We’ve long been in the market for a mattress since our son is growing like a weed and, much to my dismay, he’s outgrown his toddler bed. I’d never given much thought to mattresses aside from finding the most comfor
table choice, but I’m quickly learning that there is a whole lot more to the story.
I first recollected my dear friend, Kev, telling me how he began to feel sick and even experienced hallucinations the very first night he began sleeping on his Memory Foam mattress cover. He described it as an all-over “un-well” feeling. After a few days and nights of being sick, he removed the cover and all symptoms disappeared. Needless to say, the mattress cover met the trash.
So I’ve been researching mattresses and the results are not good. I’ve learned that beginning July 1, 2007, Federal Fire Retardant Regulations mandated mattress manufacturers to INCREASE the levels of toxic fire retardants, but DO NOT require them to list the ingredients in the contents! THAT is absurd… and certainly not without questions.
And what do these fire retardants contain?… boric acid, melamine, antimony and formaldehyde… all chemicals linked to cancer, and they just “upped our dosage!”. Antimony alone causes heart muscle damage and a single dermal application has killed rabbits in laboratory tests. (I don’t like animal testing, but that speaks volumes.) Additional tests on Memory Foam mattresses even detected 61 chemical emissions and off-gassing from a single mattress. All I can think about is my son’s precious body laying on these chemicals, night after night, and his little lungs inhaling those dangerous toxins. Rest is supposed to rejuvenate us, not poison us! But take a look.
I quickly realized that our only option was an organic mattress. They’re made of pure organic wool, 100% organic cotton covers and 100% natural latex cores, providing even better fire retardancy than the chemicals… naturally! We selected a mattress from Healthy Home Sleep Gallery, and although we paid more than the common mattress store brands, I have never second guessed this choice for the health and safety of our son. (They can ship anywhere in the US and if you mention Mom Goes Green, they offered to give an additional discount.)
My days with baby beds have sadly come and gone, but there are also great options for crib mattresses. The Natural Mat Company offers mattresses, as well as bedding and linens
, and their products are made with all natural and organic materials. They’re washable, breathable, anti-dust mite and naturally fire retardant too. They are truly the most important and best products for baby when you consider how much time they actually spend sleeping (… you hope!) And if I had that choice to make all over again, I would undoubtedly choose organic. (Natural Mat products are available through Goore’s and you can also enter code: mggnm for a 10% discount!)
It’s shocking, maddening and ultimately very sad that we aren’t being protected from harsh and toxic chemicals that are literally being shoved under our noses as we sleep, so I made the choice to do what I can to protect our son by choosing organic.
Now, when our “big boy” is getting a good night’s rest, I can get a good night’s rest too.
Shopping for a new bed can be a grueling experience.
It is a jungle out there with so many gimmicks and misrepresentations.
I have sold Hastens Beds for the past six years in California; in fact I was the Managing Director of California’s first Hastens store. Selling these fantastic beds has been nothing but a passion since day one.
Why? Because I have been privileged for so many years now to witness what a profound difference a real good night’s sleep makes in our client’s lives. We do offer crib mattresses to. It is crucial to keep babies away from chemical flame retardants such as PBDE’s and Formaldehyde.
For those of you who do not know, Hastens is the ONLY bed sold in America that contains nothing but 100% natural filling materials. Cotton, Wool, Flax, and Horse-Hair.
A bed that uses foam as a filling material can NEVER be hypo-allergenic.
The reason is that foam traps moisture, and with moisture comes mildew, mold, bacteria, ..A real Disneyland for bed bugs, bed and dust mites.
I have seen everything from allergies that have gone away, to clients with severe to moderate pain issues that have found relief overnight in a Hastens. Obviously there are no guarantees for this. There have also been so many clients who never realized how much their bad sleep affected their daily activities. One thing that I CAN guarantee though is that when it comes to selecting a new bed for your health, a Hastens is your best shot.
Don’t make the mistake believing that a more expensive Hastens bed is healthier for you. When it comes to the materials used it is all the same in all of them, so the health benefits are the same. You will spend 10 days per month (one third of your life) in natures own materials.
When it comes to comfort, well you have to be the judge of that.
