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Natural Mattresses and all bedding PLEASE HELP!

post #1 of 20
Thread Starter 
I would like to purchase all natural mattresses and bedding for my 2 (and 1 on the way!) children and would like to know of any suggestions of what you would all recommend.

I actually have been researching it for almost 2 years and still have not pulled the trigger.... I have been overwhelmed with all the research and I don't know which companies are really "for real" and reputable, etc...

Anyway, for Christmas we are definitely getting the kids beds, mattresses and bedding.

Money is no an issue (in moderation...) and I just would like to get them something that I know is durable will last for years to come and is as natural and pure for them to sleep on for half of their lives.


I am looking for
2 mattresses
(I haven't decided what the baby will sleep on yet, a crib mattress or if I am getting a hammock?),
2 comforters,
4 pillows,
2 sets of sheets for each child
4 wool puddle pads
2 wool or organic cotton blanket to go under a duvet with comforter for moderate cool nights
any thing else you think I would need??

I am getting their beds made from local woodworker, we are soooo excited!

Please help me!!! I only have until Christmas to get this all in order and they are definitely growing out of their toddler beds. All of the ladies on here are so knowledgeable and wonderful to help!!

TIA

Blessings,
Jennifer
post #2 of 20
I think I just posted a reply to you in another thread about fabric... since you're hoping to be able to do some sewing, maybe some of these projects would be some things you could tackle yourself instead of buying ready-made? Pillow cases would be super-duper easy, as would sheets, if you could find fabric wide enough (or you could piece it, if need-be). Maybe instead of buying a comforter, you could sew a simple quilt? Just a thought. I'm sure you don't have much time on your hands with 2 little ones and a 3rd on the way, but if you're ambitious to sew anyway, it might be fun to tackle one or two of these things! A made-by-mama quilt would be a lovely Christmas gift to go on those beautiful new beds.
post #3 of 20
I bought my kids' beds through Organic Grace (which is owned by an MDC mama). IMO, you can't go wrong with them. We have mattresses, pillows and sheets and I've been very happy with the quality of everything.
post #4 of 20
Sherpherds Dream

This is a great company for everything you listed. I personally have ordered many items from this company. I also met some of the women who run it. That was when I was raising cashmere goats and I went to a wool festival. I recommend this company whenever people talk about bedding. When treated probably these are also heirloom pieces which will last beyond your life.
post #5 of 20
We have a Savvy Rest organic latex bed for us and both of our kids. We have had them for three years and they are amazing. We loved our beds so much that after a while my husband decided to become a reseller. So you can pm me if you want more info. We have been to the Savvy Rest headquarters, met all the employees and owner and toured the factory too.

All our bedding is from Holy Lamb Organics. Our pillows and comforters are organic wool. I love my bed so much.
post #6 of 20
Thread Starter 
These are all great suggestions!! Please keep them coming!! I def. think I am going to call organic grace to ask additional questions, she seems really knowledgeable about the mattress industry.

Also shepherd's dream looks wonderful..... I feel like when I look at their mattresses I just want to lie down and cuddle right in! Amazing! and they absolutely look luxurious!!

Has anyone had any experience with

white lotus
http://www.whitelotus.net/

Savvy
http://www.savvyrest.com/index.php

technology bedding (I have no idea about this one, it is suppose to be a spin off of a temper pedic made by a doctor and he said he would give a prescription for it??)
http://www.technologybedding.com/comparisons.asp

green island
http://www.gogreenisland.com/index.php?cPath=1_5_6_54

naturepedic (I heard they were not the best they still are wrapped in poly)
http://naturepedic.com/productsBaby.php

pure rest
http://www.purerest.com/Mattresses

organic and healthy mattresses (they choose to sell pure rest mattresses)
http://www.organicandhealthy.com/latex-mattresses.html

prescription beds (this is interesting and looks like the same spin off as technology bed, the same bed and pictures... Anyway it does have some useful information about the new laws that were implemented in the last 3/4 years and how even organic/wool mattresses can be treated)
http://www.prescriptionbeds.com/

some useful info from a doc who researched SIDS and recommended a clear polythene to wrap any mattress, not that I would want my children or baby sleeping on this as well as myself, it does seem better than the alternative of sleeping directly on a new toxic mattress. I know I also saw euro wraps not on this site but on others that you can wrap a mattress.
http://www.babysake.com/index.htm#Wh..._should_know:_


also shepherd's dream as mentioned above for mattresses.
http://www.shepherdsdream.com/


Anyway, like I had said before I have been researching mattresses for over 2 years and the above is just some of the sites I have visited out of thousands.... (literally) but the summary or conclusion that I came up with is as follows:
I really like to get a mattress that would require a prescription b/c I know as of July of 2006 it is a national law that all mattresses have a high level of flame tolerance. I think it had to pass a fire test that was with a fire proof cover that could withstand a two foot wide blow torch flame for 70 seconds or more. They doing this by using boric acid which is roach killer. There are many other chemicals in the mattresses besides boric acid are FORMALDEHYDE, ANTIMONY and DECABROMODIPHENYL OXIDE to list a few and many, many more....

