subject: The Organic Mattress for Cribs [print this page] Adults spend as much as a third of their lives sleeping. Infants spend even more than that. In recent years, as a result of its health benefits, organic alternatives to various home products such as clothing and food have become very popular, and the public is now is catching on to organic mattresses as a safer and healthier alternative to mattresses that are soaked in chemicals. There are many differences between a synthetic mattress and an organic mattress and there are some very good reasons why you should be concerned about the kind of mattress that you are sleeping on. Although they may look the same, the differences between the two kinds of mattresses are what they are made of. Natural latex and organic mattresses are biodegradable and safe while synthetic mattresses contain numerous harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. In addition, synthetic mattresses are full of petrochemical materials such as polyurethane foam and are covered with many synthetic materials and treated with formaldehyde and chemical based fire retardants. Synthetic mattresses may contain dangerous chemicals such as antimony, arsenic, and phosphorus. In time these mattresses will outgas and emit potentially toxic substances that you can inhale into your lungs and absorb into your skin which can cause serious health problems such as severe allergic reactions. There are a growing number of scientists who have begun to link Sudden Infant death Syndrome (SIDS) with infants who are being poisoned by the mattresses in their cribs. They have said that that the infant's spit up and sweat creates a fungus in the mattress. The preservatives and flame retardant chemicals that are used in the manufacture of crib mattress react with this fungus which results in the production of nerve gases including stibine, arsine, and phosphine, all of which can be very deadly, particularly to infants. Crib mattresses should only be from the organic materials such as wool that has been processed organically with no extraneous fibers or chemicals. In addition, the rubber should also be organic or natural with no synthetic material in it at all. The crib mattresses should be made from completely organic or natural material. The organic fibers make it breathable and the quilting prevent the fibers from shifting. These materials are available in bassinets, portable cribs, baby bunks, co sleepers, cradles, and cribs. Crib size mattresses are available in different styles such as natural rubber or innerspring.
