Organic Mattress for 3 year old

I have spent quite a bit of time searching for a mattress for our 3 year old that will be moving from toddler bed to full size bed. She has been sleeping on the Naturepedic crib mattress which has worked out well for us. In looking at the options, I am unsure whether to invest in a latex mattress or to go with a cotton/wool futon type mattress. I have also noticed a HUGE discrepency in the price of organic latex mattresses. Can you help direct me to what type of mattress we should buy at this age???

Thanks

Hi hridenoure,

Naturepedic makes a really good crib mattress and its nice to see that you are focused on a healthy bed for your child and considering what IMO are very good options using natural materials.

I think that either direction would make a good choice however if I was considering a wool/cotton option I would likely go with a mattress with an innerspring rather than a futon as it can provide a little better combination of comfort and support as your child gets older (a futon will compress faster and is not as resilient).

Some examples of the types of mattresses that would be suitable for a young child are in post #2 here.

Besides the options in the other thread, some good online choices would be …

A good innerspring with wool/cotton choice such as Pure Echo Natural made by one of our members would also be a good choice.

https://www.mattresses.net/ would also be worth a phone call to ask about building a 6" Dunlop core with wool/cotton quilting (similar to the 8" models they have on the site but without the extra 2") as like many local manufacturers they can build exactly what you may want at a very good price.

Another good option would be to visit a local manufacturer (if you let me know your city I can let you know if I know of any in your area) which are usually one of the best sources of quality and value if there are any near you.

The advantage of a 6" latex mattress with a wool/cotton quilting is that it is so long lasting that as your child gets older and needs more comfort or adjustments to the mattress it is easy to add a softer topper because the core will still be in good condition.

You are also correct about the huge discrepancy in pricing. There are also many instances of “natural” and “organic” and other “green” terms being thrown around very carelessly. While there are Dunlop latex cores that have earned the USDA organic label (CoCo latex is one of them and Latex Green is the other), most of the so-called “organic labels” attached to mattresses all around the internet are not organic and sometimes not even natural. Sometimes it seems like an organic ticking is enough for some outlets to call a mattress organic no matter what else may be in it.

There are also non-organic 100% natural latex cores which are not technically organic but are very “pure” nonetheless and since pesticides are usually only used if at all in the early stages of a rubber tree’s growth before it is used for collecting latex, “non organic” Dunlop latex is also a very good and healthy choice and is less expensive than certified organic. Natural talalay and blended talalay are also very good choices and are usually tested and certified by the Oeko-Tex 100 standard as being safe for babies even though the 100% natural talalay may have slightly lower natural latex content than Dunlop and the blended talalay includes synthetic latex and is not completely natural. Of course what is important for each person is very much a personal decision.

My own tendency would be to go with a 6" 100% natural Dunlop latex core with a wool/cotton quilting unless price was the biggest consideration in which case I would go with an innerspring with wool and cotton layers.

Hope this helps …

Phoenix

This does help a lot! We are located in Northwest Arkansas (Springdale, AR). If you can find a local manufacturer or one that is within a couple hours that would be great.

THanks

Hi hridenoure,

Here are the better options I know about that are in reasonable driving distance of the Springdale, Arkansas area …

Harness Mattress 3rd generation local manufacturer in Harrison who makes mainly innerspring/polyfoam mattresses. He probably doesn’t make old style innerspring/natural fiber mattresses or latex mattresses but would be worth a call to make sure.

Denver Mattress® - The Easiest Way to Get the Right Mattress Regional manufacturer with outlets in Fayetteville, Little Rock, AR, Tulsa, OK, and Joplin and Springfield, MO. They are a regional factory direct manufacturer that makes a range of mattresses including their iChoice which is a “mostly latex” mattress with either a memory foam or latex topper. They disclose all the information about the materials they use in their mattresses and are typically good quality and value (and certainly better than mainstream brands). I would avoid the major brands they also carry.

http://www.yellowpages.com/rogers-ar/mip/ideal-mattress-mfg-co-14228660 Local manufacturer in Fayetteville and Rogers, AR. Talked with her and they’ve been making mattresses for 68 years. Makes mostly 2 sided polyfoam but can make latex and memory foam as well. Said she has a 40 year old piece of latex that people can try if they want but nothing on the floor because its too expensive. No web presence and the location in Rogers is the head office.

http://joplimo.com/ Rogers, Fayetteville, AR. They carry a range of innerspring, memory foam, and latex mattresses that they designed and are made by the Restonic factory in Springfield. They also carry Sleeptronic mattresses. They will also provide any information their customers need about the materials in their mattresses and can also do custom builds.

http://www.mountainairorganicbeds.com/ Springdale, AR. Carries a line of component latex mattresses that use 100% natural latex in several thicknesses and with various layering options available.

http://www.brashears.com/Our_Locations/ Springdale, Berryville, Branson, AR. They are a retailer that carries Jamison mattresses which are high quality mattresses and include latex and latex hybrid models that may be worth testing.

A little further away … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Tulsa, OK area are listed in post #2 here.

Post #4 here also includes the better options I’m aware of in the Fort Smith area.

Post #4 here includes the list for the Neosho/Springfield, MO area.

If none of these are suitable … then an online purchase from one of the manufacturers mentioned earlier would likely be your best source of good quality and value.

Phoenix