Yesterday we received our Naturpedic crib mattress for our little newbie that will be here in a few short weeks. Her older sister, however, was very excited to jump on it and test it out for her when we opened it up in our living room. Right away, I was impressed with the firmness and stability of the mattress and that there was no chemical smell when taken out of the package. Naturepedic mattresses are made with organic cotton, and unlike conventional mattresses, they are free of all the harmful chemicals that your baby would be exposed to if sleeping on a traditional mattress. Traditional mattresses are filled with polyurethane foam, which contains Volatile Organic Gases (VOC's) and then covered in Poly brominated diphenyl ether (PBDE's) to add flame resistance. With all the off gassing of these chemicals, we felt that we wanted to take the safest route and invest in an organic mattress for our baby. Thankfully, Lily's little head has been on Olivia's very nice organic mattress since day one. Her daddy, Chris, was very good about teaching us about the dangers of off gassing and VOC's before she was born. So we did not hesitate when looking into purchasing an organic mattress for our new little baby. When I say invest, I mean that these are a little more expensive than your traditional mattress, but we felt that it was definitely worth it. There are myriad companies out there that sell organic mattresses, but Naturepedic seems to be the one "green" organizations most recognize.
In addition to the environmental upside of an organic mattress, there are distinct safety benefits. Some evidence exists that the chemicals in traditional mattresses are linked to SIDS and many other illnesses. Natural Parenting has a very thorough and intriguing article about the link to SIDS and the toxins that are off gassed by traditional crib mattresses. One of the most interesting parts of the article is about mattress wrapping that is being done in New Zealand. Mattress wrapping is simply wrapping your existing crib mattress in a particular way with an impermeable plastic cover in order to minimize the toxic fumes that your baby comes in contact with. As a result of a large scale campaign aimed at educating New Zealanders about SIDS and mattress wrapping, the country's SIDS rate has dropped to one of the lowest in the world, and there has NEVER been a single reported SIDS case on a properly wrapped mattress.
So no need to fret if you already have a regular mattress. You can purchase a BabySafe Crib Mattress cover online for around $30.00. Just be sure to follow their proper crib wrapping instructions found at http://www.babysake.com/Howtowrap.htm.
All new pieces of furniture (non-organic) off gas a little. So when getting ready for your new baby, make sure you keep new furniture outside for a few weeks and/or months if possible in your garage or keep it in a well ventilated room. This includes a non-organic mattress. Follow your nose. If it has a chemical or "new" smell when it arrives at your house, it probably should stay away from you and your baby.
