Hi, I did quite a bit of reading on the website and called a local retailer, Texas mattress supply in houston. They told me I can get a standard mattress w o flame retardants below 200$, and latex for $800 or so.
I’m not looking for overkill as my son doesn’t have major chemical sensitivities or anything of the sort (like I now do)
What should I look to pay if I’m simply being conscientious and not looking for the most cautious option out there with regards to toxicity? No other real factors as we haven’t noticed preferences for firmness etc. just know I do NOT want memory foam unless it’s highly recommended for kids.
I wish I could understand the forum layout better, but most point towards post #2 which is not showing up in a new window as an actual post for me at all.
Secondly, I have severe allergies and sensitivities and have a 5-6 year old mattress, no problems or pickiness on most sleeping surfaces. Should I look to change if I don’t notice any problems? I do get the worst allergies and congestion in the morning. Although I can smell the tiniest traces of new paint, I haven’t noticed anything from my mattress thus far, so I was wondering if there is a real need to change or buy a mattress topper at this point in time. We currently have a Serta Pillow top soft-medium Beauty Rest I think.
Hi Ambereens,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
Your question of what is recommended for children is a common one, and I have a few posts that cover it in quite a bit of detail. All of the links I’m providing here are working, so I’m not sure what bad link you were referring to in your post, but feel free to provide the web page and the link to me if you can in case there is an error on the forum – thank you!
There is a great deal of information in post #2 here and the topics it links to about mattresses and children and “suitable” and “safe” materials including a link to some general guidelines for children in post #2 here. It also includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well which have more information about many good options children which would be well worth considering.
Any mattress that uses materials that are durable enough and are in a suitable firmness range and that has a reliable safety certification and you consider to be safe enough would be a suitable choice for a child. The only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs (regardless of whether they are organic or natural or synthetic) so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification. If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification, then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough” … regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label. Additionally, most mattress used non-toxic fibers to pass the flame retardant guidelines.
If you do decide upon a latex product, all the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will also have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex (regardless of whether it is synthetic, natural, or blended) to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing).
Unfortunately, there really wouldn’t be a way for me to tell if you should select a new mattress or not, nor would I be able to comment intelligently if your mattress is contributing toward your morning congestion. It is common that adults develop dust mite allergies over time, and this can come from excess skin cells within their mattress, flooring, bedding and pillows, as well as levels of humidity. It can also be environmental, of course. A visit with a health-care professional or an allergist would be assistive if possible to help discover the source of your morning stuffiness.
Regarding replacing your old mattress (which would be a Simmons if it was a BeautyRest), you are probably near the end of the useful comfort life of that product. If you are considering starting the process of looking for a new mattress for yourself, The best advice I could provide you would be to follow the steps outlined in the Mattress Shopping Tutorial.
Regarding what price to pay for a mattress, that isn’t a way I’d recommend picking out a mattress, as it’s more about your own personal value equation. There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other things that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Good luck!
Phoenix