A reader recently asked me if I thought she should go to the expense of getting an organic wool mattress for her little one arriving soon. Money was a BIG concern for her but she didn’t want to risk her baby breathing in harmful chemicals. Of course I cannot make that decision for anyone but I faced the same scenario three years ago when I had my third child.
I already had two crib mattresses and I didn’t want to be wasteful by buying a new one when I had two already. Of course the two I had were most likely filled with plastic and had a plastic cover. But since they were a couple years old I wasn’t very worried about off-gassing anymore. So I ended up using 100% wool army blankets that I got from an estate sale and I made a mattress cover with them. Then I topped the wool with organic cotton crib sheets.
I am happy with the compromise since I feel my son had a safe place to sleep and I didn’t have to buy new or spend $500 on an organic crib mattress. BUT this was my third child. If I could go back in time and get a do-over I would buy a nice organic crib mattress from the beginning and hand it down to subsequent babies.
Now of course you may be wondering why I had/have a crib in the first place since the eco friendlier option would be to co-sleep. Well, I wasn’t very green when I had my first child so I did buy a crib and mattress and then later we had a toddler bed that needed a mattress. Neither of these things got very much use since we did co-sleep with our first two kids.
My third child though did not want to co-sleep. He started out in my bed but he would fuss and flail around if anyone else even moved in the slightest. So I tried putting him in another bed with pillows around him and he slept like a lamb. He actually slept better on his own. He was my first child that would just lay down, stick a thumb in his mouth, and go to sleep the moment his head hit the pillow… IF he was in there alone… otherwise he would fuss.
At three years old he is just NOW starting to want to co-sleep and has been in my bed for a month now. But I digress… I would encourage any parent to wait to buy a mattress until they really know if they need it. If they cannot afford a pricey organic or natural crib mattress then they CAN make do with wool mattress pads and organic sheets. And if you really want to make the investment in a good mattress I have really come to like Natural Mat. In particular I like the Coco Mat. It is a breathable and natural organic crib mattress filled with coir from the only certified organic coir plantation in the world. Coir is made from coconut husks which are coated in natural latex to make a supportive and breathable fibrous layer. The coir is then wrapped in lambs wool 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. I have a cut section from the Coco Mat and I wish they made King size cause it would go on my wish list… I will need to replace my mattresses soon.
Just look at it above. Does that not look amazingly natural and comfortable??? It passes strict US Fire Retardants standards without having to use toxic fire retardants. AND this is a big bonus… every element of the Natural Mat mattress is biodegradable and compostable.
Wish we could afford a natural crib mattress, but they’re SOOOO expensive. Our daughter mostly co-sleeps but is getting interested in the idea of her own bed, so may want to nap or sleep in it occasionally but probably not regularly. We’ll try wrapping in in wool and also a 100% cotton zippered cover to cut down on plastic contact.
I am the same way- wasn’t very green with the first and wish I could go back and do a lot of things over again, like the mattress. And I came to the same conclusion- by the time the second came around I figured the mattress had off-gassed enough and buying a new one would be silly. And I’m going to put a link to this post in my blog- right now I’m doing a green head to toe series, but when that’s finished I’m going to do a green room by room series, and when I do the kid/baby’s room this is definitely one big thing I’ll address.
Baby is due in August. This would be great. We need a mattress, and I’d love one that I can really feel good about!
I tweeted it! @alihooper
I stumbled it! http://alihooper.stumbleupon.com/
Thanks for the post! I actually was given a mattress, in great condition, but definitely not organic. But I too didn’t worry because two children had already used it, so it wouldn’t be giving off any toxic fumes with my son. I do however want to replace it when my husband and I get pregnant again, and replace it with an organic mattress! Thanks for the great recommendation.
I would love love love one of these!!!
WOW! That looks amazing! I wish I wouldve splurged on one, but the wool cover idea is great!
Would love the sheet too! thanks!
Speaking of mattresses. My girls will be going from their toddler bed and crib to side by side twin beds. Are there any inexpensive organic twin mattresses out there you can recommend? What do you personally sleep on?
Woohoo, Organic crib sheets! Neither of my boys were into cosleeping either, so we are using a crib mattress and a toddler bed now. I’m going to try the wool blanket cover too, good idea!
Ooh yay!
we have a regular mattress since with my first we hadn’t started reading up about green things. this time around I want it to be different. but you are right! It is hard to throw down the money when you have one already! lol. organic sheets and wool covers seem like the perfect solution! thanks!
I would love one for the baby we are expecting!! I linked it to Facebook as well…best wishes!!
Looks so comfy! I’m trying to figure out what to do as my toddler is ready for a bed and the baby needs to move into our big crib for naps and the first half of the night. :-)
That matress is going on my list for future baby items! We don’t need it yet bc I’m not even pregnant but I’m already compliling a list!
