My wife and I are trying to find the right mattress for our 3-year-old daughter. We’ve been looking for a well-made, non toxic twin mattress for around $500.
I used past posts on your site to construct the following email which I sent to SCB:
My wife and I are considering your Monet Plush mattress for our 3-year-old daughter’s new daybed. I was hoping you could send me more information on the mattress. Details such as the materials used to make it, confirmation that the entirety of the materials are manufactured in the US (if they are), the density of the walls/layers, the type of glue and fire barrier used, what type of Latex is used (does it meet the GOLS standard), are any fire retardant foams used, and any other information you might feel is pertinent to our decision.
They responded:
The Monet, and all of our beds, are made with USA materials. This bed has a Leggett BodyPrint coil http://spinalcarebedding.net/body-print-5-zone-eob-price-11x8-5/, we use non-toxic Simalfa for our glues which is a water-based glue, the foam encased walls are 3" thick and are a 1.8 density in a firm to give you a true edge support, the latex in this model is Talalay from Latex International, and all of the foam used in addition are also 1.8 high reflex foams.
Best I can tell (again, from reading past posts), their mattress seem well constructed and toxin free, but I’ve read of manufacturers being evasive or misleading with their responses. Are there additional questions we should ask? Or anything that would concern you about their response?
Post #2 here and the posts it links to have more information and guidelines about choosing a mattress for a child that should be helpful.
Children tend to need firmer mattresses than adults and In many cases a mattress that would be “comfortable” for an adult that prefers thicker or softer comfort layers wouldn’t be the best choice for a child.
I think highly of Spinal Care bedding because they are much more open and transparent about the type and quality of the materials in their mattresses than most other wholesale manufacturers in the industry and they tend to use higher quality materials in their mattresses than most of their mainstream competitors. I wish all manufacturers were as transparent as they are. Having said that … this is the type of information that a knowledgeable and experienced retailer should be able to provide you rather than needing to find out directly from a wholesale manufacturer.
While there are no obvious weak links in the mattress in terms of the quality and durability of the materials (see the guidelines here) … I would avoid buying a plush mattress for a child.
We took your advice and decided to get the Spinal Care Bedding Malibu Firm mattress. A rep for SCB told us:
The Cynthia is a great choice, just be sure to specify the CertiPur version with your sales man. It’s the same bed, but with the non-toxic foams and named the Malibu.
I have two additional questions for you.
I read post 89 on mattress protectors. My daughter, like me, is a hot sleeper. She’s also not potty trained yet. So, we’re looking for something that is both waterproof and breathable. Would you recommend the first type (thinner ones that have a membrane in them which are waterproof and also somewhat breathable) or the wool/membrane type (Natura also makes one that has both a thinner layer of wool and a breathable membrane called the NaturaProtect here for those who want wool and a breathable/waterproof membrane )?
Do you have any recommendations on pillows for children? I did a search of the site and couldn’t find any posts on this subject.
It sounds like you made a great choice (and it’s good to see that you changed from a plush to a firmer mattress). Congratulations on your new mattress
If your child isn’t potty trained then one of the more waterproof or highly water resistant choices would be more appropriate. The thinner membrane types would be a good choice but they can degrade with washing and drying and sometimes fail so the protectors that use wool with a membrane (such as the NaturaProtect, the Glideaway Comfort Premier Mattress Protector, or the MyProtector from Sleep & Beyond would add an extra layer of protection and would help more with temperature regulation.
Once of the wool puddle pads could also be a good choice (either with a cotton protector on top of it or just under the sheets) although I would check with the retailer you are buying from to make sure they are “water resistant” enough for a child that can have an accident. They would be more breathable than a protector that has a membrane but they can also be more more costly … especially if you use a cotton protector on top of it…
I don’t have any specific recommendations no but there are some general guidelines and information for pillows in the pillow topic here (although these are more about choosing a pillow for an adult … the same principles apply).
