When a person is getting ready to welcome a new arrival into the world,

much thought is given to every single detail possible to make sure the infant is welcomed into a safe, clean and comfortable environment.  Parents want to do the best for their baby and this can include feeding breast milk exclusively for a number of months, checking around the home for any type of toxic chemicals and searching out the best possible clothing, blankets and bedding to ensure your newborn has the best possible environment.

Have you given any thought as to the type of baby bedding materials you will be purchasing for your newborn?

You will want to look for top quality chemical free items in baby bedding materials to provide your infant with the best night’s sleep. Seek out organic bedding products are all natural and certified to be completely free of any chemicals, toxins or dyes which could be harmful to your baby’s respiratory system and lungs and may cause serious allergies.

By purchasing organic crib mattresses and bedding, you are supporting organic farming and manufacturing and making a conscientious choice to do what is best for your baby.  People that purchase organic bedding and other products are reducing the amount of contaminates, pollutants and irritants in the environment and making sure their new baby can rest peacefully and comfortably.  Organic bedding is free from pesticides and as more people are going “green,” it is not as difficult as it once was to find organic products.

Nothing is more important to a parent-to-be than ensuring their new arrival is safe and healthy.

Unfortunately, what many parents do not realize is that sometimes the safety features included in infant bedding can actually be harmful to their baby.  Fire retardants used in infant bedding can have harmful effects on a baby’s lungs and may dangerous chemicals contained with in the mattress materials or the polyurethane foam.  Polyurethane foam contains petrol chemicals and fire retardants which can put off gases that can be inhaled when the baby sleeps and might cause serious health-related problems later on in life.

Organic cotton baby bedding such as blankets and crib mattresses

allow for better air circulation throughout the product, which allows a sleeping infant to rest better and breathe easier.  Another advantage of organic bedding is the reduction of allergic reactions caused by chemicals and parasites found in infant bedding.  With better air circulation, there is a more consistent level in body temperature and this can be especially important if your baby was born prematurely and needs extra help keeping a constant body temperature.

When expecting a new baby, it pays to check into the advantages of using organic cotton bedding, clothing and blankets.  A parent should check labels on bedding and blankets to make sure it is actually organic and made from 100% real cotton and contains no other materials.  Although organic cotton bedding may be a bit more expensive than traditional bedding, when weighing the pros and cons, many parents agree it is money well spent.  Your new baby will spend more than half of its first three months sleeping, so why not take the time and check into the health and safety benefits of organic bedding, you will be glad you did.

There are many dangerous and toxic chemicals released from traditional mattresses,

which makes it a significant source of indoor pollution, sleep disorders and health-related problems. With the increased focus being placed on going “green,” many consumers are interested in ways to go about decreasing indoor pollution in the home and finding out ways to improve the environment. Many manufacturers are hearing the consumer cry for more environmentally-friendly products and organic bedding products are easier to find and more affordable, than in times past.

As adults, we spend a third of our lives in bed, and this is mores so true with infants and children. When we lay down to sleep at night, most of us assume our blankets, sheets and bedding are safe and clean. However, what most people do not realize is that during our sleep time, toxic chemicals, fumes and vapors, are absorbed into our body through the skin and lungs when we breathe. Our bedrooms can be one of the most toxic rooms in the home, which is why people need to check into the advantages of organic bedding.

The conventional mattresses sold in America are manufactured using petroleum based products

such as polyurethane foam which has been saturated in antimicrobial solution, chemical dyes, stabilizers, fire retardants and surfactants. These chemicals release gases from the mattress into the air and when inhaled and absorbed can cause such health problems as cancer, nausea and vomiting, allergies, chronic bronchitis, impaired lung functions and headaches. By removing any external toxins from your bedroom, you are doing your part to be healthier and also supporting the market for organic products as well.

One way to “green” up your bedroom is to purchase an organic mattress, which is made from all natural cotton and free from synthetic materials and petrochemicals. Organic mattresses breathe better, which means a more comfortable night’s sleep and a stable body temperature. An organic mattress offers more pressure relief than memory foam, which means better spinal alignment and comfort. Natural organic bedding contains naturally antibacterial properties, is resistant to mold and mildew and is resistant to dust mites, which are known to be a trigger for asthmatics.

Organic mattresses are equal in cost to premium quality traditional mattresses

and are a good value, not only for your health and comfort, but also because of durability. Many organic mattresses will last for up to 30 years, while a conventional mattress will generally last for a maximum of 10 years and will break down. People that have switched from using a traditional mattress to an organic one are impressed with the quality and agree it was well worth the bit of extra money spent.

Organic cotton mattresses are non-toxic and contain no harmful, synthetic chemicals

which is both better for your home and the environment. An organic mattress is a natural alternative to petrochemical based mattresses and will cause less of a chance of an allergic reaction in those with a sensitive respiratory system. When looking for a healthier, more comfortable night’s sleep, checking into the benefits of an organic mattress might be just what you need.

What is it and where can you find it?

Organic memory foam, all natural memory foam, certified organic memory foam. What is it and why can’t you find these descriptions of memory foam anywhere in the mattress industry?