Never buy a Hastens bed without trying it first. It is probably the last bed you buy in your life.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding beds in general or Hastens in specific.
If I can help you find a bed that is the right one for you, I have done my job.
I have a sleep blog right here - http://www.best-rest.blogspot.com
Feel free to email me anytime.
Peter@hastensonbeverly.com
Or visit us on the web.
http://www.hastensonbeverly.com
We ship beds all across United States as long as there is no dealer in your territory.
Good Hunting!
Sincerely,
Peter Tornell
OMG, Doreen! That’s awful – can you even imagine if you’d gotten a normal mattress and your son hallucinated??? Geez, he wouldn’t even know what was happening to him! My hubby just bought our oldest (15) a new mattress recently – I shudder to think what’s on it! Good gravy – you can’t even be safe in your own darn bed!
LMM – First, I have to tell you I giggled out loud when I read “good gravy!” 🙂 That’s just plain funny!… but all giggling aside, it is a HORRIBLE reality that these chemicals are being added to our beds, without research to say that they are safe, and we as consumers, have nothing to say about it. Especially when they are being added to prevent a disaster (fires) that are statistically rare – we’re talking 1 in a couple MILLION! The danger created by these chemicals is so much greater and the health damage they can cause… immense! I am really so much happier knowing that our son is going to sleep on a mattress that won’t poison him… and I really do believe these mattresses are doing just that… and most consumers have NO IDEA!
Just to think of all those chemicals makes me sick. I am going to have to buy a bed for ourselves in the next 5 years and you can bet it will be all natural and organic. I recently had to buy new pillow and they are organic, I just can see spending 6-8 hours with my face in a pillow and huffing toxins.
Your post made me think of a site I had read about before, it talked about the mattress wrapping in New Zealand and the decrease in crib deaths. http://www.babymattresscovers.com/FAQs.html
Doreen, I am so glad you got your son an organic mattress. Did you get one for yourself too? Our baby had an organic crib mattress and we got him a latex with organic wool twin bed 2 months ago to start him napping there. We have one too and it’s been the best sleep I’ve ever had! I wish more people knew about this. I think some SIDS cases are probably b/c of breathing and ingesting these chemicals on conventional (read: chemical) mattresses! Especially little babies with respiratory issues to begin with. So sad. Thanks for spreading the word about this healthy alternative! Oh, and Design Within Reach now sells Mary Cordaro’s line of organic latex mattresses. She’s a bau-biologist in Los Angeles and her company is called H3 Environmental. We got our mattress from her when she sold direct to public.
A great place to check out merino wool mattress pads, for both you AND your little one is @ http://www.snugglewool.com/shop/index.php
They not only keep you warm in the winter, but they’ll also keep you cool in the summer! (and without harsh chemicals!)
Great post! I have often wondered about how toxic mattresses are, and you are providing great answers here. Keep it up!
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Shari – Just the thought is sickening! A friend of mine also just bought organic pillows and LOVES THEM! The results of that study in New Zealand are amazing too… to think that SIDS dropped so dramatically… I would certainly make a different choice if I had it to do all over again.
PureMothers – unfortunately we haven’t purchased an organic mattress for ourselves, but I know it is on the horizon. You are one of many people I have heard say that they have gotten the best rest of their lives after purchasing an organic mattress! Thanks for another great resource too!
Sara – Thanks! … but “now that you know”, isn’t it frightening!
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If anyone still remembers the smell of a new mattress – the non-organic one – after taking out of the package, then is not surprised by the news that toxins are released from mattresses… That’s even easy to smell! Later it gets diluted, but does it really disappear? Another possibility is to cover your mattress with as many other layers, bedding, blankets etc as possible, especially the baby mattress! But when the time comes to change the mattress I would definitely invest in a green one, doesn’t have to be the most expensive one after all.
.-= Cotton Organic Mattress´s last blog ..Organic Mattress SHOP =-.
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That’s incredible! I didn’t even know those sorts of chemicals were in mattresses! Question: would it be better to look into waterbed mattresses for my family? I assume since they’re waterbeds, there’s no need to contain fire retardants like that?