Thank you so much for this post!! I have been trying to figure out what to do with the bedding/sleeping arrangement with our first baby boy due at the beginning of September. I definitely want to invest in an organic mattress as I feel I could use the same one with all of our kids. I am just a little unsure with which one is best, so THANK YOU for the recommendation on the Natural Mat. I am definitely going to look into that one now:)
This is awesome for my little boy…always on the prowl of new items to keep my baby feeling good and being healthy
I have my first grand baby and a crio. No mattress yet, since I’ve been saving for an organic matress. I want the best for all my new and all my future grand babies.
I’m expecting in Sept! I could so use this!
I posted about the drawing on Facebook!
I had never even thought about going organic with mattresses until your post. For the time being we are using a mattress that was handed down from another family, so I think we should be ok. Hope I win the sheet though!
Wow, what a great idea. I would definitely love to have one of your organic sheets..
I would love one of these!
I would love an organic crib sheet for my little girl. It looks so soft and comfortable!
This would be so perfect for my little one. Thanks for the giveaway…
i could totally use this. i have been putting off buying my youngest a crib mattress, and i would really love her out of my room before number 3 arrives.
I linked back to this post on my blog.
Thanks so much for posting this information on your site. I NEVER would have thought twice about the contents of a mattress! We already bought a regular crib mattress when our daughter was born and she spends half of the night in her crib and the other half of the night in our bed. I wish I had known about the contents and materials used before we bought her mattress. This would be perfect and thanks for the give away, someone will be very lucky!
oooh pick me pick me!
We co-slept until we all weren’t getting enough sleep, but at almost 2, he’s still in a crib. Our was a hand-me-down, so I, too, didn’t worry about off-gassing (and reusing is better than buying new, right?). I think for future kids though, I would like to get a wool cover. We also need to start saving up for a single bed mattress for when he’s done with the crib. (EEK!)
Did my previous post go through? It said the spam filter caught it. I hope not! If not, I twittered this post, too.
Oh my gosh! I just got the news that another one of my good friends is pregnant!! I’ve been trying to think about something I could get for the baby shower. Well, I think I’ve found it. I was considering getting her a wrap and some organic cotton clothes, but I’m pretty sure she will get plenty of that from others ;) yay! Thank you Tiffany!
I also posted on facebook!
love this giveaway!
I did not have the funds to buy a new organic mattress. So I bought an organic crib pad and organics sheets. I feel that every small step I am able to take toward a greener environment for my son is better than none!
We actually bought a nice organic crib mattress from Costco.
wish I could go back and do it all over again but we already have our mattress and a new one is not in the budget. A sheet would be great for #3 though!
i do NOT want the mattress, because i don’t want to have products of animal sufferings in my home…
why do so many people think, that for their babies they need to (let) abuse (e.g. wool, (cows)milk) or (let) kill animals (e.g. lambskin, meat), so they can have “natural products” for them? *wondering*
I would love to win the crib sheet! Sign me up! :)
I have a 2 year old little girl with Autism and simply cannot afford an Organic Mattress, but it’s next on our list. So I will be making it work and ordering one from Naturepedic. It would be great to be able to top with an Organic Sheet and know she was completely safe. No parent wants the diagnosit of Autism, but I was lucky to get it when she was only 13 months old. With that diagnosis, we were able to start helping her right away. With that said, if anyone is ever questioning strange behavior or Autism, please get it looked at. There is help for these children! My daughter is on her way to recovery just like Jenny McCarthy’s little boy. Thanks for letting me share and I would love to be enterted to win this sheet. :)
I would love this for baby #3 that’s due in october.
Hi! We are co-sleeping with our daughter but would love to have an organic mattress for her when the time comes that she wants her own space. Currently, we have a queen size bed with a futon like pad on the floor beside the bed…it works great so far, but I end up sleeping on the floor most of the night too! :) Having an organic sheet for her future bed would be great! Thank you!
We’re having our first baby in September and I’m going to purchase the infant to toddler Naturepedic mattress. It is 100% cotton which I prefer as I abstain from animal products and I feel is also a good choice to avoid any potential allergy issues. I also love that the one side is for the crib and then you just flip it over to the softer side when its time to change to a toddler bed. They also have twin-Queen mattresses which I wish I could afford by my current toxic mattress is only about 5 years old and still going strong so I’ll have to stick with that for now.
twittered this giveaway
http://twitter.com/kerrypooh/statuses/1726858970
Would love to win this mattress:)
Great idea on the wool cover. I have a bunch of wool blankets from sales I have been to. I would love the sheets! I have always wanted to buy them, but they are a little spendy. Thanks for all of the great info!