That is a good question. It seems this is because according to every manufacturer of memory foam mattresses, including the manufacturers utilizing 20-30 percent biobased materials, a memory foam mattress containing more than that will turn into a goo. Here is a question for you. Do we want to start calling a mattress 30 percent biobased, “natural”? These days you can find Earth friendly memory foam or even eco friendly memory foam from manufacturers, but none of them I have talked with are claiming their memory foams to be certified organic memory foam, organic memory foam, or even all natural. Their only claim was more eco friendly and environmentally friendly.

Researching natural memory foam

In my research to find out more about natural memory foam mattresses on the World Wide Web I stumbled across myessentia.com. They have an interesting claim; they sell it. After doing some research on their site, I came to 2 conclusions. 1 is that Essentia is privy to completely cutting edge memory foam technology and knows something the entire rest of the memory foam mattress industry does not know and if so f that is the case, kudos to them.

My opinion however is this; disappointment for a couple reasons. I asked for a sample of the natural memory foam which was never sent. So I guess I’ll never know. So I still don’t know if Essentias’ claim to be the only manufacturer of natural memory foam in the world true is a true one. After all it it was their claim to be a natural memory foam yet their description calls it 100% natural latex, plant extracts, and organic essential oils.

As an experienced mattress professional I have not only sold the leading manufacturer of memory foam Tempur Pedic, but I also slept on one. My feeling is that memory foam neither feels like nor is in any way, shape, or form similar in construction. Then again I’m not an engineer.

Essentia’s Memory Foam Motives

I am curious though of a couple things. I wander if Essentia is trying to capitalize on the popularity of memory foam? Does Essentia believe all natural latex and memory foam are the same thing? Essentia please feel free to explain your position or tell us how your all-natural latex rubber can be called natural memory foam other than the fact there is no industry standard in place of what is what or what something can be called. The numbers I have heard in recent months claim even the most eco friendly bio based memory foam mattresses utilize no more than 30 percent biobased oils in their construction.

Nonetheless this raises some interesting mattress industry questions. So mattress buyers, industry manufacturers, and mattress retailers can or should the industry blur the lines between all natural latex and memory foam? Should we call latex the all-natural memory foam?

Do you think such a claim would only confuse the mattress market place even more?
Should we as an industry capitalize on memory foams extraordinary popularity by calling all natural latex memory foam.?

Sure latex can have a great feel and be nearly 100% pure. Some latex like the Dunlop process was engineered in the 1930′s while new modern updated engineering of latex manufacturing techniques like the Talalay Process have changed the playing field and offer a wider selection of feels. Memory foam unlike latex rubber is still the newest and most unique state of the art mattress technology to come along in recent years.

Perhaps the Industry will decide the issue if these two products are as different as apples and oranges. Debate and discussion may very well put such arguments to rest while answering the important questions when industry leaders put into place some uniform standards to it legitimizing all past, present, and future claims of natural, all natural, organic, and certified organic in the industry. Until then our industry is as wild as the old west.

A question we frequently get asked here at STL Beds is “ should organic beds have a comfort guarantee?” To which we reply “no” and then proceed to explain why.
First of all mattress retailers are selling people a product that is as chemical free and uncontaminated as possible. When it is returned to the store in the case of a comfort guarantee, it is anything but chemical free and uncontaminated.

In the case of St. Louis Missouri retailers, we would then have it “ properly sanitized” in order to comply with Missouri state law, which is similar to other state laws. If a store such as ours were to accept a returned mattress and have cleaned / properly sanitized, we will have introduced the very chemicals the mattress was designed to eliminate. In the case of removable mattress covers where dry cleaning would be possible, this too would introduce the very chemicals organic mattress buyers are trying to avoid.

Mattress retailers regularly offer comfort guarantees but not physicians, chiropractors and other health related professionals. However in each of these professional cases we have seen recommendation of everything from firm mattresses to soft, memory foam to latex and airbeds to waterbeds. Many of these same professionals have advised their patients with as many as 4 different types of mattresses only to make poor recommendations and not get it right. To our knowledge the only other professionals to miss 4 times and still get paid for what they do is the weatherman. We can only assume from medical professionals point of view that might be reason enough alone to offer a comfort guarantee on mattresses.

For smart mattress shoppers there are alternatives. Alternatives like all natural layers of latex rubber, which can be accessed by way of zippered cover. This zippered cover allows you to rotate and adjust the various different firmness layers to make it firmer or softer to meet your comfort and support needs. If your needs change you can purchase different firmness’s to recalibrate the mattress to your liking.

Unfortunately these comfort guarantees are not free and are a major reason for the increase of mattress retail prices today. In reality the dealer and the customer pay dearly for the privilege. The truth is a returned $3000.00 organic mattress if handled properly and legally is worth about as much as the used socks of a 7 years old boy who was just outside playing in the rain all day. Restocking fees and reselection do very little to cushion and offset the loss to the retailer. All customer will share in this loss and expense in the end.

STL Beds is proud of our lineup of all natural mattresses.  We’ve spent countless hours online researching the best all natural and organic products, and we’ve visited our manufacturers to see just how these mattresses are made.

If you are considering purchasing a new organic bed, but aren’t sure about the quality of our products, we invite you to request a free sample kit that includes actual samples of our 100 percent BreatheFresh latex, organic cotton, and pure wool.  Then read through our organic certification documents and see how every step of the process is verified so that you only get the best end result – a comfortable and toxin-free mattress.