A Safe Place to Rest: Choosing the Best Mattress for your Budget

Several weeks after I found out we were expecting baby #2, I made a mental checklist of things I wanted/needed to do with and for Logan before she was born. One of the most daunting things on that list was transitioning Logan from a crib to a regular bed, since we would be needing the crib for our baby girl. About three months before we actually made the switch, I started researching mattress options.

A quick search online revealed that this would be a very expensive venture, and in this season of remodeling our home, our budget was pretty minimal for this expense. I honestly felt pretty deflated  because every article I read only recommended mattresses that were $900 +. I decided to reach out to my friend Willa over at Hygge Baby in order to get some direction about where to start my search, since she had recently bought a twin mattress for her son. She told me about two things that helped me zone in my research: Mattress certifications and off gassing (more about those later in the post). Before I go along further, you may be asking yourself:

Why Does It Matter?

We hear a lot about the importance of eating organic foods and avoiding toxic chemicals in everyday items like household cleaners, but I hadn't heard much about the importance of choosing a mattress carefully. I was shocked to learn just how toxic the chemicals (also known as VOC's) used in mattresses are, especially considering we place our faces so close to them. You can read more here and here about what VOC's (volatile organic compounds) are, where they are found, along with why and how to avoid them as much as possible. The short story is that exposure to VOC's can cause hormone disruption, respitory irritation and allergic responses in the short term, and eventually can contribute to cancer and damage to the organs and central nervous system. Sadly, there is not a lot of research on this topic as of yet, but there are claims that these chemicals contribute to SIDS. (This article takes a fascinating look at that topic if you are interested in learning more.) VOC's used in the manufacturing process of the mattress then shed as the mattress is used. They shed less over time and as the chemicals are released - and this process is called off-gassing . On average we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, which, in my opinion, makes your choice for a mattress something that will impact you a significant amount. 

Where Do I Start?

The first thing I would recommend doing is determining your budget. In transitioning your babe from crib to bed you will likely need to purchase the following: a bed frame, a mattress, a bumper / rail, a pillow and sheets. The nice thing is that a lot of these things will last you many, many years and can be used from child to child.  If money isn't an obstacle for you, then purchase this Soaring Heart Mattress - it passes all the highest certifications and is the best option on the market. It will cost you upwards of $1,500, but if it was in our budget I would do it - both for the quality and peace of mind; However, if you can't swing that, read this guide for information regarding different "levels" of mattresses, what to avoid (hint: IKEA), and what certifications are on the market. As a side note, if you find a mattress you like, try looking for it used online. It can be fully cleaned and sanitized and because it isn't new you won't deal with as much off gassing - if any. Once all the chemicals have evaporated, the process is done. From my reading it seems like two things you absolutely don’t want in your mattress are polyurethane foam or vinyl coating or topper - more on that here.

What Next?

From here, decide if you want a coil or foam mattress. I opted for a Certi-Pur foam mattress, with hopes to give it plenty of time to off gas before we moved Logan into it. The great thing is that you can accelerate the process of off gassing with some things found in and around your home. I purchased Logan's bed a month in advance, opened the packaging and left it in a sunny room. The sun's heat helps speed up this process tremendously. I also did some more reading here and found that baking soda will react with the chemicals in the mattress and help neutralize them. To do this you liberally spread baking soda over your mattress's surface and dry brush it in to the fabric. Let it sit as long as possible, then vacuum it up using the beater bar attachment on your vacuum. This will help drive the baking soda further into the fibers, making it more effective. I would recommend not using any essential oils with your baking soda (a common deodorizing practice), because you want to be able to smell any chemicals coming off the mattress - think, "new car" smell - and determine the progress you are making. Lastly, I used an industrial strength steam cleaner to steam the mattress with a high pressure stream, in order to speed up the process even more. After a few weeks - my mattress doesn't smell at all anymore!

These methods help a lot to reduce the initial chemical output, but won't completely eradicate the VOC's from coming out of your mattress. From here I decided to purchase a mattress encasement and organic topper to further block the gases from getting out. I selected the Allerease brand items from this guide - all of which are vinyl free! Combined, the encasement and pad cost just under $50, which was a really reasonable price for the amount of protection it provides.

Aside from this, I purchased two sets of 100% organic cotton sheets from Target - which were so cute and very reasonable. They also sell Allerease products, so keep an eye out for one of their "spend x amount of money on home items and get a $40 giftcard." This promotion coincided perfectly with me needing to purchase bed items which was a nice treat :)

For those of you who have already purchased a crib mattress but are rethinking your choice, these BabeSafe mattress encasement's do not allow chemicals to penetrate - and they have helped reduce the SIDS rate in New Zealand by 70%. They are extremely affordable considering the cost of a new, organic mattress. A high quality air purifier is also recommended for extra environmental "decontamination". 

If you're coming to the end of this article feeling pretty depressed about how much there is to worry about and the exorbitant cost to avoid some of these things completely (like I felt after I started researching), I hope you feel encouraged that there are things you can do to significantly improve the quality of air/sleep your babe or toddler is exposed to. All in all it was a powerful reminder to do my very best for the health of my family where I am able, remembering that the Lord is sovereign over all our days, and gives us much grace as we live in a sin cursed earth after Eden. 

I hope this was a helpful starting point for all your practical mattress needs! If you have any further questions, feel free to comment below, or email me at the contact tab above. 

XO, B