Need help choosing mattress for a 3 year old

[phoenix]

Hi janello,

Hello, My 3 year old will be getting her first “big girl bed” when we move to a new house in a month. My husband and I are disagreeing on whether we need to get a natural/organic/chemical free mattress. I think its really important to do so, but have no idea where to start. We live in SW Virginia and don’t have many options unless we order online. Am I safe with just getting a natural latex mattress?

Just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place I would start with any mattress research is post #1 here.

There is more information and links that may help you answer the question about “how safe is safe enough for me?” in post #2 here and the other posts, threads, and sources of information it links to.

Post #2 here has links to the most informative and useful forum posts and threads about children’s mattresses and has links to many good quality and value choices. Since a 3 year old can’t meaningfully test a mattress for suitability in person … good online choices would also be well worth considering.

Natural latex is a “safe” material yes and all the latex you are likely to encounter (natural or blended) has been certified by Oeko-Tex standard 100 class 1 (safe for babies) for VOC’s or will have other certifications that are similar. Innersprings and natural fibers (in the comfort or quilting layers or in the mattress cover) would also be good choices and help with breathability and humidity and temperature control. I would avoid memory foam for children and I would also make sure that any polyfoam is CertiPur certified. Of course a good quality mattress protector to protect against accidents will also be important (see post #89 here for some of the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors)

I’m not sure where you are in southwest Virginia but some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the area around Roanoke are in post #5 here.

My options so far seem like Ikea (either a natural latex mattresses and coil mattresses made from natural materials). Anyone have any experience with Beautyrest Plush Beginnings mattress? Shows it has low VOCs and free from a list of chemicals: www.landofnod.com/simmons-beautyrest-beg...plush-mattress/f9932

The latex in the Ikea mattresses are made by Mountaintop foam and are also Oeko-Tex certified. You can see some of my comments about the Ikea latex or latex hybrid mattresses in post #3 here. I would lean towards the mattresses that use latex with a higher natural content and that have natural fibers in the quilting and cover.

I would avoid the major brand mattresses (including Simmons) for children as well as for adults (see the guidelines here) because they don’t disclose the quality of the materials they use and are not usually good value compared to mattresses made by smaller independent manufacturers.

Hope this helps.

Phoenix