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The best organic, non-toxic mattress and crib mattress:
After all my research it came down to a few companies for a truly non-toxic, organic mattress. Naturepedic, LifeKind, Savvy Rest, Soaring Heart and Holy Lamb Organics. Soaring Heart and Holy Lamb Organics are smaller, independent companies who I found after we purchased our Naturepedic crib mattress. I love how transparent both Soaring Heart and Holy Lamb Organics are (they use three materials – organic wool, organic cotton and / or organic latex). Lifekind and Savvy Rest are both transparent as well. Soaring Heart is 100% certified organic and is a GOTS certified facility which is HUGE!
Why buy an organic mattress:
Why buy an organic mattress:Most mattresses contain toxic flame retardants. These flame retardants are linked to a host of issues ranging from cancer to a reduction in IQ. Organic mattresses are still flame resistant but without the use of toxic chemicals. Natural fibers such as wool provide fire resistance.
We all spend a lot of our lives sleeping in our beds. Children spend even a greater percentage of their days sleeping and having a healthy mattress is one of the best things you can do to reduce your toxic load in your home.
Organic mattresses are made of natural materials instead of synthetic materials like foam (which have VOCs and toxins). Organic mattresses are made often of organic wool, organic cotton, and organic latex. You can also find latex-free organic mattresses. No synthetics, no chemicals, no toxins. Switching out your conventional mattress for an organic mattress is one of the easiest switches you can make in your home to reduce your exposure to toxins.
Organic crib mattress:
When we bought our crib mattress we decided to go with the Naturepedic quilted (non waterproof) mattress. We have a Naturepedic waterproof crib cover.
After doing all my research, we decided on the Naturepedic quilted mattress for our crib mattress, mostly because we had a local, non-toxic baby product store here and they carried it. As far as why I didn’t go with one of the waterproof mattresses – it’s made with 100% polyethylene which they also state meets food contact standards. That doesn’t make me feel any better. I don’t feel we have the best standards in our food industry (GMOs, anyone?).
Right after my son was born and I started getting into this the more I wished I had purchased one from the other brands. They use natural materials, like wool, to make it flame resistant. I’m a big fan of wool and keeping things simple and easily understandable. However, Naturepedic’s mattresses are GOTS certified. I always feel 100% comfortable when I see this certification. It’s the certification I always look for, the most stringent certification out there for textiles. Naturepedic doesn’t use wool to make their mattresses flame resistant. According to Naturepedic’s website “At Naturepedic, we take a different approach. Organic cotton is a far superior filling material and is significantly less flammable to begin with, allowing for more creative solutions. Our exclusive fire protection system is based on the unique fire-retardant properties of baking soda and hydrated silica permanently bonded to cellulose.”
What I wish I had bought: A certified organic, absolutely no chemicals, crib mattress from Soaring Heart. We have since purchased our mattress from Soaring Heart and I’m a huge fan! Everything is certified organic and I don’t have to worry about seconding guessing anything. They use the best materials and I truly don’t think there is a better company out there that makes mattresses. Soaring Heart offers my readers a 5% discount by mentioning Natural Baby Mama blog.
Natural mattress protectors:
We have wool covers for waterproofing for our mattresses. We purchased ours from Holy Lamb Organics. Soaring Heart also carries organic wool mattress pads and you can use the 5% off code “Natural Baby Mama” on the mattress pads as well.
Wool mattress pads are amazing and has worked well for us for many years!
We also had the Naturepedic waterproof crib cover. When we bought it I was less educated about this stuff and trusted the salesperson when they said it was all organic cotton. Turns out there is a plastic liner between the two layers of organic cotton but for me, for now, that’s ok. The nice thing about Naturepedic though is that it has the GreenGuard, GOTS and other certifications on all of their products. Like I said above, I always feel 100% comfortable when I see the GOTS certification. However, I like the simplicity of the wool mattress pads.
What to look for in an organic mattress:
Don’t be misled by the many different choices of organic mattresses out there (crib or otherwise). They can have some organic material and be labeled organic. They can also have organic cotton in them then be covered in nasty plastic or vinyl (which is very toxic). To be labeled organic is one thing and to truly be organic, certified and non-toxic is another. Why do you even want an organic mattress? Because if it’s not organic it’s filled with toxic chemicals, including flame retardants, and synthetic materials. Since this is one of the places you and your children spend the most time, investing in a certified organic mattress is top priority!
