memory foam with mattress pad?

[Beauchamp]

We have a memory foam mattress with down alternative mattress pad, i.e. it's fairly soft. Is this *really* dangerous? DD seems to prefer our bed because she sinks down a bit more than her crib (which is side-carred at the moment) mattress which is much firmer and obviously doesn't have a cushy pad on it.

So, I know you're not supposed to co-sleep on something really soft--- but how bad is this, really? I certainly don't want to put her in danger. She's 7 1/2 months old and can push onto her hands and knees (She does this in her sleep now...funfunfun.) She also tends to roll back and forth from one side to the other when in her crib, I think because it's so firm and not "hugging" her like our bed does, and this often wakes her up because she can't get comfy. (I think.)

NCSS says no lambskins, but I was thinking putting something cushier in her crib (under her sheet) might help give her that "hug". Thoughts?

[ZippyGirl]

We used to sleep on a Tempurpedic mattress, and I co-slept with my baby on it. I wasn't worried about her sinking down at all, but what really concerned me were the PBDEs and other chemicals in the Tempurpedic mattress. We ultimately got rid of it.

I think when you referred to "dangerous", you must have really mean the sinking down issue, but at first read, I immediately thought of the chemical issue. So to answer your question, I wouldn't worry about the sinking down, especially given her age. I would just add a dust cover to encapsulate the mattress so no dust carrying flame retardants gets out of the mattress. I did use a lambskin on our mattress for my daughter to sleep on without any problems -- it offered a nice, natural sleeping surface for her too.

[momtokainoa]

We've had a Tempurpedic for a long time now and we co-sleep with both our kids from birth and all is well. We use an airtight mattress protector just in case, but I've researched PBDE's and found that Tempurpedics do not contain any. Here is a letter a woman received directly from Tempurpedic:

Dear Ms. Drechsler,

Thank you for your interest in Tempur-Pedic® products.

While Tempur-Pedic® product formulas are a trade secret; I can assure you that our products adhere to all local, state and federal health requirements.

Tempur-Pedic products do not contain PBDE (Polybrominated diphenylethers) chemicals or any other chemicals that are harmful to consumers. Our products meet fire safety requirements without using PDBE chemicals. TEMPUR® material is, “open celled” and polyurethane-based. It is not latex or conventional foam. Our products are also CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) and formaldehyde free.

Our products have been on the market for over 15 years and have been shown not only that they provide the best sleep surface, but have also been proven to be completely safe. They are sold in more than 50 counties around the world, which means they have been approved by governments in each individual country. In the US , our products conform to all state and federal regulations. While we can't discuss how we make our proprietary products, we can assure you that they are completely safe."

We've had absolutely no issues with it being too soft, but then again we don't use a mattress pad of any kind.

[Beauchamp]

Well, yes, I meant dangerous from a semi-fluffy mattress pad perspective. But yes, I also am concerned about the chemical aspect, as well. Though if I told DH I wanted to get a new mattress he'd probably croak, since we have only had this one for two years and it was somewhat pricey. I emailed the company (Denver Mattress) and this is the (somewhat odd) reply:

Unless you are a chemical engineer the makeup of memory foam or Visco can be more confusing than helpful. It is confusing to me but this is the best way I can describe the process with the help of my manufacturing manager. Memory foam or Visco foam is a blend of soy polyols, polyols & MDI or TDI & water. If you have sat on a sofa, a car seat, dining room chair with cushion or air plane then you have sat on Polyurethane. Visco/memory foam is a slow recovery Polyurethane.

It is true that the memory foam we use does NOT have any fire resistant chemicals in or on it nor does any of our other mattresses. There is no need to put money into flame resistant/retardant foam or any of our cushioning materials because we use an inherent fire retardant fiber that encases the bed. This encasement chars when the flame (blowtorch) hits it and does not allowing oxygen into the mattress. All of our mattresses have passed burn tests set forth by the US Government.

I hope this answers your questions.

Thank you,
Ethan Wilemon, DSM
DMC
D-6