You’ve got the crib, the sheets and the bumpers. You’ve got the pjs and the cozy cotton stuffed animals for snuggling. Maybe you’ve even got the baby. So what’s missing? Ahh. The good old mattress. I may be alone here, but when I was nine months plus, with baby Belger pushing on my stomach, spleen or whatever other organ he could ram his little fetus heels into, I was completely shocked—and somewhat appalled—that my sleek, modern crib arrived with no mattress. “What do you mean all cribs come without mattresses?” I asked my very patient mother. She explained that just like adult beds, crib mattresses had to be purchased separately from their crib frames. I scoffed at such logic and dragged myself to the nearest BuyBuyBaby.
I wanted an organic mattress, but it turns out that dodging the vinyl/PVC and polyurethane foam found in most conventional children’s mattresses is a pricey undertaking. So, I settled for a couple of layers of organic cotton to soften the toxic blow—an organic cotton mattress pad and organic cotton fitted sheet.
Here are some ideas to facilitate your mattress hunting:
If you haven’t completely blown your baby budget on tiny socks and aquatic-themed mobiles (am I thinking out loud again?), you may have the cash to splurge on Naturepedic’s No Compromise Organic Cotton mattress ($259). Stuffed with nothing but organic cotton and wrapped in a 100 percent polyethylene food grade waterproof coating—this number promises not to interrupt your babe’s slumber with pesky VOCs.
Those who subscribe to the fantasy that their little one will not produce an extraordinary amount of fluids that you will have to clean up at three in the morning may want to extend that dream to a mattress that is not waterproof. LA Baby Natural Organic Crib Mattress ($249.99) gives you all the organic cotton goodness you could ever want in a non-waterproof mattress and if that’s not enough, they throw in a—that’s right—organic waterproof mattress cover for free. Because babies are drippy. That’s just they way it is.
Word on the street is that I’ll know W is ready for a “big boy bed” when I hear the telltale thump in the middle of the night. That thump is the sound his head will make as it hits the floor after he leaps from his crib. Oh, boy. The joys of parenthood just keep coming. When the thump comes, hopefully I’ll be ready with Naturepedic’s No-Compromise Organic Cotton Ultra Twin Mattress (at $599, I better start saving now) and a super cool bed frame.
