My Organic Baby Mattress

I forgot to finish my organic mattress series and explain what I did find in the end of all my searching for a safe and organic mattress. Oops! 

I am not endorsing exclusively any of the following (and have not been paid by any company), but these are the purchases we ended up making when trying to find safe organic alternatives for our baby's crib.

My Organic Baby Mattress

After a long online search for a safe, organic and non chemical mattress, I decided on buying one from Ecobaby. Their mattress is made with a soft organic cotton ticking (outside fabric), lovely! and filled with organic wool batting, which is Naturally fire retardant, no chemicals here!) with spring coils. I also opted for the toddler clip edging, which allows my baby to use it into his toddler to child years, nice! And a bonus is that they are made right here in the U.S.!

This is the exact one I purchased-
The Apollo 260 coil crib with clips

I didn't order directly from them, but now I would encourage anyone to do so, as I had quite a delay from the web company I did order from. The mattresses are shipped directly from the Pure Rest/ Eco Baby company. (They were very nice when I contacted them regarding the other company I dealt with, I won't mention names..)

Waterproof Mattress Covers..I mean Wool Puddle Pads

 

After we received the mattress I started looking into waterproofing alternatives to those plastic lined covers, yuck! Even some of the companies said organic cotton covers but lined them in plastic, what's the point!? Luckily,  I found a wool puddle pad alternative for waterproofing! Yeah!  It's basically a nice felted piece of wool that you lay on top of the mattress and under the sheet. It works great and no chemicals or plastic coatings!

I purchased one on Etsy, but there are many companies that sell others online, although Etsy had the best price, I'd say (: The one I purchased was the exact size of the mattress. You can also get smaller sizes to use for changing areas, under car seats and other areas you may need them,. They are easily washed with a wool wash that you can find many places online. ( I also use it for his wool diaper covers)

Here are some examples of various wool puddle pads for sale on Etsy.

Organic Cotton Sheets

You can also find organic cotton sheets on many websites, I ended up buying some velour knit (so soft!) and 2 flannel sheets to interchange. I have found I change them more often when he is drool/teething and less when not, so I'd recommend having 3 sheets. That way you can wash and change easily.

I ended up purchasing some on Diapers.com. You can also find handmade ones on Etsy.com.

Overall

The search was frustrating but I now feel confident, as my little 10 month old sleeps with his face smushed on the natural mattress every night, that he's not breathing in any chemicals, sucking on flame retardants or laying on plastic. Yes they are more expensive than plastic mattresses and we had to save to get these items, we basically didn't splurge on anything but his mattress. It was a hard decision to do it, but it was definitely worth it.

All of these items are safe and of heirloom quality that can be passed down or reused for a nice daybed after your child is bigger or resold very easily. It's a great purchase for your child's health and well being and we are very happy with our purchase.

I hope my journey can help you in your decision to buy organic for your baby's crib!

Organic Crib Mattress Research Part 2 Boric Acid

After doing some preliminary mattress research, I found a number of chemical names being tossed around. One was Boric Acid used as a flame retardant in crib mattresses.
What is Boric Acid? I've been told by some it's totally natural and safe, Boron is an element found naturally in fruits, which is true.. but have also read Boric Acid is an active ingredient in Roach Killers? Google.com says-

Boric Acid-

• Known also as Boracic acid, Orthoboric acid and Acidum boricum
  
• Contains Boron, Hydrogen and Oxygen and is a colorless crystal
• It is a weak acid used in insecticides, flame retardants, and nuclear power
• Used in the manufacturing of glass, paper, adhesives, detergents, food preservation
• "Moderately" toxic
  

Boric Acid is used in some Crib mattresses to make them flame retardant. It is usually combined with a fiber creating a flame retardant layer underneath the surface of a mattress.