The Top Organic Mattress companies:
When looking where I would buy a mattress for my family, these are my top choices:
When you get your mattress, you can purchase organic pillows from these same companies! Sleep well!
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So you would suggest a LifeKind mattress and a wool cover? Can you suggest one? I know you said the one you bought, the Naturepedic waterproof crib cover, you weren’t pleased about the plastic lining. Are there better ones?
I would actually recommend any of the mattresses – Lifekind is the cleanest in my opinion. All materials are disclosed. It’s the most expensive though. I think that Naturpedic is great too but you just don’t know everything that is going into it but it is for sure non-toxic for babies. Naturpedic just posted a comment that they do not use fiberglass to make the mattresses. I have no idea why 2 different natural mattress stores told me that. I need to update that post to reflect that. Another great option is the Soaring Heart mattress. They are amazing. It’s a organic latex mattress wrapped in wool. It’s worth checking out their site too. I think any of these three choices would be good ones.
Personally I would do a wool mattress cover. I love Holy Lamb Organics. They also have a seconds list and you can call the company to see if they have any mattress covers that are seconds to try and save a little money. http://www.holylamborganics.com/mattress_tops.html#Anchor-HAPP-51226
Naturepedic fully discloses all the materials in their mattresses and are GOTS certified, OCS100 Certified, GREENGUARD Gold Certified and SSA (Specialty Sleep Association) Level IV certified. These certifications only allow the purest, safest materials to be used in the making of a crib mattress. (Fiberglass is not and has never been a material we use.) We even found that we passed all mandated fire safety tests without the use of any flame retardant chemicals or barriers. Each crib mattress comes with a lifetime warranty for the original owner.
Additionally, Naturepedic avoids the use of any materials which are common allergens to babies and children. Even if a baby does not show initial signs of allergic reaction to a known allergen, allergies most often build up over time. Here is a link that may help answer any questions about our baby and kids products. I hope it helps!
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We understand that we may not be for everyone and there are other very nice mattresses out there. We do want to make sure that information being passed around is accurate and truthful. I do not know why a couple of stores would pass on false information but if you can let us know which stores, then we can help them understand our product better.
Thank you,
Only Good Things!
Have you heard of surround ewe from Wisconsin ? The wool bed company. I spoke with the owner who is incredibly sweet and makes their products. I do see an certification but I don’t see GOTS. Is this worrisome?2
No, GOTS certified wool is hard to come by. I would feel comfortable if it was organic. I haven’t heard of them but will check them out! Thanks!
I would ask her what Eco wool is. Each company has their own info on this. A local company here has eco wool and 5 of the 7 farmers have the organic certification. The other 2 farm the same way but are so small they don’t get certified.
I enjoy reading your website as it’s very informative. It’s amazing how much chemicals are used in baby’s and children’s products. I wish I had done more research for my first and second baby 12 years ago. I finally became aware of it back in 2007 when I was pregnant with my third child. I bought the cocomat crib mattress from naturalmat. I was lucky to have found it at a store discounted at 50% off. I also bought the Argington Crib. I was happy with my mattress and crib choice as it seemed their materials were non-toxic. In the end, I would always invest in a more expensive product knowing my baby’s health is priceless. In addition, instead of using strollers to carry her around, I opted to use the moby wrap. Again, I wished I was more savvy back then for my first two kids. It’s great to see websites like yours that help inform parents.
Thanks for reading and thanks your post!
Have you heard of the Coco Mat? I just ordered this. Do you have any thoughts? Thanks! http://www.naturalmatusa.com/product.asp?strParents=104&CAT_ID=162&P_ID=832
The Coco Mat is the most breathable and natural organic crib mattress. It is filled with coir from the only certified organic coir plantation in the world. Coir is made from coconut husks which are extremely supportive and breathable. The coir is then wrapped in our unique organic lambswool which is bathed in a mixture made from extracts of lavender, lemon and eucalyptus making it completely anti-dust mite as well as maintaining the excellent thermal insulating properties of natural wool.