What is also interesting is many countries and other research in other countries support that they have a decrease incidence of SIDS or hardly or almost non existent incidence of SIDS b/c the babies sleep on mattresses that do not contain chemicals/flame retardants.

Other research claims that the only reason the back to sleep advocacy was instated in the US was to keep the baby in the farthest position away from the mattress to decrease the incidence of SIDS from the toxic chemicals b/c if their heads are upright~ away from the mattresses that decreases their level of exposure as compared to a side sleeping infant or a stomach facing infant breathing in all the chemicals... And babies especially are vulnerable to these toxicities.....

There is also evidence in research that new beds as well as older beds (in the dust particles) can be stored and leached in mother's breast milk and the toxins can be easily passed to the infant.... ugg...

Anyway, when I was referring that I concluded that I would probably get a prescription bed I did not mean from technology bedding or prescription bedding. Those two places mentioned above, I really cannot say I trust.... I meant places like white lotus, and I think there is one other website above that have organic and wool mattresses but you need a doctors prescription to get them NOT CHEMICALLY TREATED. They list it as organic cotton mattress no flame retardant RX needed. Here is the one one white lotus
http://www.whitelotus.net/organic-cotton-mattress-rx/

This is what made sense to me about why a person would need to get a prescription to get a mattress that was not treated:

Under the national law in July 2006, aLL mattresses must abide by the strict flame proof laws. This includes organic mattresses, wool mattresses and latex as well as every other mattress sold. In reality, all these mattresses need to contain flame retardant chemicals to pass the law at high flame for 70 seconds, even though the many manufacturers won’t admit it..... It’s a law, they have to abide by this law. They may say they use ‘naturally flame resistant fibers’ but there is no such thing. These fibers, such as wool and cotton, are treated with harsh chemicals to make them flame proof in the manufacturing process and then used in the mattress (so that is how they get around calling them "organic" b/c they did not add the chemicals in the mattress, it was done before..... Please refer to the document on our website, “The problem with organic mattresses” for more on this issue bellow:

Here is one of the websites that gave a great explanation about the process of treatment and how "organic" sites can get around calling their product natural b/c they didn't add the fame retardants they were manufactured that way and they added them in their mattress before production therefore having the ability to "discard" that they are there
http://www.safecribbeds.com/problemorganic.asp




******My question is how can ANY manufacturer get "around" a national law for fire proofing...... Now, if there was something that could over ride then it would make sense that it would be a person who was sensitive or allergic of these things... a person who needs a prescription for a chemical free mattress then that manufacturer can make it chemical free and get around the law. Otherwise all manufacturers must abide by the law right???????

Ok is this logic or am I off here?? I don't want to spend tons of $$ on a mattress that has chemicals in it anyway that is "organic or wool or latex"

Please I would love to be wrong but I cannot unwrap myself around this logic.

Please explain to me that I am wrong!! Honestly, this is why I stopped researching b/c I was literally driving myself crazy!!!

Please any thought?? What do you guys think?

HELP!
post #7 of 20
we went with The Organic Mattress Store and were *very* happy with our mattress.
post #8 of 20
Wool meets federal fire proof standards naturally. Anything "organic" does not unless it is 100 percent organic wool or, as you said, prescription.

Anyway, wool is safe and that is why I advocate it's use so much.

If you look at the white lotus website they offer 1 100 percent wool mattress and mention it is chemical free naturally. link The other mattresses they carry are part wool and therefore would not meet flame resistant tests due to the cotton or other materials.

I hope that helps and I'm not confusing you more.
post #9 of 20
Wool is naturally "fire proof". We got our wool pillows from Shepherd's Dream and wool crib mattress and puddle pads from Dax Stores online. Dax has good prices.
post #10 of 20
Thread Starter 
Thank you! That does make sense with the wool...

But here are some more questions that I am confused about:
If wool is naturally flame resistant and I think I also researched that if it is 100% wool it is also dust mite resistant, but how does a consumer know it is not manufactured chemically before used in the bed??

Also, what about latex, is that naturally fire proof or do they have to treat that???

And what is considered the best mattresses for durability and purity is it 100% organic cotton with a prescription, wool, wool with cotton or latex, latex with pillow top?

And lastly, How long has everyone had their mattresses and do they feel as though they are holding up for the money?


