Is There A "Best" Organic Crib Mattress?

It took a while, but "organic" finally made it to the mainstream bedding industry a few years ago. Organic mattresses are touted as being the absolute best for cribs because they ostensibly provide a healthier environment for a baby, reduce the likelihood of developing allergies, protect against poisoning from leaching chemicals and gases, and reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

However, don't necessarily believe everything you read about organic crib mattresses. Remember that companies who manufacture these mattresses are in business to make money, just as the manufacturers of traditional mattresses. They don't do what they do from the kindness of their hearts.

All that said, the problem with deciding on whether or not there is an organic mattress we could consider 'the best mattress' comes by way of the very definition of the word itself. According to government standards, being "organic" doesn't necessarily mean that every material and every process used in the manufacture of a mattress is truly organic or natural. Manufacturers only have to reach a certain percentage threshold in order to achieve the organic label. That means you could have an organic mattress that is actually 30% synthetic -- in combined materials and manufacturing processes.

The Benefits of Organic

Proponents of organic crib mattresses cite a whole laundry list of benefits. The biggest one, they say, is that organic is healthier for your baby. An organic mattress is made from things like wool, 100% cotton, and natural latex foam. By being all natural, these materials don't come with the chemicals associated with synthetic mattresses. At least in theory. The lack of such chemicals is said to be healthier for your baby; not only while he is small enough to be in the crib, but even as he gets older and develops further.

The second benefit often associated with organic crib mattresses lies in the manufacturing process. Almost every organic manufacturer is quick to point out their environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes which allegedly have as little impact on the environment as possible. One thing to be sure of is the fact that many manufacturers of organic mattresses also create synthetic mattresses at the same time. Unless a company manufactures 100% organic products in an exclusively green setting, they don't provide a whole lot of environmentally friendly benefits.

Organic Mattresses and SIDS

One of the most powerful marketing tools used to sell organic mattresses is the frightening reality of SIDS. Proponents of organic as a preventative measure cite a 1989 study by a UK scientist who attempted to prove that gases let off by non-organic mattresses were largely responsible for infants dying in their cribs. For several years after the study was released, the medical community was convinced that non-organic mattresses were indeed playing a part in the rise in SIDS. To the dismay of the study's proponents, several other studies have been conducted in the 22 years since which have adequately disproved the claims made in the original 1989 research.

As unpleasant as it sounds, the SIDS scare is used as a marketing tool by organic mattress manufacturers and proponents. To date no one knows the cause of SIDS conclusively. In fact there are no fewer than a dozen hypotheses surrounding the syndrome. Until one or more of those hypotheses becomes established scientific fact, it's not wise for us to allow our choices to be determined by fear or manipulation. That includes the choice of an organic crib mattress.

Shopping for Organic Crib Mattresses

As previously stated, the word "organic" does not necessarily mean all natural. One case in point is the organic coil spring mattress made by quite a few manufacturers. It would seem that by using coil springs the definition of organic would immediately be violated. But manufacturers get away with it by simply encasing the coil springs with a 100% cotton fabric. They can now call their mattress organic because they meet the threshold as established by the federal government.

The same can be said about any number of other technologies used in organic bedding. For example, latex foam is extremely flammable and must be treated with a flame retardant before it can be sold as a mattress. The flame retardant is a chemical which is non-organic, and which some critics of traditional bedding claim is unhealthy for babies. But because the mattress reaches the threshold percentage the mattress can still be sold as being organic.

Organic Versus Non-organic

The point of this review is not to convince you to reject organic mattresses. It is simply to point out that "organic" is nothing more than a marketing tool. If you choose to go organic that is certainly your right to do so as a parent. But do your research, know what you're buying, and make sure the manufacturers definition of organic suits your own. If you choose to go with traditional bedding you should also know exactly what you're getting. Pay attention to the materials used, the quality of the crib mattress, and so on.

In the end, the most important factor in a crib mattress is how it fits in the crib. Your crib mattress should fit snugly, all the way around so there are no gaps between it and the side rails of the crib. Even a slight gap of only an inch or so could lead to serious injury or death. In addition, you should never put pillows, toys, or excess blankets in the crib with your baby. If you're going to use foam padding to protect your baby against the side rails, make sure the foam padding is firmly affixed so that it cannot move. Anything in the crib that is not stationary presents a suffocation risk to your baby.