"Here is how Boric Acid is applied to cotton batting: “Generally applied in the mixing machine prior to garneting, boric acid is introduced to the cotton fibers along with a small amount of oil and chemical surfactant. To further achieve even distribution and adherence to the fibers, the boric acid is ground to a very fine consistency prior to application. … Applied as a white powder, boric acid is inorganic and is odorless.” (NCBI) Thus you can see Boric Acid is not chemically bound and exists as loose dust in the surface of our mattresses. As the mattress gets older and oils dry out even more Boric Acid will kick up into our faces with every body movement for us to breathe and absorb."
http://www.peopleforcleanbeds.org/boric_acid_risks.htm


Some of the risks of using Boric Acid as a flame retardant I've found are-

"Boric Acid is a known reproductive and developmental toxin, and a known respiratory irritant. Exposure also demonstrated injury to the gonads and to the developing fetus. There is a high prenatal mortality with overexposure. Neonatal children are unusually susceptible. There are already 6,463 U.S. cases of Boric Acid poisoning each year. One human exposure study showed reduced sperm counts and reduced sexual activity in humans."
http://www.safecribbeds.com/toxinfreebeds.asp

"The EPA and CDC warn of Reproductive, Developmental, and Neurological Damage. It has many known health risks including, genital damage, brain damage, anemia, infertility, birth defects, and death, and at the very least may dry and irritate your skin and lungs.

Boric Acid is absorbed through skin contact, particularly damaged skin, and inhalation. Quoting the federally required Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Boric Acid (H3BO3):

Inhalation: Causes irritation to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. May be absorbed from the mucous membranes, and depending on the amount of exposure could result in the development of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drowsiness, rash, headache, fall in body temperature, low blood pressure, renal injury, cyanosis, coma, and death.
Chronic Exposure: Prolonged absorption causes weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, convulsions and anemia. Liver and particularly the kidneys may be susceptible. Studies of dogs and rats have shown that infertility and damage to testes can result from acute or chronic ingestion of boric acid. Evidence of toxic effects on the human reproductive system is inadequate. "
http://earthfriendlygoods.com/pages/BoricAcidinMattresses.htm

"There are no labeling requirements of the chemicals in beds. Mattress makers are under
no obligation to tell the truth. They all claim they don’t use chemicals or say their systems are nontoxic. The CPSC Table 1 of chemicals used proves these statements wrong. There are no chemical free and safe systems.

There can be two pounds of poison in the surface of your mattress. All the Boric Acid systems also contain Antimony. Other systems include Formaldehyde, Silicon, or Ammonium Polyphosphate, but these were not studied. The CPSC did prove Ammonium Polyphosphate leaches from mattresses in large quantities. It is doubtful our children absorbing this fertilizer will grow any better.

Over a pound of Boric Acid exists as loose dust simply mixed with cotton fibers in flameproof mattresses. It is a known respiratory irritant, also used as Roach Killer, is a known reproductive and developmental toxin, “Demonstrated injury to the gonads and to the developing fetus.” “High prenatal mortality. Neonatal children are unusually susceptible.” One human chronic exposure study showed reduced sexual activity and sperm counts. There are already 6,463 U.S. cases of Boric Acid poisoning each year."

http://www.strobel.com/flameproof_mattresses_proven_to.htm

"Although no adverse effects have been reported from inhaling boric acid dust, it is absorbed through mucous membranes. Ingestion of 5 grams or more may irritate gastrointestinal tract and affect central nervous system. Contact with dust or aqueous solutions may irritate eyes; no chronic effects have been recognized, but continued contact should be avoided. Dust and solutions are absorbed through burns and open wounds but not through unbroken skin."

http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/8334

The MSDS Sheet for Boric Acid http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/b3696.htm

The US Boron Industry says "Conservative estimates of exposure to boron from sleeping on borate-treated mattresses, based on wipe test results after a roller test simulating 10 years of use, show negligible exposure for both adults and children. The estimates were based on a series of conservative assumptions, which are designed to err in the direction of overestimating exposure. For example, it was assumed that a person sleeps naked on a bare mattress with 100% of the body surface in contact with the mattress surface. Similarly, it was assumed that a child licks a 6 x 6 inch area of the surface of a bare mattress daily."
http://www.jonesfiber.com/boron.html

It's up to each individual parent to decide if Boric Acid in a baby's mattress is safe as a flame retardant and needed or not. There are many more websites out there, not cited here, that can help you find information on Boric Acid

How do you know if a crib mattress has Boric Acid as a flame retardant inside? Well, you don't. Companies do not list exact chemicals and even sometimes don't list materials that make up mattresses in their descriptions. It's up to you, the consumer, to find out for yourselves.
Contact the companies who make the crib mattress you are interested in and ask!

