A Bed in a Box? (How did they do that and is it comfortable??)

It seems like just yesterday that Josh was in a crib. In reality, that was more than ten years ago – how time flies!! Since we set him up in his “big boy bed” before he was two, that means his current mattress is over a decade old. So you can imagine how quickly we jumped when we were offered a new Sleep by Haven mattress to review. I was intrigued by the idea of being shipped a bed in a box. How big was the box going to be? Would the mattress be comfortable?

I’ll admit that part of my excitement was seeing exactly how this whole thing was going to work. They told me they would be shipping the mattress in a box – a compact box. I couldn’t imagine how they were going to fit a twin mattress in a compact box. But sure enough, after just a week or so, a box showed up. Ironically, the first box wasn’t even the mattress – it was a platform that you can set the mattress on.

While we wanted to put the new mattress on the system we already had set up in Josh’s room (the headboard is firmly connected to it and I love the under-bed storage space), we thought we should set up the platform and give it a try so we could let you all know about it. We’re nice like that!!

The platform was super easy to build. I shouldn’t use the word “build” – and even “assemble” implies more effort than this took. It was literally just sliding one piece into another and then securing it with a plastic pin. repeat for each corner, spread the slats out evenly and BOOM – you are done!

Took us all of about 5 minutes – if that – and the 12 year old did most of it!

The next day, the mattress arrived. I opened the door and just started laughing because this box was – wait for it – even smaller than the one we had gotten the day before!! Yep – they somehow managed to sneak a whole twin mattress into a box that didn’t even come up to my shoulder.

Once we opened it, we saw that it was vacuum-sealed in a plastic bag. We VERY CAREFULLY slit open the plastic (because I could see someone getting all crazy and cutting the mattress by accident) and the mattress began to grow and inflate. It was actually pretty cool to watch.

Josh was concerned about how soon he would be able to use his mattress but it got nice and thick and cushy in just minutes. We put it on the platform and put sheets on it. The first thing we noticed was how plush the mattress is. It was taller than his traditional spring mattress had been, but it was not an issue for his sheets which still fit nicely. (They are just traditional twin sheets – nothing with extra deep corners on anything like that.) Josh laid down on the mattress and described it as “hugging” him.

Of course, we all tried it and could see what he was talking about. The foam allows your typical pressure points to sink a bit deeper while still providing support to your whole body. It kind of feels like it was made just for you, from a mold of your body, and is comfortable no matter what position you are laying in. I was a bit concerned that the foam might be hot, but the opposite is actually true. It seems to wick the heat away and keep you at a comfortable temperature all night. This really got put to the test when Josh developed a 102 fever but slept through the night without feeling “sweaty”. I was impressed!

After spending a few weeks sleeping on the mattress, Josh announced that it was a keeper and he definitely liked it better than his previous spring mattress. I was thrilled because the mattress is made of Talalay Latex which is made in the US, is non-allergenic, contains no chemicals, is breathable as well as mold, mildew and dust mint resistant.

Want more information about the Sleep by Haven mattress? Just check out their website and specifically the Sleep by Haven mattress page. The beds are delivered by FedEx and come with a 100 night sleep guarantee.