There is also a good article here about pillows for toddlers and I would make sure that if your daughter needs a pillow at all that it is thin enough for a child and isn’t an adult pillow which would be too thick and put her head and neck out of alignment. A pillow that has adjustable filling (such as one of the shredded latex pillows with a zip cover that allows you to reduce the fill material) could also make a good choice so you can customize the height of the pillow to match your daughters needs.
Thank you again! We have a mattress and pillow ordered and will order our mattress protector tomorrow (once NaturaProtect confirms that their mattress protector is non toxic).
I would really doubt that Natural would say that their protector is toxic since they wouldn’t be selling it they believed it was.
There is a little more information about semipermeable membranes in post #2 here but IMO all of the membranes that are used in mattress protectors are safe.
What type of foams are they using? Most places I’ve talked to recommend that newborns and toddler avoid any type of Polyurethane foam.
Reminds me of Saatva. Saying that their CertiPur foam is “non toxic”. Even though Certipur-US clearly states that it’s unacceptable to make such claims.
This sounds like the type of recommendations that would come from manufacturers that are selling “organic” mattresses and in many cases are exaggerations or even “scare tactics” that are more designed to sell a mattress than provide factual information (see post #5 here).
When you are given these types of recommendations it’s important to ask “why” they are saying what they are saying so they can provide the evidence that backs up their recommendations and you can be assured that they aren’t just based on marketing.
Have you looked at the CertiPUR testing limits here*? Which ones would you consider to be unsafe and what limits would you consider to be safe?
ADMIN NOTE:*Always check CertiPur site for the latest guidelines available
You are right that “non toxic” isn’t one of the terms that CertiPUR allows but they do allow the following terms …
[quote]Examples of acceptable claims for
CertiPUR-US® approved foam products:
◗ Low emission (VOCs) for
indoor air quality
◗ Made without prohibited
phthalates
◗ Made without ozone
depleters
◗ Made without mercury, lead
and heavy metals
◗ Made without formaldehyde
◗ No chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
◗ Made without
methylene chloride
◗ Made without PBDEs
◗ Durability-tested
◗ Emissions-tested
◗ Content-tested
◗ Performance-tested
◗ Environmentally
innovative[/quote]
While the question of “how safe is safe enough for me” is generally specific to each person and their individual sensitivities, circumstances, criteria, beliefs, and lifestyle choices (just like some people may choose an organic or even a vegan diet and would consider other diets to be “unsafe”) … for most people polyfoam that is CertiPUR certified would be “safe enough”.
But most of those “ingredients” were never used to make poly foam. A lot of those chemicals / metals have already been banned so of course it doesn’t contain them. (CFC, PBDEs) for example are banned in most states. So not sure why they listed that. Other than “marketing” reasons.
Reminds me of the “no trans fat” campaign that were popular in early 2000. Everyone was slapping on the “no trans fat” logo. Even though most of those products never contained trans fat previously.
Also, what is the company using as a fire retardant? Wool? or some type of chemicals.
Once again … if your concerns are of a more general nature based on a set of beliefs that don’t include specifics then I can certainly understand that you would make different choices than others would for your own personal reasons (just like the example I gave that some people may choose a different type of diet than others based on their own personal beliefs or lifestyle choices) but I would also suggest that there are many people that don’t share the concerns you have to the same degree you seem to have them.
When you are talking about more complex issues then it would make sense that you have more specific information to support your arguments so that you aren’t just asking others to believe what you believe … just because you believe it.
So I would ask you … what are the specific concerns you have and what are the limits that you would suggest are “safe enough”.
Are you suggesting that everyone avoid anything that is made from any type of synthetic material?
The most common type of fire barriers used in the mattress industry are inherently fire retardant non woven fabrics … not wool or “chemicals”. This is different from the furniture industry that uses much more fire retardant foams that have fire retardant chemicals added to the foam.
I agree with you that “non toxic” probably wasn’t appropriate since any foam would probably be toxic if you eat it so it’s not accurate to say that it’s non toxic but they were also making a good suggestion by recommending the CertiPUR foams and I think their intent was good even if their specific terminology wasn’t.
