Hi mattressquestion,
Some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the Vancouver area are listed in post #2 here.
Post #2 here has links to most of the better threads and posts in the forum that are related to children that should be helpful.
This is kind of a contradiction. “Typical” mattresses are the ones that usually contain the polyurethane you are looking to avoid. The ones that don’t aren’t “typical” (and latex is one of these along with innerspring/natural fiber mattresses). If you do decide to go with a mattress that contains polyurethane … then I would make sure that the foam was CertiPur certified (or had some other meaningful certification for harmful chemicals and VOC’s). They may still have a odor but at least you would know that they have been tested to some fairly strict standards for safety. I would avoid memory foam completely for children … especially younger ones (see post #2 here).
When you are focused on “natural” or “green” or “safe” or “non toxic” or “organic” or “chemical” mattresses then it’s important to make sure you know the details of every layer in the mattress so that you are satisfied that it contains materials that you are comfortable with and that meet the criteria that are important to you. As you can see in post #2 here and in post #2 here … all of these are different from each other even though they are often used interchangeably in the industry.
There are many versions and types of latex mattresses (just like all categories of mattress) and they are a good choice for those who have higher thresholds for what they consider to be safe or natural but like any material some people may not like how they feel or perform. In these cases I would make sure that the “feel” was not just based on the construction of a single mattress or type of latex you tried but that you felt the same way about different types of latex mattresses as well (there are many variations just like there are many variations of every type or “category” of mattress).
Post #4 here has more about fire retardants, chemicals, and “safe” materials
Post #2 here has more information about “safe” fire retardants
Post #2 here has more about the “safety” of various natural and synthetic materials and there is also a brief list of most of the more common mattress materials and some comments about about their relative safety in post #6 here.
Post #4 here talks more about “green” materials and “how green is green enough for me”.
These three articles are among the best researched I have seen and are also well worth reading for those who are focused on natural, safe, and “green” materials …
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/03/green-mattresses-part-1-greenwash/
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/03/green-mattresses-part-2/
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/whats-really-green-look-mattresses-part-iii-2/
FWIW … my daughter just purchased a Renelle Dunlop latex mattress from Majestic Futons (a couple of months ago). She preferred the feel of Dunlop over Talalay (unlike her dad) just to illustrate that there are many options within each category and you may like one and not another … or in some cases perhaps you may not even like a whole category of materials or mattresses.
The most important part of your search is connecting with local merchants or manufacturers who can “educate” you about the materials in their mattresses instead of focusing on “selling” you whatever they can, often using whatever “stories” they have been trained to use that are not always what they seem to be. Who you buy from can be one of the most important parts of your search.
Phoenix