Organic coir and organic lambswool
Extremely breathable, excellent ventilation
Naturally springy and supportive
Completely non toxic and NO polyethylene or synthetics
Machine washable cotton cover (do not tumble dry)
5 year manufacturers guarantee
I read about it when I was looking. I don’t know much about it but at the time I just wanted to stick with organic cotton to make my life easier (instead of researching a bunch of different options). It sounds interesting. You will have to let me know how you like it!
We ended up with an Earth-Friendly Organics crib mattress. No chemical or synthetic components at all, and it was the most affordable, non-toxic option that I could find. Cost around $299, if I remember correctly. A “real mattress” with steel coil springs, natural latex, organic cotton and wool. Sold by a company in Nashville called Health Goods. Each one made to order, so shipping can take a few weeks, but overall we couldn’t be happier. Check them out.
Have you heard of Keetsa mattresses? Was wondering your thoughts on them. They seems cheaper than other organic mattresses as we need to replace all of our mattresses.
I haven’t heard of them, I would just ask a lot of details about what they use in their mattresses. I’m only comfortable with organic cotton, organic wool and natural latex (not synthetic).
Hi there! Do you know anything about the Savvy Rest crib mattress or the reliability of the Savvy Rest company? The crib mattress is made of natural firm Dunlap latex covered with an organic cotton case with wool batting.
Thank you for all your help and time spent researching for this blog!
I don’t know anything about them. I would ask if the latex is organic. Then I would ask if they add any FR and if there is anything else in the mattress except those 3 things.
Hi,
Would you recommend using a holy lamb organic mattress cover if I’m not looking to replace my daughters crib mattress completely but would like it to be “safe” and “free” from chemicals? Or should I just replace the whole thing?
Thanks!
Replacing the whole thing is the best option. If that’s not an option then getting the mattress cover might help some. When you lay or sit on something that has FRs the air pushes out dust / FRs into the air then they are absorbed by our skin or we inhale them. Having the cover would probably help some but it wouldn’t make it totally non-toxic. It depends on how long you expect to keep using the crib mattress too.
The crib turns into a toddler bed and she is one so probably for a few more years. I will go ahead and replace the whole thing. Now to decide which one to go with. Thanks for the information!
Just to let you know I decided on buying from soaring heart after all my research. The customer service is excellent. I’m looking forward to our new certified organic mattresses! I’ll let you know how everything turns out. Just thought i’d share! Btw thanks for the referral to them!
Have you got your mattress yet? How do you like it? I’m glad you liked them, I really love them!
Yes, we have them. They are beautifully made! I want to love it, but I think I made the wrong choice of mattress. It’s way too firm. So much that I can’t sleep on it. I should have put more thought into the fact that it’s made out of latex which I have never tried. I chose firm because my husband likes a firm mattress. I myself like soft! But I wanted him to be happy with it. Unfortunately this is even too firm for him! I put an email into them Friday morning. Haven’t heard back yet. I guess the only solution would be to buy a topper I’m not sure yet. I hate thinking we may have to fork out another 1,000 dollars. I’ve really been wondering now if I should have just gone with naturpedic because they have one that you choose the firmness on both sides. As for my daughters crib mattress I love! She’s the waking three times a night one year old though which I was hoping would change after getting this mattress but hasn’t. I’m just at ease knowing she’s sleeping on a chemical free, quality bed! We bought wool bolus pillows and like them so far! Love that they are machine washable and the wool is interchangeable, but haven’t washed them yet. So, in summary my heart is soaring, but my body is aching. :-/ one more thing…customer service has been very kind ! A lady named Catherine was who I dealt with and she seemed very genuine.
Thanks for asking!
Yes, you need a topper! It’s hard having to spend extra money but a latex mattress without a topper is way too hard. We actually did that for a few months when I was super concerned about having a topper when my son was sleeping with us. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and we got a topper. I think it’s really rare to sleep on a latex mattress without a topper. Remember that latex mattresses last twice the lifespan of a regular mattress so while it might be more now it will be less in the long run. Also dust mites can’t survive in latex which is an added bonus. Is there a store near you that carries organic wool toppers? If not I would go through Soaring Heart or Holy Lamb Organics. I thought for sure I wanted a wool topper but actually ended up going with a latex one at the end of the day. My husband also likes a firmer bed and it was more firm, but also more expensive, than the wool. Good luck!
