I think that one of the most effective ways to bypass āparalysis by analysisā is to put just as much importance on who you are dealing with as you do on which mattress you buy. When you are dealing with people that have the knowledge, experience, and integrity to help āeducateā you instead of āsellā you ā¦ then you donāt need to learn what they already know and are willing to share. One of the most reliable signs of manufacturers like this are the ones that will disclose the details of every layer of their mattress. There is a great deal of information on this site that can be somewhat overwhelming but the best use of much of the information is to validate what a manufacturer or retailer is telling you to help you know which ones are the most knowledgeable and helpful.
This can make a very good choice for bed-sharing because latex is one of the āsafestā materials along with natural fibers and innersprings. Even blended latex (which uses a blend of synthetic and natural latex) is a very āsafeā material.
the subject of what is safe, natural, organic, and eco-friendly can be very complex and the edges between all these terms are often blurred even though they are all very different. Post #2 here has links to much more information about this that can help you unravel some of the conflicting and contradictory information you will be exposed with deeper research that can sometimes seem like you are going ādown the rabbit holeā.
In general though ā¦ if you stick with more natural materials (natural fibers, natural latex, steel innersprings, fire barriers with no chemicals etc) then your odds are very good that you have a āsafeā mattress that would be suitable for a baby, infant, or young child. If you decide to move into less natural materials ā¦ such as blended latex, or polyfoam, or some of the semi-synthetic fabrics like bamboo or viscose, then the degree of safety that you can find out will depend on the certifications that have been done on them (such as CertiPur or Oeko-Tex) and on how much you ātrustā the testing protocols.
The only thing I would exclude completely from your choices for babies, infants, or young children is memory foam because of the potential risks that are involved in its use with very young children. Several of the better post and threads about mattresses and children are linked in post #2 here that may also be helpful. In the end each of us needs to decide āhow safe is safeā for ourselves because there are often no absolute answers to these questions and each person will need to decide for themselves the ādegreeā of safety that they are comfortable with.
If you have questions along the way that i may be able to help with feel free to post them on the forum.
Thank you so much for this fabulous resource! Weāve decided on a latex mattress, and are so excited! Weāve learned so much from reading this forum, and feel like weāre making a great decision for ourselves, both for our sleep and health, and also for our pocketbook.
We did āpull the triggerā and slept on our mattress last night. I think it needs some breaking in as itās pretty hard right now! Hoping it will soften up well since itās not āsoftā or āplushā right now ;]
Iām glad to see youāve received your mattress so you can start sleeping on it.
As you probably know from reading the forum, it will take a few weeks for the memory foam to go through its initial softening (this is the case with all higher quality memory foams) so the more you sleep the faster this can happen
Make sure as well that there is nothing over the foam that can interfere with itās ability to mold itself to your body or interfere with its temperature response (such as mattress pads or other bedding which can reduce the temperature response of memory foam).
I hope you have the chance to give us your feedback from time to time as things progress.
I have been looking to replace my mattress for a number of years now and just havenāt been able to find enough credible information to make a decision. I have been reading over the site and although I still have not decided on the mattress I will buy. I do feel after reading a bit more I should be closer to making the decision. I have read many other sites and have always came away confused, resulting in me just giving up the pursuit of a new mattress.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way and if you let me know your city or zip Iād be happy to let you know of any better options or possibilities Iām aware of in your area.
Thanks for this site and all of the good information Phoenix. I decided to go with Sleepez and think I am getting a much better value than the flobed I almost purchased.
Thankyou for bringing a sense of clarity to such a seemingly obscure purchase decision.
Thanks for all the great information on the site. It has been really helpful in learning about things I should look for when buying a new mattress. I have checked out a couple of DFW stores that you have mentioned on the site and am going out again today. Hopefully I will be able to find a great quality/value mattress that works for me!
Donāt forget ārule #1ā which is to always make sure that any retailer (whether they are on a list here or not) can provide you with the quality details of every layer of any mattress you are considering or testing (thickness and foam density for memory foam and polyfoam and the thickness, type and blend of any latex in the mattress). If they can and will cheerfully provide you with this information and understand what it means then this is one of the more reliable indicators that you are dealing with a more knowledgeable person.
