Most natural 6" mattress

Hello there,

This is a great resource - thank you so much for all the great information. I bought a bunk bed for my two sons, a toddler and a 5 year old. At the store the salesperson seemed to indicate an 8" mattress would be OK, even though they clearly say 6" on the website. I called back to double check and they said no, it needs to be 6".

I had planned to buy either the European Sleepworks Children’s Mattress (8") or the Pure Echo from MyGreenMattress.com (7.5" for one sided), which are comparable in price and seem similar quality (all natural wool, different types of coils).

However, now I am thinking I can buy one of those for the lower bunk but may need to find another option for the top bunk. Do you have any suggestions for the best option? Room and Board has a “bunk” option that looks like it meets base eco-certification, but likely still has some chemicals in it according to conversations I’ve had.

Budgetwise, I’d love to stay around $500 if feasible. In addition, my kids are very easy sleepers so I am not too concerned with something being too firm.

Thanks!
Alison

Hi akb615,

Did you think about getting an all natural cotton futon mattress?

Hello,

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I hadn’t thought about it before, as I generally don’t find those mattresses to be that comfortable. I found one after the suggestion but it was not recommended for every day use. I’d love thoughts on whether this would be a good longer term solution.

Thanks!

Hi akb615,

Post #2 here includes a number of links to some of the better forum posts and topics about mattresses and children which include some guidelines for children and more information about many of the better options as well (including both of the mattresses you mentioned).

The thickness of a mattress in an upper bunk can be a safety issue and with children I would lean towards safer choices whether it was about the height of the mattress or about the relative “safety” of the materials in the mattress.

There are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for me to make specific suggestions but there are some “possibilities” that are included in the children’s topics that would make good choices that are also 6" or less.

There is more information about organic, natural, “chemical free”, green, and “safe” materials in post #2 here and the other posts it links to that can help you decide which materials you are comfortable with having in your mattress and that can help answer your questions about “how safe is safe enough for me?” because these types of issues are complex and are generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, and specific criteria.

I would want to know the specifics of their bunk mattresses (see this article) because the polyfoam in the comfort layers of the RoomandBoard mattresses is generally lower quality/density than I would be comfortable considering.

I agree with MFC Memory Foam Comfort that a futon type mattress (including cotton futons) can also be a good choice for a child and for your circumstances because they they are generally thinner and firmer (children generally need firmer mattresses) as long as you are comfortable with the fire retardant methods that they use. There are some options for futons that are included in post #2 here that may be well worth considering and it may also be worth considering the Tuft & Needle Five (see posts #2 and #6 here for more about the materials they use).

Phoenix

Hi,
I have been spending quite a bit of time reading from this site and am getting lots of fantastic information! Wow! I am not sure if this is the appropriate thread to ask this question.

I am still in the research stage but I am getting closer. I am very interested in a latex bed. I just spoke with a lady in a foam store that makes latex beds in the Vancouver, B. C. area and she tells me that “you have to be careful where the latex comes from. You don’t want anything from India or China”.

Is the latex from India or China inferior to ones from the US, Europe or any other parts of the world? I have also been looking at the Sleepez site and their latex is from India.

Isn’t “latex is latex”, the 100% kind. I am not talking about blends.

Hi ssum,

I switched your post to a new topic of its own so your questions don’t get mixed in with another member’s topic.

It’s somewhat disturbing when consumers are given misleading information such as this which is more about “selling a mattress” than it is about educating their customers.

There is very little latex sold in North America that is made in China and the most common source of Dunlop latex made in India is CoCo latex which is a very high quality material and is used in some very high quality latex mattresses.

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and I would focus more on the type and blend of the latex and on the certifications it has than on the country that it is made. All the latex you are likely to encounter (whether it is Dunlop or Talalay or made from natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or a blend of both) is equally “latex” and are all a good quality material relative to other types of foam.

SleepEZ doesn’t use latex made in India. Their Talalay latex is either made in the US or Holland and their 100% natural Dunlop is either made in Sri Lanka for most of their mattresses or in the US for one of their mattresses. All of them are very high quality materials.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix for your reply. I have been very cautious with the things I’ve been told by mattress sales people ever since I got onto this site. Whenever I think I have been given misinformation I am back at this site double checking. Keep up the good work. This site is amazing!

Hi ssum,

Thanks for the kind comments!

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any additional comments or questions you may have along the way that I can help with.

Phoenix