I’m looking for a mattress recommendation for a unique circumstance. I will be living with my baby in a Ford Econoline e150 that has been converted to be a camper and will be used mostly in the New York area. It will be well-insulated with a usually running roof ventilation fan with a window at least cracked open. I will be bedsharing with my baby (only me and the baby) safely and want to use a non-toxic mattress (no foam/synthetics) to protect my baby’s health. Due to living in a van with a low roof, I am looking for a mattress with minimal thickness because I need to be able to sit up in bed as I will be breastfeeding and using my laptop a lot while in bed. I will have about 46 inches to work with in terms of height in the van (minus insulation). I am also trying to keep costs as low as possible.
I am 5’5" and my weight would be in the range of 120-140lb or so. I am a side sleeper who prefers softer surfaces (I can feel some pressure points in my hips sometimes but switch sides to deal with it) but I have lots of experience sleeping on many kinds of firmer mattresses including sleeping on the ground (camping) and with mattress pads (2-6 inch) and sleep fine on them. From some research I’ve done, it seems like I could try using a 3 inch 100% natural, firm (or medium but I know firm is better for babies) Dunlop latex mattress topper (full size) as the base that the baby and I could sleep on. Then during the day, I would buy another 3 inch 100% natural, soft Dunlop latex mattress topper for me to lay on while I sit up in bed to be more comfortable (and which I would sleep on once the baby is 1 years old). I will be using a bed foundation raised about 13 inches off the ground with slats along with a waterproof mattress cover for the toppers. The one thing I am worried about is mold as I have heard that some people have found that latex can lead to mold.
My question is: for my situation, does the two layer mattress topper system seem to make sense? Would the core firm layer and then soft layer on top be a good idea to start with? And have you heard of any issues with mold and latex and how can I best prevent this? Any other suggestions or comments?