Organic Mattresses – Are They The Best Option For Your Child?
As a father, I consider every purchase I make for my child seriously. What is in it? What is this product made of? These questions move through my head when I am at the farmer’s market buying produce or when I am looking online to purchase a new mattress for my child. Being a parent is an important job and I think that I’ve made it clear, I don’t take that responsibility lightly.
Neither do you obviously, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading my blog post. So you are in the market for a mattress for your child and aren’t sure what to buy and the question in your mind that keeps popping up is whether or not buying organic. Is it your best available option? I’m here to tell you it is.
Healthier
The fact that organic mattresses are healthier for your child, and you, shouldn’t be too surprising. We know that organic is healthier in every aspect of our lives. If you aren’t sure what “organic” means exactly, simply put, organics are created from all-natural ingredients. When the term is used in regards to produce and groceries it means that they were created without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
When we talk about mattresses, to be organic it must be free of synthetic components. There include any chemical fire retardants, instead the manufacturer uses wool, which is a natural fire retardant. The best organic mattresses are also more likely to resist dust-mites, and other allergens.
No PBDEs
These are the flame-retardant chemicals put on non-organic mattresses. Calling them toxic is an understatement, and countries like Canada have banned them. So has all of Europe and some US states. Polybrominated diphenyl ether, the actual name of these chemicals, has been linked to a lot of health problems, including decreased sperm quality, thyroid problems, brain problems, reproductive damage, and possibly cancer.
Cancer
The result of one study in Scientific American claims that the coils in innerspring mattresses might serve as conductors of electromagnetic waves when we sleep, which could be causing cancer, specifically melanoma and breast cancer.
Scientists noticed that cases of melanoma on the left side of the body was on the rise in America but not in Japan. Then they looked at the average style of bed used by each culture. The Japanese didn’t have a rise in this type of cancer and most people slept on a futon on the floor. The American sleepers slept on innerspring mattresses with metal coils. Also, studies of both cultures showed they all prefer to sleep on their right side, no matter if you were living in Japan or the United States.
These scientists came to the conclusion that the electromagnetic waves from the nearest FM/TV transmission tower could be entering your body into your left side, through your body, to get to the metal coils that serve as antenna. This is an intriguing study and makes sense when you think about it. It also makes the organic option all the more appealing.
No Off-Gassing
Your non-organic mattress has most likely been soaked and sprayed with chemicals. You have the fire-retardants I spoke about earlier, and possibly boric acid, antimony, and decabromodiphenyl oxide. These chemicals have been linked to ailments associated with the heart and lungs, memory loss, reproductive and developmental problems, and are possible carcinogens.
These are a LOT of chemicals. Now think about how you lay on that every night letting the off-gassing seep into your pores.
Better Night Sleep
It seems that people like to sleep on natural wool and report less tossing and turning on organic mattresses. This might be because natural wool is great with body temperature regulation. It keeps you warm when it’s cold and cools you in the heat. This is not the same with synthetic materials. They can leave you feeling tired because you spent the time you should’ve been sleeping with the night sweats.
An added bonus is that natural wool is great at absorbing moisture, 30% of its own weight to be exact.
Better For The Environment
Organic mattresses are typically made from organic wool, organic cotton, and rubber created from the sap of a rubber tree. All of these materials are sustainable without harm to any animals since the wool is shorn from the sheep. Organic mattresses are also biodegradable. So when you replace your first organic mattress to purchase your second you won’t need to feel bad for adding to the vast trash problem.
Conclusion
I have just given you ample reasons why purchasing an organic mattress is the best option when considering the type of environment you want to create for your child. We care so much about what they eat because it goes into their bodies. Our pores also allow toxins into our bodies and, when you think of the fact that we spend 8 hours a night, which adds up to ⅓ of our lives, sleeping, well, spending that time bathing in chemicals doesn’t sound that attractive. Do yourself and your child a favor and go organic all the way.