Thursday, April 30, 2009

Organic Crib Mattresses: Organic Cotton Or Wool/Cotton Blend?

The search for an ideal organic crib mattress will lead mothers to a variety of options. In particular, it is important to look at all of the features of the mattress. Ensure it is truly organic, not comprised of "mostly" or "nearly" all organic products. There is a great deal of options available and this allows a mother to be to have plenty of choices to consider for their child. In particular, you may wish to consider organic cotton and the wool/cotton blends that are on the market. Both are good choices when compared to regular crib mattresses for children.

The Naturepedic, No-Compromise Classic is an example of a quality organic cotton mattress for your child's crib or toddler bed. As the company points out, the average baby will spend up to 70 percent of their early life sleeping on this mattress: it matters that it is organic. This particular model offers a pure, organic cotton filling. There are no chemicals used within the cotton from the start. Of course, another benefit to using cotton is that it is a renewable resource and therefore its use does not, in any way, hurt planet Earth. These organic cotton mattresses are never bleached, dyed and do not contain any type of pesticides, chemical fertilizers or herbicides in them, which some regular mattresses do.

The design of the No-Compromise Classic is excellent. It gives a nice, firm support with 150 coil design. It does contain the orthopedic innerspring which makes it ideal for supporting the child but still comfortable. In addition, there is a dust mite barrier here as a cover, which is excellent in terms of protecting the child. The critters just cannot get in!

Another option to consider is the Pegasus crib mattresses. This manufacturer does an excellent job of creating an affordable yet well-designed crib mattress. This is the type of mattress you are likely to pass from one child to the next because of its well built design. It too is all organic. It contains no chemicals or pesticides in its construction. This particular mattress does offer a bit more strength and support than the No-Compromise Classic, because it features 210 elliptical coils. It is a basic innerspring design, as there are others that are a bit more expensive and offer a bit of a higher quality.

To keep the Pegasus safe, one of the nice features of this mattress is the addition of wool. Like the No-Compromise Classic, it does contain a nice, organic cotton batting, but it also contains the added wool. Wool is a natural fire retardant. Standard mattresses contain chemical protection like this because they aid in providing your child with a flame resistant quality, protecting the child longer for help to arrive in a fire. There are no synthetic fibers in this mattress either.

When it comes to selecting one of these, the wool addition is the main factor. Wool is a quality addition because of its ability to be fire retardant but it is not always an option for all children. Some children are allergic to the wool (or latex) models and therefore should be carefully considered before being placed in these cribs. If you are unsure if they are allergic, ask your pediatrician about this risk before investing in mattresses using wool in them.

For the most part, both the No-Compromise Classic and the Pegasus crib mattresses will aid in protecting your child and providing him or her a comfortable and safe place to sleep. Searching for organic crib mattresses is an easy solution when you have quality manufacturers like these providing the best products possible.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Organic Crib Mattresses: Natural Rubber or Innerspring?

Purchasing organic crib mattresses makes sense. Placing anything but organic quality products next to a baby's skin is not advisable. When considering the options for organic mattresses, two main types come up. Natural rubber and innerspring organic mattresses seem to be the most common products and both have advantages to them. When purchasing one or the other, it is important to consider the benefits of each.


Organic Innerspring Crib Mattress

One of the most common organic mattress options is the Innerspring. Which are usually made with organic cotton and wool, making it soft but supportive. It is important to note that this mattress is not sealed to prevent it from catching on fire in the way that other mattresses are. Chemicals are used in that process, in regular crib mattresses, and this is a big concern for any parent, or it should be. When those chemicals are placed on the mattress's batting, they are able to escape through the mattress's cover and are absorbed into the child's pores. Children often develop rashes or even worse, allergic reactions to these chemicals. Luckily, organic innerspring does not offer this chemical addition.

There are several important things to note about innerspring organic crib mattresses. First, these mattresses are made with elliptical coils, in different amounts depending on the manufacturer. This gives the support a growing child's body needs and is an advantage to the child's development. These coils are then wrapped in quality, certified organic cotton. The entire thing is then wrapped in organic wool. The question is, why wool? Organic innerspring mattresses are fire resistant because the wool is naturally fire resistant. Finally, these mattresses have a covering of organic cotton over the top for comfort.


Natural Rubber Crib Mattresses

Another option for parents to consider is the natural rubber crib mattresses. In effect, they have a similar design to the innerspring but this crib mattress uses all natural rubber in the form of latex at the core. The biggest concern here is allergies to that latex, which some children may have. Nevertheless, the quality design is important and, like innerspring crib mattresses, these durable mattresses do not contain chemicals in them. As a concerned parent, this is important.

The design of the natural rubber crib mattresses is similar to that of the innerspring. The core, though, is different. The core is made of natural rubber. There are no synthetic products found here (if you purchase a high quality product, of course.) This rubber is ideal for strength reasons. The design is supportive to children up to six years of age. Then, wrapped around the core is a thick layer of all organic wool. As stated earlier, this gives the mattress the natural fire retardant it needs to safeguard a child during a fire. Wrapped around this is 100% certified organic cotton fabric and it is then quilted.


Comparing Options

As you can see, there are several advantages to using these mattresses over others. Regular mattresses can allow horrible chemicals to seep into a child's skin and you would never know it. You may notice the rash or the development of allergies, but most mothers will not connect this to the mattress the child sleeps on all night long.

When comparing the differences in organic innerspring crib mattresses and natural rubber crib mattresses, either option is a good choice. Both options are far better than investing in regular mattresses. Both offer an all organic makeup, though the innerspring does have coils within it. You will also find them both to be soft to the touch and yet ideally supportive to a child. When it comes to selecting a mattress for your child, never purchase anything other than all organic crib mattresses.