Thanks for the informative site. Been reading a lot over the last couple of weeks as we thought we probably needed a new mattress, today I finally actually looked at ours and noticed some major sagging. No wonder we hurt so much So, am about ready to pull the trigger. Just got off the phone with Sean at Sleep EZ who helped me decide on the layers, he was so helpful and makes me feel much better about ordering. Will do an update once we get it try it out!
I appreciate all the information on the site- a discount would is the icing on the cake.
Although I am probably reaching paralysis by analysis, I think my wife and I are leaning towards ordering from SelectFoam. We are probably going to take a trip to one or two of the Southern California mattress places listed in the Los Angeles Thread (here, for those interested)
I can understand how āparalysis by analysisā can be a danger on a site like this. Sometimes the more you learn the more you want to learn and the more it can feel like itās not enough. I face that challenge every day
There comes a point of diminishing returns though where any more information probably wonāt make any real difference in the quality or value of your choice and where you have to trust your instinct and choices ā¦ and of course what your body tells you in your own testing.
Iām looking forward to finding out what you end up choosing.
Thanks for such an informative website! Iām busy trying to digest all the articles you have written, in anticipation of ordering a quality latex mattress. Iāve used latex pillows for years with great results, and Iām overdue for a new mattress, as my Serta innerspring is 10 years old!
At this point, Iām leaning towards either the Brooklyn Bedding Aloe Alexis or the SleepEZ Select Sleep 13,000. In your opinion, is the all-latex 13,000 worth the large price difference? (I know that you speak favorably about both companiesā¦)
I think there may be two separate issues involved here. One is the amount of latex vs polyfoam in a mattress and the second is when it may be either a good idea or a preference to use more than about 8" or 9ā of latex in a mattress.
Speaking generically you can see my thoughts about an all latex mattress vs a latex hybrid in post #2 here. Brooklyn Bedding also has an all latex mattress on amazon which is not yet on their main site. I think though that the SleepEz 10000 would be closer to an āapples to applesā comparison with both of them (although of course the Alexis would be lower cost than both because it only has 6" of latex and the other two have 9")
On the other hand you can see some of my thoughts about a latex mattress that uses more than about 8" - 9" of latex and when this may be useful or a preference in post #14 here.
The Alexis is āin betweenā an all latex mattress and a typical latex/polyfoam hybrid which only has a latex comfort layer and I would certainly choose a mattress with a latex middle transition layer over one that had only latex on top (particularly for heavier people that may compress the layers below the top latex layer more) but I would also choose all latex over either if I could comfortably afford it. Itās really a matter of the tradeoff between budget and performance and the deeper the polyfoam layer is the less effect it will have overall on both performance and durability.
For most people though (unless they were very heavy) ā¦ 12" of latex would be more than they really āneededā although it may still be a good choice either as a preference or because a mattress they were buying needed more thickness to accomplish its design or performance goals.
The Ultimate Dreams 13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress (on Amazon) from Dreamfoam bedding looks greatā¦ and at $699 for the Queen size seems like a great deal Amazon.comā¦ (13" Gel Memory Foam Mattress - Three Layer construction: 3" of 4lb gel memory foam, 2" of 5lb memory foam, 8" base of premium base foam)
Yet, the Novaform 14" Gel Memory Foam Queen Mattress they have at my local warehouse for $499, and then starting March 7th, they are offering another $100 off that taking it to $399ā¦ http://www.costco.com/NovaformĀ®-14"-Gel-Memory-Foam-Queen-Mattress.product.100026997.html (Mattress thickness: 14" - Top layer: 3 inches of 3.5 lb. density gel memory foam; Middle layer: 3 inches of 2 lb. density air channel foam; Bottom layer: 8 inches of 2 lb. density base foam for long lasting support)
I want to get the most for my money of courseā¦but I would also like this bed to last at least the next 5-6 yearsā¦ Will both of these beds hold up at least that long based upon listed components on each site?
Based upon construction would you expect to be a difference in feel with one being firmer?
Lastly, I really dont want the edges of my bed to just crumble under meā¦but allow me to sit on the edge and put my socks on and not just slide off due to no supportā¦How do these gel/memory foam beds hold up on the edges?