Yes, we have them. They are beautifully made! I want to love it, but I think I made the wrong choice of mattress. It’s way too firm. So much that I can’t sleep on it. I should have put more thought into the fact that it’s made out of latex which I have never tried. I chose firm because my husband likes a firm mattress. I myself like soft! But I wanted him to be happy with it. Unfortunately this is even too firm for him! I put an email into them Friday morning. Haven’t heard back yet. I guess the only solution would be to buy a topper I’m not sure yet. I hate thinking we may have to fork out another 1,000 dollars. I’ve really been wondering now if I should have just gone with naturpedic because they have one that you choose the firmness on both sides. As for my daughters crib mattress I love! She’s the waking three times a night one year old though which I was hoping would change after getting this mattress but hasn’t. I’m just at ease knowing she’s sleeping on a chemical free, quality bed! We bought wool bolus pillows and like them so far! Love that they are machine washable and the wool is interchangeable, but haven’t washed them yet. So, in summary my heart is soaring, but my body is aching. :-/ one more thing…I know I said this before but customer service has been very kind ! A lady named Catherine was who I dealt with and she seemed very genuine. I’m hoping she can help when I call her on Monday!
Thanks for asking!
I’m teetering back and forth on a crib mattress. I’m leaning more toward organic naturpedic waterproof innerspring with a non waterproof over. Then adding the wool puddle pad just to put more breathable/natural materials between her and the polyethylene mattress. My only concern with lifekind is the mattress getting ruined by not being waterproof . It seems to defeat the purpose to get a waterproof cover. Thoughts appreciated!
Does anyone know about Greenbuds mattress? http://www.greenbudsbaby.com/product/primrose-deluxe-organic-2-in-1-crib-mattress.html
What about Sealy Cotton Bliss 2 Stage mattress? It is Greenguard certified but I dont know if its GOTS certified. It has organic cotton and polyester. I read that polyester is less likely to contain flame retardants. Is that true? This is so depressing. I have been researching all of my son’s baby products to find they are all toxic.
I believe most polyester is less likely to contain FRs because it naturally melts. The Greenguard certification is good, is the final mattress Greenguard or just some of the materials they use? I personally would stick to a GOTS certified or pure organic wool, organic cotton or organic latex. It’s simple and for sure not toxic. I feel like a lot of companies are trying to jump on the non-toxic bandwagon and there is always something lurking in there.
Ugh, we just purchased a Simmons mattress two years ago and it’s probably full of flame retardants. It’s so comfortable, we love sleeping on it. But, we plan to co-sleep and now I’m worried that our mattress will harm our baby and buying organic clothes and unfinished wood toys is not going to make up for that.
Anyone have thoughts on using a HEPA air filter as an alternative to buying a new mattress?
Anyone bought the Holy Lamb Organics all-wool mattress?
I hear you, I had that same thought when I was researching non toxic toys while my son was sitting on our couch full of FRs. Yes, your Simmons mattress has FRs – sorry. Pretty much every mattress on the market does unless you go out of your way to buy an organic / FR free mattress.
HEPA air filters are great. We have one in most rooms but it’s not going to help with the mattress while you are sleeping on it (which is the biggest exposure). It will help with some of the FRs that get into the air / dust. There are some mattress wrappers out there but I don’t think they can stop FRs completely but it would help.
All I can say about Holy Lamb Organics is that I LOVE everything that they have. I feel like you can’t go wrong with them 🙂
Which air purifiers do you use? I saw one today by “AUSTIN ” and it was really expensive!
I use Austin Air Junior. They are expensive but most HEPA filters are. You don’t need to replace the filters as often in the Austin filters are you do in others. I really like them. I just slowly bought one at a time. We have 3 plus an IQ Air which is huge and the filters are super expensive so I don’t recommend that one.
So, we got a 9 year-old secondhand mattress from a good friend. She used the mattress for all three of her kids. I don’t know anything about the materials though because it no longer has a tag and she doesn’t remember. We also got a 4 year-old Naturepedic organic mattress with polyethylene waterproof cover for real cheap on Craig’s List. The Naturepedic mattress still has a plastic smell and now we’re debating which mattress to use. Any thoughts? Unfortunately, we can’t afford to buy a new organic crib mattress right now.
