:huh:
ok, so I have been looking at mattresses for 2 weeks(online) The mattress stores near me are not what I need. I am looking for a healthy mattress(latex) but I am also working on a very tight budget. I have not been able to find a decent priced natural mattress or core in Canada(ontario) wish I could…the shipping here with our current dollar wont be fun. Anyway, i sorta have it narrowed down to a core from sleeponlatex or mattress from Brooklyn bedding as this seems most cost effective( and I need to purchase 2) I have a concern about each am am hoping you may be able to help. If I research on this computer for much longer I will go mad!
Will a latex core be good enough to use as a mattress?
Brooklyn bedding uses a poly foam, I know they say it is free of many of the harm-full stuff, but is it safe for a child? They say they use a “fire retardant sock” instead of the old reg. frs, I did a little research but came up with little info on what this sock is and if it off-gasses or has any dangers?
Any help would be very appreciated
thanks,jenny
p.s. If anyone knows of a shop in canada that sells 100%dunlop cores for a good price please let me know
If you let me know your city or postal code I’d be happy to let you know about any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
The only reliable way to 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 so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). 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.
Post #2 here and the more detailed posts and information it links to have more information about safe, natural, organic, “chemical free”, and “green” mattresses and mattress materials that can help you sort through some of the marketing information and terminology that you will encounter in the industry and can help you differentiate between them and answer “how safe is safe enough for me” so you can decide on the types of materials you are most comfortable with having in your child’s mattress. These types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, and lifestyle choices.
Post #2 here and the topics it links to also has much more information about choosing a mattress for a child and includes a number of links to the better forum posts and topics about mattress and children as well.
Outside of any local options that may be available to you … the better online options or possibilities I’m aware of that ship across Canada are listed in post #21 here.
I have read most of those links but not all(am atm)
I guess my concern with the one from Brooklyn bedding is that I cant seem to find out what the FR sock is made of, I did try to ask them but was just told it was “natural”
I think on their website it states they are eco tex certified, but I’m unsure if that includes the FR sock or other materials in mattress. My son is very sensitive to chemicals and has asthma, so its a concern.
I live in Belleville ontario(close to Toronto/kingston) also, if you know of any around this area. I did find a link here for Canadian makers but most I looked into (for latex) were pricy .
[quote]I guess my concern with the one from Brooklyn bedding is that I cant seem to find out what the FR sock is made of, I did try to ask them but was just told it was “natural”
I think on their website it states they are eco tex certified, but I’m unsure if that includes the FR sock or other materials in mattress. My son is very sensitive to chemicals and has asthma, so its a concern.[/quote]
The foam materials in their mattresses are all certified (their polyfoam and memory foam is CertiPUR certified and their latex is Oeko-Tex certified). They would be the most reliable source of information about their specific fire barrier but inherent fire barriers don’t have any added chemicals and aren’t typically a concern for most people. There is more general information about fire barriers in post #2 here and the two posts it links to at the end.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Peterborough/Belleville/Kingston areas (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked in my last reply) are listed in post #2 here.