As a Parent, how do you really know which crib mattress is truly safe for your newborn baby? With the large array of mattresses made from so many different materials, how are we ever supposed to choose the right one? Some Moms turn to each other and make choices based on crib mattress reviews or just buy top sellers like the Sealy Baby Ultra Rest mattress. The only issue is that while those Moms may think they made a good choice, they are also not aware of the hidden truths about these mattresses.
Some Moms will just check to see if the mattress contains organic materials or foam because they are supposed to be safe options. That’s why organic and foam mattresses like the Naturepedic crib mattress, Sealy Soybean foam-core mattress, and Colgate Classica I foam crib mattress increasing in sales from year to year. But the issue there is that not all organic and and foam options are the same.
There are studies being done on crib mattresses to find out which ones are the safest for baby to sleep in. These studies are researching the materials that they are made out of as well as the chemicals that are inside of them. So many different companies claim that their products are without harmful chemicals but will not verify the chemicals that they use in their products which leads buyers to believe that they are not completely harmless. A recent study done on 190 crib mattresses from 28 different manufacturers showed that most manufacturers are trying to use more organic materials when making their crib mattresses. They are trying to quit using the materials that are linked to health concerns. So, which mattresses are really safe?
Safety Certification Emblems and Seals
When looking for a new mattress you will notice that many of them have safety seals on them. You will find that these safety seals are far from an assurance of safety for the following reasons:
- There are 28 different safety seals that you can find on the crib mattresses, normally something such as leaves or a globe indicating that their product is environmentally friends.
- Some manufacturers create the seals and use them only on their products.
- There are seals created by industry trade groups.
- There are seals created by non-profit third party groups that have no financial gain at all.
- The different seals by different manufacturers cause a lot of confusion between which mattresses are safe and which ones are healthy.
Chemicals in Different Crib Mattresses
The crib mattresses that you are shopping for could contain potentially harmful chemicals. You should be extra careful when choosing the mattress that baby will sleep on. When shopping for your crib mattress you should keep the following things in mind:
* Many manufacturers are using organic chemicals for the production of their mattresses to avoid allergens and harsh chemicals that are unsafe for babies.
* A recent report shows that 52% of crib mattresses were manufactured with chemicals that could potentially harm baby.
* 20% of the mattresses in the report were made with no harmful chemicals but did have allergens.
* 8% of the mattresses in the report contained no harmful or toxic chemicals or allergens either one.
You just have to be very careful and watch out for manufacturers and their misleading claims.
Misleading Claims and Misinformation Supplied by Manufacturers
In order to sell their product some manufacturers are making claims that are not true. This is not to say that all crib mattresses are unsafe or contain harmful materials. You just have to be very careful and watch out for manufacturers and their misleading claims such as the following:
* Different manufacturers claim that their product is non toxic and contains no harmful materials. Their products contain different layers of organic cotton and yet at least one layer of the cotton has been covered in vinyl and vinyl manufacturing requires the use of toxic chemicals.
* Vinyl also requires added chemicals to make it flexible.
* One particular manufacturer has a vinyl mattress that has an antibacterial Staph Guard coated on it. Again, not only is the vinyl manufactured with harmful chemicals, this manufacturer does not release all of the materials used to produce the Staph Guard.
The Safest Mattress for Baby
For all of those out there that are looking for the safest crib mattress for that new baby, there is good news. There are manufacturers out there that do make safe mattresses. You can find a mattress that contains no harmful chemicals or allergens for your baby. There are certain manufacturers that focus mainly on manufacturing all or some of their products with no harmful chemicals or allergens. Some of these companies include:
- Vivetique
- White Lotus
- Naturepedic
In order to provide a safe and healthy environment for baby, whether as a parent, childcare provider, or healthcare provider, you have to be smart and educate yourself a bit before making your purchase. You must take extreme caution when choosing just the right mattress for baby in order to look past all of the false claims that manufacturers are making. There are safe mattresses out there; you simply have to find them.