That’s really strange it still has a strong plastic smell after 4 years! That’s hard. The secondhand mattress (the 9 year old one) for sure has FRs and as a mattress breaks down FRs get released. However sleeping on a plastic smell isn’t great either. Has the plastic smell gone down at all? I wonder if the previous people used a plastic cover or something. You can get organic mattress covers on amazon. If that is in your budget I would do that over the Naturepedic one. I would also maybe reach out to Naturepedic and ask why it would still smell like plastic after 4 years.
Thank you for another great post!
I’m looking for a crib/cot/mini crib organic and natural mattress.
Unfortunately, as I do not live in the US and mattress mesurments does not suit the cribs/bed sizes where I live and even if the have something similar they usually do not send outside the US.
I found that the sizes are much more similar to sizes in Europe.
I wonder if you might know some good brands that either sell/have a branch in EU so they have adjusted sizes or barnds that have custom made sizes (even in the US)
that I can order according to specific mesurments.
I’m exploring this issue for so long…
Really desperate…
My due date is very soon and I haven’t decided or ordered yet
Hope you have something
Thank you
I just wanted to share my mattress choice. I wanted latex but needed to save $ for the crib. So I searched for the cheapest way to get it. I picked up a Naturepedic Dual Seamless at Kohls. I was able to get it for $211 (down from $439). It was on sale for 418, then there was a coupon code for 20% off, 10% back via eBates, then I got $15 Kohls Cash for every $50 spent. I used the Kohls Cash for a Baby Bjorn Organic Bouncer. Amazons prices are cheaper but when you factor in everything even though initially Kohls is more $ in the end they are by far the best deal.
Hi any thoughts on the Essential matresses?
http://m.myessentia.com
Been reading your blog nonstop for a few hours now. Sure makes you cringe with how many toxic baby items there are out there! Recently ordered a mattress from obasan. It’s completely organic. Pretty awesome materials but definitely firm! Put a wool comforter on it as a topper for the short term. Ordered wool mattress pads and pillows from soaring heart. Love em! Firmer than the talalay pillow I’ve had for years, but better for ya. Looking for a mattress for me. Do you sleep on a soaring heart? What did you find that you like?
Glad you like it! I love Soaring Heart!
Shannon, do you mind elaborating on your choice of mattresses from Soaring Heart? Do you happen to have the zoned latex mattress? Or just the regular latex with a topper (and which topper?). Obviously, this is a very subjective issue, but I’m curious what you’ve chosen and why you like them before I buy 2 mattresses from them (possibly 3!) sight unseen and have them shipped across the US to the east coast! We have a crib mattresses being made by them now, which I feel great about – but I also know that my 20-month-old doesn’t have the aches and pains that we have, so he’ll be happy with the comfort regardless ; ).
I’m also wondering what you believe the difference to be between Soaring Heart’s and Holy Lamb Organics’ latex mattresses. I’m tempted by Holy Lamb Organics’ lower prices, but wonder if I’d be sacrificing comfort or quality.
I so appreciate your expertise and experience with these companies – thank you!
Sorry for the delay! Are you still looking? If so, let me know and I’ll respond and I’ll give you a discount code to use at Soaring Heart
Do you have any thoughts or know about lullaby earth mattresses?
I know this is an old post but hoping to get some advice. I wish I knew about your site earlier! I have an (almost) 3 yr old and an (almost) 9mo old. Both are sleeping on moonlight slumber mattresses. Crib and twin. Do you think it’s worth the investment to purchase a purely organic crib at this point? We plan on having one more child. I’m going through your site and stressing out about the things I’ve missed!
Sorry I’m just seeing your comment. Do you mean crib or crib mattress? If you are planning on having another and your 9 month old isn’t sleeping on a flame retardant free / organic mattress then I would switch over. Is Moonlight fully flame retardant free? On their site I see that they are free of certain FRs.
Is lifekind and OMI the same company or owned by the same?I feel like a lot of the mattress names are similar to the OMI mattress but they have different websites. Thanks
They are made in the same factory but technically are separate brands.