Deciding on the decor and furniture for your baby’s room is one of the most exciting activities in preparation for their arrival, but unfortunately it is easy to overlook the potential dangers in traditional crib mattresses when compared to their safer organic counterpart.

Three main areas of concern are:

• Harmful chemicals: Considering a baby is sleeping for 10-14 hours a day, when they will be inches away from the crib mattress, the PVC composition of conventional  crib mattresses contains potentially harmful and carcinogenic phthalates, which can leach from the PVC and which have also been linked to asthma and developmental problems in children. The US government has banned the use of phthalates in toys and child care products from February 2009 but there are other chemicals used which have not yet been addressed.Organic crib mattresses use non of these materials.

• Potential allergens: Allergy to latex has become an increasing concern in medical circles.According to the ACAAI (American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology) latex allergies are increasing in number and can lead to  anaphylaxis, which has proved to be fatal. Babies can be allergic to latex even without direct contact. Traditionally wool and animal hairs are also used in crib mattresses and apart from their intrinsic allergic qualities, the chemicals they are treated with can also cause an allergic reaction.

• Flammable materials: There is no legal standard for flammability but conventional polyurethane foam is highly flammable and requires treatment with toxic fire agents to meet even the minimum requirements. Once ignited polyurethane burns rapidly, using up available oxygen and producing carbon monoxide and other gases which are the main cause of fire death.

There is no  statutory legislation governing the use of chemicals in the production of crib mattresses, so it is dangerous to assume that the mattress you are buying will be safe for your baby, and  EPA studies have found that up to two years old, babies are up to 10 times more vulnerable to carcinogenic substances. Other surveys have shown that there is a 9.2% incidence of asthma in children less than 18 years old, which compares to the 8.8% issued by the National Center for Health Statistics.

What to look for:

Organic crib mattresses should contain food-grade polyethylene, which is used in the food industry where its non-toxic and pure qualities meet the high standards required.
Organic cotton, which is grown without synthetic pesticides should be the alternative to foams containing latex.
Beware of statements referring to  “coil count.” This figure is  the number of coils in an equivalent full size mattress and not the actual amount in a crib mattress.
For non-toxic protection in a crib mattress look out for alternatives to conventional polyurethane, looking for  organic cotton based materials with natural flame retardant such as silica which slow the acceleration of fire without the deadly toxic gases other chemicals produce .
Finally, you can be sure that a crib mattress which has been tested and certified by an authoritative institute such as GREENGUARD will meet all the criteria and you will be able to sleep well knowing your baby has the best organic crib mattress available.

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