advice on child and adult mattresses

All,

Just want to start out, that this website is a wealth of information, and has been extremely helpful. My wife and I are looking for two mattresses. One for our 2 yr old daughter (~27lbs), and one for my Wife and I. In reading, I want to stick with an all Latex (possibly all natural) mattress for my daughter, and something similar (doesn’t have to be all natural for my wife and I). IN addition, the kids bed would sometimes house one of the adults depending on the night.

I have read most, links in this post (which is mostly why I am choosing the all latex approach)
[post2

right now I am leaning towards an all latex mattress from either the Arizona premium mattress (APM) company, or Spindle (open for other recommendations)

My first question is I am in the St. Louis, MO area, what are some good knowledgeable mattress stores, which (preferably) carry latex mattresses.

  1. APM offers the ability to have different each “side” of the bed be different ILD, Does this hold up as well, or would this be considered a “weak link” in the mattress? This is interesting as my wife is a side sleeper, and may/would prefer a lower ILD than myself. (specifically the King adjustable ultra plush).

  2. For my daughter what would be the “firmer” options in regards to ILD for latex. in reading in APM (I plan on calling them this week) could I potentially get something a little less firm, and flip the mattress around, and as my daughter gets older/heavier flip it back around again?

Thanks,

Hi saidian01,

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the St Louis area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #6 here.

This topic may be helpful as well.

Latex in general is the most durable of all the foam materials so It would be fine in terms of durability. You can read more about split layering in post #2 here and it can certainly be a good option for a couple that have very different body types or different needs or preferences.

You can see some ILD suggestions in the children’s guidelines in post #2 here. Children generally do best with a sleeping surface that is in a medium or medium firm range. When they get older and begin to develop more adult proportions then if they need some additional softness or pressure relief and you have a mattress with a softer layer on the bottom then you can certainly flip it to the softer side. If you have a mattress that doesn’t have a softer side (just medium or firmer layers) then you can also add a softer topper when and if they need it as well.

Phoenix

Phoenix,

Thanks for the quick reply, we will definitely check those locations out. in regards to quality, would you suggest any of those places over Arizona Premium, or any other direct to consumer manufacturer? I am sure as I talk to them, and learn what the respective salesmen/stores understanding of their mattresses are I can make a more informed decision. However, I am wondering if you have any initial impression(s) on these stores vs. Arizona, or other direct shipping manufacturer/supplier. (my initial thoughts are the manufacture will have a better understanding of their products).

as always thanks for the response

Thanks for the advice Phoenix!

My wife and I visited STL Beds to try out the latex mattresses. After receiving a quote for a 13" King and 10" Full with foundations for over $9000 we decided to call SleepEz. They quoted the same two mattresses and platforms for around $3800! While we like to shop local when possible, that is just too big of a spread in price.

After calling SleepEz, they are now the top of our list and we have changed the firmness/mix between what we think we like (from laying on the mattresses at STL Beds) to what SleepEz recommends. Hopefully, this works if not we can swap layers out.

I do have a question about the organic vs natural select line at SleepEz. I found your post where Shawn at SleepEz discusses the two but I want to be sure I am clear.

Organic line: 100% Natural Dunlop and 100% Natural Talalay

  • What is 100% Natural Talalay and is this part of what is considered organic? Reading another post on this site, it said that there is no such thing as organic Talalay? Is the only “organic” part of the organic line referring to the Dunlop?

Natural Select:: 100% Natural Dunlop and Talalay Blend

  • Reading another post on this site the 100% Natural Dunlop is the “exact same” as in the Organic line the only difference is paying extra money to slap a certified sticker on it…is this correct? I am trying to figure out if the only “true” difference between the material in the two lines lines is the organic cover vs natural cover? Also how is 100% Natural Talalay different than their Talalay Blended Latex?

Our goal is to sleep on a bed with the least amount of chemicals in the latex itself (not considering the cover). If the two lines are basically identical regarding the raw latex materials, we may be better off saving a few hundred dollars and sticking with the Natural Select.

Thanks in advance!

Hi saidian01,

The organic select line gives you the choice between either 100% natural Talalay or 100% Dunlop in any of your layers but neither one is certified organic latex. They do have the option for certified organic Dunlop on request but I believe this would involve an extra cost (you would need to confirm this with them). The cover and quilting are organic wool and organic cotton.

The natural select line gives you the choice between 100% natural Dunlop (which would be the same as the Dunlop that is used in the organic select line) or blended Talalay. The cover and quilting would be natural cotton and natural wool.

All the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay and made with either natural or synthetic latex or a blend of both) are certified for harmful substances and VOC’s by either Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut and by most people’s criteria all of them would be a very “safe” material. There is more about organic latex and some of the other types and blends of latex in post #6 here.

There is also more about organic and “safety” certifications in post #2 here and in post #2 here.

Phoenix