More Tips for Selecting a Baby Mattress: Choosing the Best Mattress to Keep Your Baby Safe and Give Her the Soundest of Sleeps

Your baby’s bed, bedding, and mattress are the most important building blocks in creating a baby-friendly sleep retreat for your new little girl or boy. While a firm baby mattress that snugly fits your baby’s crib is essential for your baby’s sound sleep (and for your restful, untroubled sleep, as well!), there are other factors to weigh when choosing the mattress that your wee one will sleep on for so many hours of her little life.

For the Very Safest and Soundest Sleep for Your Baby, Choose a Natural or Organic Crib Mattress
Now that organic and natural products are so readily available both online and in your local shops, you have the opportunity to provide an eco-friendly mattress for your baby’s small bed. Even though an organic baby mattress may be slightly more costly than a non-organic mattress, here are some reasons you should seriously consider the investment:
• While traditional, synthetic mattresses contain many extremely toxic materials and chemicals (such as polyurethane foam, a PVC cover, dyes, and harmful fire-retardant chemicals), certified-organic mattresses are evaluated by standards that ensure they contain nothing that can harm your baby in any way, or cause or irritate respiratory problems (such as asthma) or skin irritations.
• The natural, inbuilt qualities of organic fibres and materials mean your baby’s mattress will be, by nature, strong and long lasting, without relying on harmful chemicals to achieve those qualities. Those same organic-mattress ingredients bring a wealth of other benefits, too, such as the inherent fire-retardant and dust-mite-resistant qualities of organic wool and the natural insulating and sweat-wicking properties of organic bamboo.
• Opting for a natural or organic product means you are supporting the organic marketplace (growers, manufacturers, and retail outlets) worldwide – and this means you are helping our planet’s fragile ecosystems, as well, by choosing a mattress that hasn’t caused our environment any harm while being made.
 
Be an Informed Consumer and a Safety-Conscious Parent – Be Sure to Read the Mattress Label Before You Bring It Home
No matter what the salesperson, website, or generous friend wanting to lend you a crib mattress says, take your child’s safety into your own hands, and read all labels before bringing any crib or bassinet (or any other) mattress into your home. If you are considering an organic mattress, check that the name and logo of the certifying body are present on the label. While government standards are becoming more stringent regarding use of the word “organic” and similar terms, many products are still falsely labelled as “organic,” and contain harmful ingredients (such as polyurethane or non-organic fibres). Be sure you know what every material in that mattress is, and don’t make any decision until you are confident it is an intelligent, fully informed decision that is good for your baby and for your home.

Making the many decisions involved in preparing for a new child can be so very exciting – and very overwhelming, as well. Just remember, when adding the essential building blocks to your child’s nursery – bed, mattress, and bedding – to always keep your child’s safety and wellbeing as your first priority in every decision.