Chemical-free mattress for newborn: want to buy only one for bassinet, cosleeper, moses basket,...

[sibilant]

I'm expecting my second child within the next month, and would like to have him sleep on some kind of chemical-free mattress.

Our first child slept in a variety of places in our room until he was about a year old, maybe a month or two in each place -- our bed (unfortunately uncomfortable for us), a moses basket, a stroller bassinet, a non-standardly-sized wooden cradle, some blankets on the floor between our bed and the wall, etc. He never had a proper crib, and we didn't particularly miss it. He was an excellent sleeper and didn't seem to mind being shuttled around as he outgrew each location. 

This time around, we're in the process of buying natural latex/wool mattresses for us and and for our now four-year-old (still a fabulous sleeper); of course I want the new baby to sleep on a chemical-free mattress as well. But I don't want to buy twenty-seven different organic mattresses for the moses basket (oval) the freestanding cosleeper (rectangular -- it's like a mini-crib, as it turns out!), the cradle (larger rectangle, the size of a changing table top), etc., etc., etc! I want to buy just one thing, or maybe two things tops, or maybe just a flexible wrapper than I can cover the existing chemically mattresses with. 

Any ideas??

I don't have a ton of experience with fabrics in particular -- can I just buy a large swath of nice wool to wrap anything the baby sleeps in and then cover it in cotton on? Is that really adequate protection from the crud in the mattresses? 

(Or maybe -- possibly -- this new baby will be totally different, and demand to sleep somewhere I've never thought of, like a bouncy seat. Perhaps I'm gearing up for yesterday's war.... but what else can I do?) 

[4evermom]

I'd be tempted to see if I could just buy some kind of cotton batting from the fabric store, fold it up to an appropriate thickness and put it in a pillow case for the moses basket.

[talia rose]

You could wrap the existing mattresses with polyethelene plastic to seal in toxins and then make your own mattress (we used organic cotton batting and an organic canvas outer). If you do want to buy infant mattresses, we sell them in custom sizes....

http://organicgrace.com/taxonomy/term/75

[Adaline'sMama]

Who makes your co sleeper? The Arms Reach Mini is chemical free, so if that is the one you have you might already be set there.

[talia rose]

Though there is an organic Arm's Reach option, it is not standard in an of their models. The mini is not chemical free.

[adorabelle]

We bought an organic Naturepedic 252 from diapers.com for our crib mattress.  It came really quickly and had free shipping.  DD doesn't sleep on it yet, but it looks great and got great reviews!

[sibilant]

How silly of me --- I missed these responses earlier! 

The cosleeper is some kind of Arm's Reach: a hand-me-down, so I'm not entirely sure what kind. I don't think there's anything chemical-free about it. The mattress label says 40% nylon and 40% polyurethane. 

talia rose, is polyethelene better than nylon or polyurethane? Also, the mattress is removable, so maybe I don't need wrap if I'm going to make my own... But the mattress does provide a stiff undersurface; when you take it away it's mesh and fabric with a lot of give. I don't really want to buy a custom-size mattress, especially since I really don't know where this baby will end up sleeping most of the time.  

(FWIW, we did just buy a twin mattress from Organic Grace for our older kid; it arrived yesterday and he's shocked and delighted at how spacious it is -- he's been sleeping on a tiny camping mat on top of bed slats for weeks now.) 

I think I'm leaning towards something like 4evermom's solution. What is cotton batting? Can you buy it at any fabric store? Does it come shaped in a sheet like a blanket or more like cotton balls? Could I use something like a folded up wool pad instead? 

[Ellien C]

Cotton batting can be bought at a fabric store. It's sold in sheet. It's the stuff that is inside a quilt or a comforter. I don't know if you will able to find organic cotton batting. Anything in a fabric store would be just as treated as anything else you'd find in a mattress.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by Ellien C Anything in a fabric store would be just as treated as anything else you'd find in a mattress.

Not necessarily. If a cloth is being sold for general purposes, not specifically for children's pajamas, it wouldn't have the flame retardants. I wouldn't assume that cotton batting would be treated since it might be used for a myriad of things. Even if it is, it's probably way less than an actual mattress plus the material is natural and doesn't off gas.