Organic Baby Crib Mattress Research Part 1

I've been doing a lot of research on crib mattresses, now that I'm in the market for one, and I'm surprised at what I'm finding. I just figured I could find an organic cotton mattress not treated, buy it and whalla, it's done..NOPE. It looks like I'm getting a lesson in flame retardancy with chemicals hidden everywhere, not to mention advertising using "Eco" or "Organic" in the titles to lure you in. It seems like many big name companies will use some great materials than mix in some not so great chemicals to comply with flame retardant standards and waterproofing needs.

I'm looking for a crib mattress that is firm enough, made with natural ingredients, preferably organic cotton and organic wool with good ventilation. There's godda be an affordable on out there right? What I don't want is a crib that is full of chemicals that my new baby will be inhaling in the crib.


My search started, where else, at my local department stores, Target, Babiesrus, etc. Target has a mattress that said "organic" It's called the Munchkin Comfortsafe Organic Crib Mattress, which sounded great to me. So I added that to my list to look up.


Next I went online, and found that Amazon.com has a ton of different ones listed, and started to read reviews and descriptions of different companies cribs. After days of comparing and contrasting, let alone confusion, I started making a list of pros and cons based solely on what actual properties are listed for each mattress and the materials or chemicals I made note of for each mattress. Here is the first 2 mattresses I looked up ..


First, I contacted the Munchkin company for some more details on their crib, as I was unable to find any reviews or information online. They responded that day very quickly with more details.


The Munchkin Comfortsafe Organic Crib Mattress-

-It's Dual sided for infant and toddler
-It's super affordable about $129.99 + Shipping
-210 Coils inner spring
PROS-
-Outer "unbleached natural cotton cover with no treatments" (Great!)
-An inner Organic Wool layer (Even better!)
CONS-
-"Has a waterproofing backing inside the mattress", (not sure what that means...plastic maybe?)
- Has a cotton flame retardant barrier inside that is treated with "minimal amounts" of boric acid (Uh-Oh, What is Boric acid? More to follow)


The Sealy Soybean Dream Crib Mattress-

The "Sealy Soybean crib mattress" has some great reviews online everywhere, BUT has a vinyl cover..Hmmm, who wants to sleep on vinyl, let alone it's plastic based!!, So someone mentioned on a blog that Sealy makes one without a vinyl cover but with a fabric cover, this one.

- About $180.00
- Says"Foam is CertiPUR-US^® certified and has been tested for indoor air emissions, durability and substances including phthalates, formaldehyde, PBDEs, lead and other chemicals"
PROS-
- Uses a sustainable material Soybeans to create foam (Sounds Good)
CONS-
- Says "Fabric cover feels soft, no plastic waterproof coating is used" BUT uses chemical treatment of "STAPH-GARD^® woven jacquard fabric covers offers liquid, stain and allergen resistance" (Ok, wait, a chemical waterproofing agent that is woven into the fabric that my baby will sleep on? Uh-No)
- If using GMO grown soybeans, the foam has a % of petrochemicals anyway, could be up to 85%! (http://organicgrace.com/ntb_crib-mattresses) (So basically plastic/soy foam?Hmmm)



So, so far no good. Both of these mattresses looked great on the get go, but both turned out to be treated with a chemical either for waterproofing or flame retardancy.

I get that waterproofing a mattress may be important to parents as your child may have accidents, etc, but can't we use a removable puddle mat made from wool or natural rubber to resist that? I'd rather have something non-toxic that I can remove and wash than a spray that can off-gas forever in my newborn infants body creating who knows what.

I'm gonna have to do more research on some of the flame retardant chemicals and see what they actually are and what they can do. Next blog to follow...