Wow, just had a new baby boy on 4/27 and this would really come in handy! thanks
Thanks for the info:)
For our first child we bought a 100% wool mattress for the crib, they use borax as the fire retardant I think (you had to have a doc’s note to get the one w/o any fire retardant) but then it was months before he actually slept in his crib. It’s actually a futon mattress so was under $200. This next one we are using a cosleeper so again it will be many months before they actually use a crib. I am concerned about finding a good mattress alternative for the co sleeper though, if anyone has any good ideas please let me know. Posted to my facebook as it’s a good article.
I would love this!!
Great giveaway! My daughter has asthma so it would be great to have a crib sheet without any chemicals!
This is one thing I never looked into with my two—-now I feel even more convinced about the benefits of “organic” sleeping. Esp. because they are there half the day!!!! I would love this for my little one—–and i would make use by passing it on to the never ending line of friends who would also enjoy this for their nursery.
What a great giveaway!
We are currently facing this very issue with our second on the way. Even though we co-sleep, DD is in her toddler bed until she wakes up to join us & we keep a crib to make sure the baby will have a safe place to sleep while we are downstairs. We’ve opted to purchase a 2nd hand mattress that’s had time to off-gas since the cost of a new organic is prohibitively expensive. Doing so also satisfies my re-use attitude…I’m not into plastics, but if they are out there & they’ve off-gassed it’s best to safely get as much use out of them as possible before they hit the landfill!
Hi, I would love to win this for baby #2. thanks!
Thanks for the great giveaway! It’s a start for us to go organic bedding.
i’d love to get this!
stmbled!
Ooh, beautiful mattress.
I would love to win! I am an avid reader of your blog and we cosleep with our daughter. She takes naps in her crib though, so the sheet would be great.
We are planning for our first in a few months, and after weeks of arguing over crib style, we just decided to wait and see if the baby even wants one!
My best friend is having a baby in a few months and thinking of going green. I’ll tell her about this giveaway, she’ll be psyched! I’m going to get her cookbook on cooking green for your children that I found here:
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/ld/a/green_cooking_with_kids.html
Green living is important, and not that hard to do
Excellent ideas!
would love the organic sheet !!!
Thanks for your great info.
I would love to win this! I love your blog I get some many great ideas!
I’m looking for a twin mattress since we have a second one on the way…why can’t they make these in the bigger sizes!! Darn it!
Thanks for all your wonderful info…I’ve learned so much and tried many new things!
Great post Tiffany! I always wonder if we should just take the plunge and buy organic mattresses even for the baby. It is a better choice. Next time we are in need of a new mattress we are going organic for sure. :)
How awesome! I’ve been doing some thinking about this also. We haven’t yet bought a crib or mattress and really haven’t thought enough about what we want to do. Our little one is due in two months, but we figure we’ll use a mini co-sleeper that family is lending us for at least a few months and we have some time to decide. It’s all so overwhelming!
Thanks for the giveaway
I just bought a reg Mattress because some of the chemicals are placed there to protect the baby from harm. I’d rather use the money saved for going green in other ways. I think you’re getting organic crib sheets was a good idea.
I love this company!
I wish I had gone organic as well, and I know I will next time. I am actually bookmarking this page so when I do get pregnant I can find this company, thanks for always having a great well researched answer. And my daughter really needs a crib sheet her last one got torn and had to be thrown out, she currently has a flat top sheet wrapped around her mattress. Thanks again
Would love this set! Thanks!
All for it!
This mattress looks fabulous!
I’d love to win. we just found out we’re pregnant and are terrified of all the bad chemicals out there.
I’m pregnant with my first and would love this for her crib!
Great review. Trying to find a mattress for our crib after our basement flooded and ruined the old one. Paralyzed by choices.
wow, that Coco mat is really neat-I have a little grandson coming and of course I am concerned about all the harmful chemicals companies are using today. Thanks for your tips about how to protect baby if using a regular crib mattress-I will be sure to stock up on wool blankets and organic crib sheets!
great giveaway!
I haven’t even heard of organic mattresses! Worth the money if you have a few kids and get a lot of use out of it!
I am SO excited about this giveaway! Thanks!
I bought a merino wool matress pad from http://www.snugglewool.com/shop/index.php and my kids couldn’t have slept better, or been happier sleeping on it.
Considering the costs of organic mattress pads…this was a worthwhile expense!
We got a crib mattress, immediately followed by a queen-sized one (to eliminate co-sleep guilt), from Lifekind two years ago and have been very please with both!
I love these mattresses! They are awesome
Thank you for the links! I am definetly going to check those out!
The winner is comment #55… TheGreenerMe
Hi Tiffany!
I just wanted to check in to make sure you received my address. So excited I won! Thank you!!!
What kind of material did you use to make the wool mattress cover? Just elastic? Also should I be concerned about the chemicals used to manufacture the wool blankets? I looked at the prices of wool mattress covers out there and they are pretty high for a family that is on a budget. Making my own seems more economical.