I do appreciate all the insight and esp. when someone has mattress/bedding from a place that they love that is a wonderful testimony that it is nontoxic. It is great to know how a mattress is when a person finally gets it home, uses it for a while to see how it holds up.

After all this research and since it is such a huge investment, I just want to make the right choice in especially choosing a mattress and bedding especially since we all spend half our lives there!!!
post #11 of 20
You have received soooo many wonderful suggestions!

Here is where we bought our beds. Fantastic company and they make your bed especially for you! We went and picked it up, it was like a huge burrito in our car! Absolutely love it.

http://www.soaringheart.com
post #12 of 20
You don't need a prescription for the Savvy Rest latex beds.
post #13 of 20
I can't speak about latex since I haven't researched latex. I also can't speak about durability for anything but wool.

As far as how do you know it hasn't been chemically treated before it reaches the manufacturer? At some point you have to TRUST. Again, I've met two of the Shepherds Dream people. The sheep are raised near them and they control the process themselves from sheep to wool. I have a high level of TRUST for this company. Call them and talk to them (or who ever you buy from). Seriously. If you that concerned then you should have an open conversation with the people. If they aren't willing to help - they aren't trustworthy.

I my wool mattress. I equally my childrens when I end up in their bed. At 2 years old they are just getting broken in. They do have to be flipped. Just fyi. I also have a washable wool topper for them. When treated probably the wool mattress will outlive you.
post #14 of 20
We've had a couple of matresses from organicgrace.com and been really pleased with them. I looked everywhere.... At the very least, the website is helpful and so are phone calls. They'll talk to you in a knowledgeble way about how their products compare to others and what it all really means. (Also, I am pretty sure it is owned by an MDC mama who does not shill on the mothering.com )

We really debated whether we wanted a waterproof cover on the crib matress (seriously, the most expensive naps in the world because the baby co-sleeps with me at night lol) and finally choose one without. It hasn't been a problem. We bought a good quality wool/cotton matress cover and layer it without thick cotton waterresistant mats. No problems. Also, as long as they are gently used, you can sell it at a premium on Craiglist.

Toys R Us sells 100% thick "felted" cotton water resistant mats that work really well in a huge size. Much less expensive than wool and can extend what you have.
post #15 of 20
We got our chemical free mattresses from White Lotus as well as custom sized cushions for our couch. They were wonderful to deal with and I love the fact that they actually make them right there in their workshop. The owner actually delivered our mattresses to my house (we're a few hours from their shop) and I couldn't be more pleased with them.

As far as puddle pads, I found it more affordable to felt a wool blanket and put that under the sheets. It works great.
post #16 of 20
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by njsummer01 View Post
We got our chemical free mattresses from White Lotus as well as custom sized cushions for our couch. They were wonderful to deal with and I love the fact that they actually make them right there in their workshop. The owner actually delivered our mattresses to my house (we're a few hours from their shop) and I couldn't be more pleased with them.

As far as puddle pads, I found it more affordable to felt a wool blanket and put that under the sheets. It works great.
What mattress did you purchase? I talked to white lotus and they seemed wonderful! How long have you had it and how do you feel it is holding up nicely??
post #17 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbailey313 View Post
What mattress did you purchase? I talked to white lotus and they seemed wonderful! How long have you had it and how do you feel it is holding up nicely??
Sorry the model name is escaping me. We've had them about two years now and they are in great shape, still comfortable and no problems for us. I'm really happy with our purchase.
post #18 of 20
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by njsummer01 View Post
Sorry the model name is escaping me. We've had them about two years now and they are in great shape, still comfortable and no problems for us. I'm really happy with our purchase.
Is it all wool, wool/cotton, 100% cotton or latex? Thank you so much it is so helpful to find out how the mattresses are holding up and what kinds work best
post #19 of 20
sorry to pull this up a bit... but am I reading this right? is it possible my latex/cotton/wool mattresses still mgiht have chemicals and stuff in them???
post #20 of 20
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by treeoflife3 View Post
sorry to pull this up a bit... but am I reading this right? is it possible my latex/cotton/wool mattresses still mgiht have chemicals and stuff in them???
This is my understanding...
That the wool and latex have natural flammability so when combined with cotton it still meets the laws passed in July 2006. BUT..... some resources still say that some wool might still be treated with flammability chemicals before used in a mattress to meet the requirements. I am not sure about latex??? A 100percent cotton or organic cotton bed you need a prescription from a doctor to get it without treated chemicals.

I talked to white lotus a year ago and they said that they wool is pure, they do not treat at any time even before with chemicals. I am sure other rep. companies are the same. As for all who knows.... I am sure some are getting away with putting chemicals in there and saying it is pure. Look at our food "all natural" with dyes, gmo's etc... ugg... it is all a trust issue I guess and really researching the mattress company and info before purchase.

What does everyone else think?
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