I also have an issue with the wording on the Saatva blog site where your list came from which I also find very misleading and contradictory when they are confusing “eco friendly” with “safe” and they are using “petrochemical based chemicals” and “synthetic foams” and “polyurethane foam” in their mattresses even though they are warning against them.
Again … non toxic probably isn’t the best term to use for any mattress material since you certainly can’t eat it but the Whispershield fire barrier (click Whispershield) is an inherent fire barrier (meaning that the fire retardant properties are part of the fabric itself rather than the result of adding a chemical to the fibers after they are manufactured) that uses a combination of Viscose/Rayon and polyester fibers (PET) that for most people would certainly be “safe enough” (see post #2 here).
Keep us posted. Both certiPur mattress I purchased gave off some petro fumes. (smelled like mold and cat urine). Simmons Beautyrest being the worst offender.
Almost all foam materials will have an initial smell that will dissipate fairly quickly to levels that most people don’t notice although some people such as yourself can be more sensitive to certain smells or describe them differently than others.
I would also keep in mind that the smell of a material isn’t an indication of its safety and there are many foam materials that have an initial odor (including latex and wool for example) that would be safe regardless of their initial smell.
We’re on year 4 of our Spinal Care Bedding Malibu mattress and I’m pleased to report that we’re very happy with it.
So happy, in fact, we wanted to get the same mattress for our son. Prior to purchasing it I thought it might be wise to confirm that we’d be getting the same mattress with the same specs:
*it is made locally with USA materials
*it has a Leggett BodyPrint coil
*it uses non-toxic Simalfa
*the foam encased walls are 3" thick and are a 1.8 density in a firm to give you a true edge support,
the latex is Talalay from Latex International, and all of the foam used in addition are also 1.8 high reflex foams.
*uses Whispershield as a firebarrier and is also an American, non-toxic product.
Despite numerous calls and emails, neither company has answered my question. It definitely hasn’t been the open and transparent experience we had a few years ago. Unfortunately, it seems it’s time to move on. Can you recommend another manufacturer that makes a a well-made, “non toxic” twin mattress for around $500? Thank you, in advance, for your help again.
I am glad to hear that after 4 years you are happy with your mattress. :lol:
I agree that you would need to know the information listed in this article about any mattress you are considering (regardless of the manufacturer) so that you can make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links (or any materials that don’t meet your specific criteria ). If you cannot confirm the detailed information about the quality/quantity of foams used in the Spinal Care mattresses I’d assume that the materials have changed and move on to something where you can find out the specifics of each layer in the mattress rather than using only some “general” information.
As far as recommendations for mattresses for children, Post #2 here includes links to most of the better forum posts and topics about mattresses and children and includes some suggestions and guidelines and to some good quality/value options as well.
Listed in alphabetical order here are some of our Trusted Members who carry safe and healthy mattresses for growing children or mattresses are very well suited for children: I also listed slightly higher budget mattresses as by using the TMU coupon these may be options you’d wish to consider.
[indent]Arizona Premium Mattress’s Latex Bed for Kids with a great price point.
Flexus Comfort also has a great dual-comfort mattress suitable for children using 100% natural Dunlop latex core
Latex Mattress Factory Naturale Mattress is an option suitable for children.
Luma Sleep’s Base Luma Mattressin its firmer version
My Green Mattress with the Natural Escape (a bit higher budget range but you can use the 125 Off Mattress (Code: TMU125) offered to TMU members) Pure Echo ( One version has no foam at all and is just an innerspring with a natural fiber cotton/wool comfort layer and the other includes latex.) Quality Sleep Shop specializes in innerspring mattresses for children
Sleep EZ Roma Latex Mattress with dual side configuration (Medium-Plush and Firm Feels)
Sleep On Latex Pure Green Mattress good price point mattress suitable for children.
Although for a higher budgets Cozy Pure’s two-sided Natural Latex Mattress using Certified Organic Cotton and wool on top of 6" natural Latex core, maybe worth considering[/indent]
As with your daughter before … I’d make sure to choose a firmer feel for your son as well. Children spend more time on a mattress and have a much more flexible spine that is less curvy than an adult, and they need to be better supported than an adult by the surface layers.
