Memory Foam Mattress

[SashaBreeze]

We just found out that I am pregnant.
Here is the catch. I have a lot of back pain (I have DDD breast so it comes with the territory) and it gets worse throughout pregnancy. Also I dislocated my hip joint when I was younger so for the last month or so of pregnancy my hips hurt like crazy. I have really been thinking about getting a memory foam mattress because so many people I know says it really helps with back pain but...
Is that kind of mattress a HUGE no-no when co-sleeping? Especially with a newborn? I was at the store the other day looking at them and thought "hmmm, I don't think a small child would be safe sleeping on this." Our 18month old also sleeps with us sometimes but often chooses to crawl into bed with her 13yod sister.
Anyone got info on this? Even if I could use it now I wouldn't want to get use to it and then have to switch back to a regular mattress after the baby is born. kwim?

[Beauchamp]

We have one from Denver Mattress that is really comfy. We started cosleeping in it around 6 months when her sleep went all wonky. It's super comfy (I have at least two degenerated discs at L4/L5, L5/S1, and some other back/shoulder issues as well.) Why it's great for cosleeping is that you can move around and others in the bed don't feel the movement as much as a regular mattress.

I contacted Denver Mattress about the chemicals/flame retardants and here is the response I received:

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


All said and done, though, I didn't know about latex mattresses when we bought our memory foam, so I would also advise you to look into those, since they are natural, I believe.

Hmm...I just realized I think you were asking about the softness factor, not the chemicals. Sorry! To that point, I'll add that our LO doesn't make much of a "dent" at all in the mattress. She could easily flip herself over when we started cosleeping, and I feel perfectly fine with her in the bed. We also have a down alternative mattress pad, and she actually crawls OUT of her sidecar crib to come back to our very comfy mattress. I feel it's very safe for her, and I'd never sacrifice an ounce of her safety. She can easily push up on it, i.e. she has enough "lift" to move her face/nose if she wants to, the mattress doesn't pull her down into it. I hope that makes sense!

Also, memory foams are really different in the store versus at home with sheets and mattress pad. I definitely think you sink in more when you lay on them in the store, since they don't have sheets on.

sorry so long.

[marinak1977]

We sort of ended up co-sleeping on our memory foam matress with our DS since he was born and it's been working great. I am more worried about him getting smothered by my boobs (he sleeps next to my side skin-to-skin) then the mattress as he really doesn't make much of a dent by himself. It is nice that my DH getting on and off doesn't disturb DS.

[SashaBreeze]

Thank you both, that is what my back wanted to hear.

[lizvt]

We've also all slept together from day one on our tempur-pedic mattress. We have the firmest one they make and LOVE it! You settle in and it supports, but you don't get lost. The amount you sink in really depends on your weight, so like someone else mentioned my DS never really made much of a dent. The memory foam also eliminated the "hole" or dip some mattress get as they get older causing you to roll into each other, etc.
Anywho, we love it and I never felt like it was unsafe and we were very cautious with blankets, pillows, etc.

[cristeen]

I would recommend looking into natural latex mattresses. Memory foam mattresses are the most toxic mattress on the market today, according to a study done in Europe, and that's not something *I* want to sleep on, much less put a NB on.

But, natural latex mattresses are fabulous, they feel very similar to memory foam, and don't have the chemical issues, nor the overheating issues. Heck, I just got a 2 inch latex topper for my old beat-up futon that was killing my back and hips, and now I've been sleeping on that for the last 4 months or so, and I LOVE it.

[SashaBreeze]

I have a latex allergy. Wouldn't the latex still effect me even through sheets?

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by SashaBreeze

I have a latex allergy. Wouldn't the latex still effect me even through sheets?

Most people with latex allergies are reacting to synthetic latex. I have a latex allergy, but the natural latex of my mattress topper doesn't bother me at all. But I have a mattress pad under my sheets also - just in case.

[MissNo]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Most people with latex allergies are reacting to synthetic latex. I have a latex allergy, but the natural latex of my mattress topper doesn't bother me at all. But I have a mattress pad under my sheets also - just in case.

You've mentioned this study before...do you have a link to it? I'd like to take a look at it and see what it says.

[morgainesmama]

My mother has a latex allergy and reacted to the latex mattresses just from trying them. When she decided to buy, she did a test of rubbing her face over the mattress and gave it a few minutes -- nothing happened, until they were getting out their credit card to pay for it, the rash began to creep. The people at the store said a cover would have prevented it; she opted not to take the risk.

Have you read James McKenna's articles on safe cosleeping? Those may help guide your decision.

[russsk]

Originally Posted by morgainesmama

My mother has a latex allergy and reacted to the latex mattresses just from trying them. When she decided to buy, she did a test of rubbing her face over the mattress and gave it a few minutes -- nothing happened, until they were getting out their credit card to pay for it, the rash began to creep. The people at the store said a cover would have prevented it; she opted not to take the risk.

Have you read James McKenna's articles on safe cosleeping? Those may help guide your decision.

Did she rub her face on the latex itself? We just bought a latex mattress, and it's encased in a cotton and wool cover, so you are a few layers removed from the latex. I don't have a latex allergy, though, so I don't know if that is enough. If I reacted to it, I probably wouldn't risk it either.

That said, my new bed is the most wonderful thing in the world.

[morgainesmama]

It had the sheets they put on it at the store.

Funny thing is, until she told me the story, I hadn't actually realized she *had* a latex allergy.

[russsk]

Originally Posted by morgainesmama

It had the sheets they put on it at the store.

Funny thing is, until she told me the story, I hadn't actually realized she *had* a latex allergy.

So it was just sheets over latex? That seems like it would be weird to sleep on. All the mattresses we looked at were layers of latex encased in a cover, so they look just like a regular mattress.

[morgainesmama]

I have never owned or shopped for one -- I just thought it bore mentioning as pp had mentioned a latex allergy. I'm honestly not sure how the mattress was dressed exactly, as I wasn't shopping with her; whatever they had on the mattress at the store is what she used. Usually it's a sheet, I thought?

[SunnyPeach]

I came on Mothering.com to look for information about transitioning into a toddler bed. I saw this post and had to join to comment.

We were able to safely co-sleep with a memory foam mattress. However, I should warn you that memory foam is terrible during late pregnancy. Basically because you get heavier as you get pregnant, you will sink further into the mattress. At about 6 months, I would have to wake up to lift myself up and move rather than just being able to roll over. One of the great parts of the memory foam mattresses is that you get more restful sleep because you don't wiggle all night long, but when you are pregnant, being still all night is painful. A week before delivery I was able to get a standard made bed to sleep in. It was a nice pillow top. I thought I was in heaven! I could get in and out of bed so much easier.

We've had our memory foam mattress for almost 6 years now and other than what I mentioned above, I love it. It has really helped ease my back problems...well that and a good chiropractor.