When buying a kids mattress, parents usually think about price and comfort while overlooking the most important aspect - whether the mattress is non-toxic. Toxicity is a critical factor to consider. A typical mattress is full of chemicals and can off-gas to expose your kids to harmful toxins.
Kids spend from 8-10 hours a day on a mattress, more than a third of their lives. During this time they are in close, direct contact with the mattress materials and they breathe and absorb whatever is in these materials throughout the night. Kids' reproductive, neurological, immune, and respiratory systems, as well as their livers are still developing. This makes them more vulnerable to toxic chemicals, since it's difficult for them to detoxify and excrete these toxins. Low level chemical exposure during the critical period of brain development can cause more harm than high doses later in life. While sleeping, our children's bodies need to recover from the stress of the day and regenerate, not breathe and absorb toxic chemicals.
How Toxic is A Typical Kids Mattress?
Most mattress materials contain synthetic compounds, and polyurethane foam is the most common. It is made from petroleum with toxic chemical additives. According to manufacturer material safety data sheets, potential health effects can include cardiac arrhythmias, breathlessness, chest discomfort, irritation of mucous membranes, headache, coughing, asthma-like allergic reaction, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, nausea, blurred vision, and reduced pulmonary function. Memory foam mattresses contain even more potentially harmful chemicals.
Mattress manufacturers are required to meet federal flammability regulations so they add fire retardant chemicals that can be very toxic. Some of these chemicals have recently been banned, but have been replaced with chemicals that can be just as toxic. Since the chemicals never completely dissipate, older mattresses continue to off-gas even though they no longer contain the chemical smell.
What Alternatives are Available?
The good news is that mattresses made with natural organic materials are now available. Many can also meet or exceed flammability regulations with safe, non-toxic ingredients. Here are some guidelines in choosing a safe mattress for kids:
Choose an Organic Mattress with Safe, Natural Materials
100% organic cotton is the safest, most non-toxic mattress material available. Cotton is also firm and breathable and provides a comfortable sleeping surface. Natural latex can also be a safe material, depending on how it's made. Latex comes from sap of the rubber tree plant. Try to find all natural latex and stay away from chemical/natural latex blends.
Some mattresses are being marketed as green, eco-friendly, or plant-based with descriptions such as Eco Foam, Bio Foam, or Soy Foam. What most of these manufacturers do is replace a very small percentage of the polyurethane foam with plant-based ingredients. For instance, soy foam is usually polyurethane foam with 12-17% genetically-engineered soybean oil mixed in. These mattresses are mostly polyurethane foam, which is unsafe and highly flammable, so they also need fire retardant chemicals to comply with the flammability laws. Don't be fooled by this green-washing. You're still getting a load of toxic chemicals and off-gassing with many of these so-called eco mattresses.
It's important to check into all materials used, and it can be difficult to get full disclosure from the retailers or the manufacturer. Look for organic mattress and bedding companies who have been GOTS certified. The Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) are the leading organic textile processing standards for mattresses. The standards require that all fiber and fabrics used within a mattress, with limited exceptions, must be made from National Organic Program (NOP) certified materials and processed in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). All other components (such as innersprings, fire protection, etc.) must meet strict non-toxic standards. If a company is not GOTS certified, check more thoroughly into the materials. It doesn't mean the mattress is not safe, it may just mean the manufacturer has not yet gone through the process of becoming certified.
Choose a Mattress with Natural, Non-toxic Fire Protection
There are safe, natural alternatives to chemical fire retardants that will pass flammability standards. Some mattress companies comply by using wool since wool is a fiber with natural fire retardant properties. There are companies that use only pure wool for this purpose. But be aware that some companies use wool with chemical treatments added to boost the wool's fire resistance.
Baking soda and hydrated silica is a completely non-toxic, natural fire protection mixture used in some mattresses that meets and exceeds all Federal and State flammability standards. This is ideal fire protection, especially for those who want to stay away from wool due to allergies.
Always ask the manufacturer for complete details about what they use to pass fire standards. Unless you have a doctor's prescription for a chemical-free mattress, they cannot legally sell mattresses without some sort of fire protection.
Young Children Need Waterproof and Dust Mite Proof Mattresses
Many parents will want a waterproof mattress for a toddler or even a preschool age child since they can wet the bed and ruin the mattress. Moisture in a mattress will allow mold, mildew and bacteria to grow, making it very unhealthy for kids. The only way to fully waterproof a mattress is with plastic. Wool is water resistant, but not waterproof. If there is a lot of wetness, it will go through a wool puddle pad and ruin the mattress. In addition, dust mite allergies can be problematic for kids and dust mites love to live in mattresses. Low density, food grade polyethylene is the safest waterproof and dust mite proof material available. Look for a polyethylene covering and avoid coverings made from vinyl or other plastics.
Non-toxic, organic mattresses are more expensive than the typical toxic ones, but your child's health is well worth it. Our kids are exposed to many toxins throughout their day, so it's crucial for their sleeping space, where they spend so much time, to be free from chemicals. A safe, non-toxic mattress goes a long way in insuring a healthy child, and a well-made organic mattress will likely last throughout childhood.
