Tell me about your mattress...

[lovesoup]

So, we are under contract on a new house (new to us). If all goes well we'll close on November 2nd. In the meantime we're doing a lot of thinking about what sort of furniture and other things we absolutely need and what we can wait on.

One thing my partner *really* wants to make a priority is a new mattress/bed. Right now we're sleeping on a 30 yr old king-size mattress (actually two twins strapped together) and frame that we inherited from my grandmother.

I have done a bit of reading and feel that an organic mattress is probably the way to go, especially since the baby will likely be co-sleeping at least part of the time. My partner is skeptical about whether it is worth the cost, especially given we will be using a waterproof mattress cover which ought to prevent most off-gassing.

Organic mattresses are REALLY expensive, but I just can't seem to find information out there that makes me feel 100% certain they are, or are not, worthwhile. I read this post (http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/0...for-a-new-bed/), and found it convincing on the merits of going organic, but I'm wondering what you guys sleep on and whether you have any thoughts?

(By the way, we don't have an IKEA anywhere nearer than an 8-hr drive, so sadly that is not an option for us )

[WifeofAnt]

I don't even know what brand mine is but its a queen size memory foam pillow top. Exactly what the point of the memory foam is with the pillow top I'm not sure but its the most comfortable bed I've ever had. I'm still nervous that its too soft for the baby though. I grew up with one and know I could adjust but DH won't sleep on a firm mattress.

[lillymonster]

I have a sleep number bed. I am sure it's horrible, environmentally, but it's the best bed I have ever had.

[Qbear'smama]

We just ordered a new mattress and it's not organic, I think we'll have the same deal with using a mattress cover, but honestly I didnt even think of the organic aspect, I have not looked into that issue much... I just wanted something that was not so terribly uncomfortable and the squeaky boxspring was driving us all to distraction! We'll definitely be co-sleeping with DD and the baby.

[ema-adama]

I am not comfortable with the VOC's in mattresses. We could not afford an organic mattress, and settled for a cotton futon. I did look into latex mattresses, but both DH and I prefer a very firm mattress, so futon suits us.

We did also invest in organic bedding and a woolen duvet.

I am making a woolen mattress for the baby to put in our bed. I really wanted to get hold of buckwheat husks to make a baby mattress and pillows for us, but so far I have not had much luck. There is someone on Etsy who makes them, but shipping makes it ridiculously expensive.

[Qbear'smama]

I started looking at the issue of off-gassing, since apparently it's worst with a new mattress, like the one showing up at my house on the weekend. Luckily I won't be there so at least it will have time to dissipate for a few days before we use it...and a barrier of some kind apparently helps, at least I'll know when the time comes to buy DD a new mattress, which is soon...

[littlebearsmama]

My mattress is an organic natural latex from Lifekind in California. They have amazing sales pretty often. I love that I don't even have to think about all of the chemicals and flame retardants spreading out into our home. It's been extremely comfortable and it's firm enough to cosleep on, in my opinion. I know that organic mattresses are expensive, but because I'm not willing to comprimise on my family's health, I saved up for it.

[quantumleap]

I'm really uncomfortable with the off-gassing also. We can't/couldn't afford an organic mattress either, but I did a bucket load of research, and Ikea (at least in Canada!) doesn't have flame retardants in their mattresses. They DO ship their mattresses, which adds to the cost, but they aren't that expensive to begin with so even when ou factor in shipping it's still not an obscene amount of money. I did choose to spend the bulk of our bedding budget on a bunch of stuff from Shepherd's Dream. We got a wool mattress cover, organic cotton sheets and some wool pillows from them. I have since converted my entire family. They're divine. We also have a nice big wool puddle pad, which I lanolized, and which goes under me/baby (we co-sleep and breastmilk is alarmingly staining! Who knew).
If you have only a limited, set amount of money to spend, I'd spend most of it on a high quality wool mattress pad. Comfy AND it puts a good layer between you and any nasties.

[To-Fu]

Moving to The Family Bed.

[treeoflife3]

I'm sleeping on a king size Naturaworld mattress. This one http://naturaworld.com/mattress-haven

I found it on craigslist actually which totally blew my mind. The person selling it was fortunate to get it for free but she and her husband didn't like it so they sold it to me basically unused for 500 dollars which is even more baffling considering it sells for 4k online. It has the date it was made on the tag though so even if they DID use it more than they claimed, it was only for two months and the mattress looks great.

I won't go back to traditional mattresses anymore. It is SO comfy and I don't wake up sore or stiff and I'm not worried about breathing in weird things. I wouldn't have gotten one though if not for finding such an awesome deal on craigslist. You should definitely check out places like that to see if you can find a good discount.

[nola79]

We have a tempurpedic (sp) and we love it. It is so comfortable, and has a lifetime warranty. My favorite feature is that I can be sleeping, and DH can move around on his side, and I'll never feel it. I don't think it is organic, but for comfort, it is awesome.

[colsxjack]

We have a natural latex mattress. It is not completely organic, as the cotton cover is not organic, but it doesn't have flame retardants and other VOC's.
And a mattress will take more than a few days to off gas. They off gas for years. The way we dealt with the cost was to think of it as an investment. A good mattress will last about 20 or so years. If you spend $1000-$1500 on a good mattress it is only $50-$75 per year on a great sleep that is healthy for you and your children. Reducing the risk of cancers and asthma, etc.

I spend more than $50 per year on lousy entertainment. Why not on something great for my back and healthy for my kids?

[thebigfam]

Big Daddy and I just got a Tempurpedic Cloud SUpreme. We LOVE it!!! I have had an original tempurpedic for 7 years and I cannot believe how much I love both of them and especially the cloud. DD has slept in the original tempurpedic since the day she was born and now that is her bed... yes my 3 year old has a queen size bed. I will probably never buy a non tempurpedic bed again. I love them that much. they do take a bit to off gas but they are the best nights sleep ever! I also got the new one on craigslist so it was already done off gassing. It was practically brand new! just none of the gasses.

[mahiisland]

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago! Could not afford organic but did not want a petrochemical based foam one or similar. I found this company who makes latex:
http://www.sleepez.com/
and ordered a bed through them. It was fantastic!!! The bed is affordable and natural. I chose a mid range mattress. You can chose the layers, so we had the top 1.5 inch layer of soft to give it that pillow feel, and then 3" medium and 3" hard below it. I like a really firm bed so that was a bit soft, so we swapped the med and the firm layer and that was really good then. If I ordered again I would order from bottom to top - extra firm, firm with the soft thin top layer. It was a divine bed. I had lots of back pain before from a soft mattress and this fixed it. Then I moved countries and my friend who was in love with it begged to buy it. She is another natural nut with a natural budget. Just check that there are no fire retardants, I remember being told that some new law was coming in, but someone else said you could get around it with a doctor's cert and they would not put them in when they made your bed. Anyway, shop around, this was some years ago, but I searched everywhere and did lots of research and this was the best then.

You buy the bed in a "kit" you choose the parts and put it together yourself (cheaper shipping too!) Anyway, I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you don''t like it, you can ship back one layer and change it for just the shipping cost I think. Family business, US made. Message me if you need more info. Happy shopping!