ve personally tested.

To a child, it is possible that this mattress could have a firmer feel since their weight will prevent them from engaging too far into the material.

Overall support on the Puffin mattress is good. For kids, the level of support should be great until age 12 or so.

As Nest Bedding states, this mattress is only designed to support sleepers up to 110 lbs. Because of this, I would not recommend this mattress for older children, as it will likely lack the support that they need.

With only a 7” thickness, the mattress really is only ideal for supporting children’s bodies.

As bodies get heavier and need more robust support it’ll be time to make the switch to an adult mattress.

Design

The Nest Bedding Puffin mattress is a combination foam mattress that uses two different kinds of foam to provide comfort, support, and an ultra-fast response time. It is designed specifically for kids (110-lbs or less).

Materials

The Puffin mattress has a simple two-layer design. The top layer is a 2.0″ latex-like poly foam and the bottom layer is a firmer, 5.0″ high-density support foam.

The Cover

The cover of the Puffin mattress is about 1.0″ thick and uses cotton combined with Joma wool for comfort and softness. Nest Bedding’s Eco-Flex foam is quilted into the cover for added support and pressure relief.

The Layers

The top layer of foam is a poly foam that has the response time of a classic latex, but the contour of a memory foam. It is called Energex and its highly responsive design makes it a great option for children. This layer is 2.0″ thick.

Directly below the Energex is a classic slab of poly support foam. This bottom layer is roughly 5.0″ thick and designed to provide support and spinal alignment as you sleep.

Product Evolution

The Puffin mattress is pretty simple, but has it undergone any major changes since it was first launched? Basically, no. The biggest change was that the mattress received a new name.

When it was first launched, the mattress was called the “Big Kid Bed” and it was the only mattress specifically for children in the Nest Bedding lineup.

Today, the “Big Kid Bed” is now known as the Puffin and Nest Bedding has also added the Lark mattress, a natural latex mattress for kids.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Still not sure if the Puffin is the right mattress for your child? Here are three other top-performing mattresses that are also great for kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Nest Bedding Puffin Kids mattress below.