I’m looking into purchasing a twin mattress for my son (2.5 years old) for Christmas. My main priority is to have something non-toxic, followed by wanting something that will last a long time, be comfortable for him, and also be relatively affordable. I’m so confused about all of the organic or safe options with regards to chemicals. With two little ones, I don’t have a ton of time to research, and I was hoping someone who knew more could point me in the right direction.
He’s currently sleeping on a Naturepedic crib mattress, so I’ve thought about going that route again. We also live close to Gardner Mattress in Salem, MA, so having something local and reliable would be a great option too, but I can’t tell if there’s anything that would off-gas or be of concern with their selection. Beyond those two, I’m getting overwhelmed with the many options available.
While I can’t help with what to choose because each parent can have very different criteria … I can certainly provide more information that can help with how to choose.
Post #2 here includes links to the better forum posts and topics about children and mattresses and they include more information and links to many good choices for children’s mattresses as well.
There is also more information in post #2 here about the “safety” of different types of mattress materials that can help you with the first step which is to decide on which materials you are most comfortable using in your son’s mattress. The only material I would avoid completely with children’s mattresses would be memory foam but other than that it would be a matter of budget and personal preferences.
Naturepedic certainly make some high quality mattresses that would be suitable choices but they are also in a higher budget range than many other similar options that are available to you. I also think highly of Gardner Mattress (see the end of post #13 here) and they would be well worth considering and are included in the list of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in your area in post #2 here as well.
I’ll keep you posted…to be honest, the links are just making me more confused at this point. There is so much information to weed through, and my 4 month old has decided not to sleep this week! Which means I can’t tell left from right, let alone figure out what materials I’m comfortable using
I’ll get there though. Hopefully, in time to order for Christmas!
One thing I was wondering about was the mattresses at Gardner. I spoke with someone on a day that I visited the showroom, and let him know that I was concerned about chemicals and VOCs in the mattress. He told me that the fire retardant is Kevlar woven into the fabric (or something to that effect), and that it would be fine. Can you clarify? Is this process or fabric type considered “safe” for infants and toddlers, if I’m leaning toward being as careful as possible? He also mentioned that the “child” mattress they carried used polyfoam, which I’m not sure about.
Kevlar is the same material as they use in bulletproof vests and it’s a safe material yes (see post #13 here).
If you are leaning towards being as “safe as possible” then I think most people that are leaning in the same direction would probably be considering latex, innersprings, and natural fibers for a child’s mattress. A relatively thin layer of latex on an innerspring, an innerspring/natural fiber mattress, or about 6" of latex would all make good choices in a suitable firmness level. I would also lean towards having a wool quilted cover or a wool mattress pad because the temperature regulation and moisture regulating properties of natural wool would also make a good choice for a child IMO (see some of the benefits of wool here).
Polyfoam would also be “safe enough” for most people if it was CertiPur certified or was made in North America but it’s main benefit vs other materials would be cost not performance so this would be a budget choice more than a “better” choice.
If you use high quality and durable materials then when your son begins to mature and develop and reaches an age where he may need some additional softness and pressure relief then your mattress will still be in good enough condition that all you would need to do is add a topper rather than buy a whole new mattress.
Thanks so much for clarifying. I did some more reading after I posted last night, and am really liking the idea of the Two-Sided Pure Echo Organic Cotton Natural Mattress from mygreenmattress.com:
I am also still considering Gardner, but the mattress that looks most similar (in my untrained opinion) is this one:
The first is $594, free shipping, whereas the Gardner (non-organic) is $1099, and probably an additional delivery fee. Is this comparison apples to apples, or am I missing something fabulous about the Gardner one that would be worth the extra money?
Also, I like the idea of a layer of latex for comfort while adults are on the bed, but I’m not sure if I’m prepared to spend the additional money.
I don’t know the specifics of what is inside the Gardner mattress you linked but it looks like it has a pocket coil instead of a linked coil and that it also has a microcoil in the comfort layers as well. I don’t know how much wool or cotton either one uses.
I think that most adults would generally prefer some additional cushioning because natural fibers tend to be firmer than foam.
My Green Mattress is very knowledgeable and experienced and will know more about their own mattresses be a much more reliable source of guidance than anyone else (including me) about the feel and performance of all their mattresses and how well each one “matches” different body types and sleeping styles based on averages because each person can have very different needs and preferences.
While I’ve never slept on any of their mattresses … if I had to guess based on “overall averages” … I would say yes.
