mattress reviews - Stuff Parents Need

by Alanna Peters

While preparing my baby’s nursery I’ve tried to put extra thought into the quality of products I use. I use non-toxic cleaning supplies, but what about the actual ITEMS in the room? One thing I had never really given much thought to was the crib mattress. Our old crib mattress worked fine for my first daughter but after giving it a second look it just seemed so artificial and uncomfortable. It is totally covered in plastic, smells funny, and is full of who knows what? I decided I wanted to try find a more natural mattress for my new baby to sleep on.

Thanks to Naturalmat I was fortunate enough to receive a Coco Mat for my baby – Naturalmat’s signature mattress. It is a perfect choice for babies and children because it provides gentle support and impressive ventilation and insulation. As soon as I opened the package I noticed some major differences between the old and new mattresses. First of all, the Naturalmat mattress cover is much softer and much more comfortable. Rather than a crinkly vinyl cover it has a quilted, organic cotton cover (which zips off for easy laundering!). The mattress is also a bit larger than our old mattress. The old mattress had a gap of about an inch around all the sides of the crib but the Coco Mat fits the crib like a glove. I feel like it is much safer for the baby this way. No gaps for her to get stuck in!

I was slightly concerned about the cover because I knew that the vinyl cover on the old mattress was there to protect it from leaks. How would the quilted cotton cover protect the new mattress? Naturalmat took care of that problem as well. All of their mattresses come with a free organic waterproof mattress protector (washable!) which keeps any leaks away from the mattress. Also, as I already mentioned, the mattress cover IS washable in the case that any leaks do happen to get through. I actually prefer the idea of being able to wash my mattress cover to wiping down a vinyl cover with some cleaning spray.

So, who/what is Naturalmat?

Naturalmat was founded with the aim of helping babies and children sleep safely and comfortably in the best, most natural environment possible. Harnessing the amazing potential of natural and organic materials including organic coir, latex and organic cotton, Naturalmat has created a collection of the finest organic bedding – handcrafted bedding that is superbly comfortable, breathable, washable and non-allergenic.

By choosing Naturalmat, parents know they are doing the very best for their children – and for the world they live in.

Naturalmat is the leading global manufacturer of 100% natural fiber and organic mattresses for babies, children and adults. Naturalmat was founded in 2000 in Devon, England by two sailors who identified a need for better, natural mattress options on boats. They used the knowledge they gained to create natural mattresses for their children. They were proud to create the first range of pure natural fiber mattresses for babies. Their mattresses provide parents with the peace of mind that babies will have a safe and restful night sleep on the highest quality natural fibers available today. Each handmade mattress provides an even temperature for baby to sleep on. Naturalmat manufactures and distributes mattresses around the world from its base in Topsham, Devon.

So, what kind of natural fibers do they use?

organic coconut fibers (coir) for breathability
organic lambswool for insulation
natural latex for spring
organic cotton cover

Curious how a natural fiber mattress is made? Check out this quick video showing how it’s done. Just watching it makes me feel SO much better about my baby’s mattress – I can’t wait for her to try it out! Still want to see more? Check out their YouTube channel for even more informative videos.

So, why Naturalmat mattresses?

They are natural and organic. Everything in Naturalmat mattresses is 100% natural and where possible organic. Each one is made by hand.
They are the most breathable on the market. Babies are very sensitive to temperature and don’t regulate their own body heat very well. Unlike synthetic materials, the natural fibers in Naturalmat mattresses allow a constant circulation of air. This helps keep baby from overheating, allowing better temperature control.
They use 100% renewable materials. All of the raw materials used in Naturalmat mattresses come from sustainable sources that are Fair Trade compliant. Every element of these mattresses is biodegradable and compostable!
They are hypo-allergenic and anti-dust mite. The organic wool used in Naturalmat mattresses has been treated with essential oils of lemon, eucalyptus and lavender (which I LOVE!) to give natural protection against allergies and bugs. Their latex is also 100% hypoallergenic!
They are machine washable. (Which I think is awesome!) The removable covers can be washed at 140°F, and dust mites are killed at 135°F. No more disgusting, dirty old mattresses!
They are naturally fire retardent. Without using any chemical additives or fire retardants in their products, Naturalmat was the first to comply with fire regulations in the US, Britain, and Europe.
They have better spring and support. The makers of Naturalmat mattresses have such an extensive knowledge of natural fibers that they have been able to select the most resilient and durable materials available. They have cleverly created the ideal combination of natural materials to offer a variety of comfortable support levels.
They use eco-friendly packaging. The cartons used for shipping Naturalmat mattresses are 100% biodegradable and 100% recyclable. Even the inner liner is made from potato starch which is 100% compostable.

The Coco Mat, which we are using, is perfect for both babies and children. It offers support, ventilation and insulation. It is the most breathable of all Naturalmat mattresses, which is ideal for newborns and infants. This breathability helps babies regulate their body temperature (and hopefully helps them sleep trough the night!) The Coco Mat is treated with lemon, eucalyptus and lavender oils to make it anti-dust mite, anti-moth and anti-mosquito.

Along with the Coco Mat, Naturalmat also offers the Spring Mat, which is ideal for newborns through older babies. The organic coir side is perfect for gently supporting newborns and can be flipped to the latex side for firmer support as baby grows. They also offer the Latex Mat, which is the most allergy-safe, and offers medium support for babies and children, and the Mohair Mat, which offers the most luxurious and firm support for older and heavier children. All of these mattresses are also treated with essential oils to be anti-allergy and anti-bed bug. If you are interested in a Naturalmat but can’t spring (pun intended) for a full mattress, or if you need a light mattress for travel, the Top Mat might be the ideal solution for you. It is lightweight and easily rolls up into a drawstring bag for transport. You can place the Top Mat right on top of an existing crib mattress so baby still gets a good night’s sleep in an ideal environment.

In addition to mattresses, Naturalmat offers a range of organic cotton bed linen, including the organic breathable waterproof mattress protector, organic cotton percale sheets and organic cotton flannelette sheets. Naturalmat’s mattress protector and sheets are made with Soil Association Certified Organic Cotton.

So, are you interested in buying one?! Naturalmat products are available online at www.naturalmatusa.com. Visit their website for the full list of local Naturalmat retailers. You can also keep up with Naturalmat online! Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and on their blog.

Here’s wishing you all an easy, peaceful sleep!

Remember when we were young and didn’t really have any chronic pains in our bodies? Those were good times, my friends. But if you are like me, then there’s at least some part of your body that is hurting at any given time. For me, that pain is quite often in my upper back. Tim is awesome, and gives me a back rub several times each week, but that only provides temporary relief. My back is where I carry all of my stress, and unfortunately, I’m the type of person who is prone to be stressed out. So that means my back is ALWAYS hurting. A few relief techniques I’ll discuss in this post are chiropractic medicine and tempurpedic mattress.

My BFF recently told me in a phone conversation that she’s been having back pain that won’t go away for about 3 weeks. One suggestions I had for her was to go to a chiropractor and see if the treatments offered by one could be of help. I’ve personally had mixed results using chiropractic medicine, but once I found a chiropractor that I felt I could trust, and who didn’t feel like a car salesman, I became more pleased with the results I was getting. Who treats you just as important as how you are being treated when it comes to chiropractic medicine, in my opinion.

My friend also mentioned that she and her husband had been shopping for a new mattress for a few months, and she suspected that her mattress might be part of the problem. She said that after doing lots and lots of research, they are planning on purchasing a tempurpedic mattress. I was really intrigued by this, because I’ve heard these mattresses are great, but have dismissed them due to their expense.

Well, it turns out that the cost of tempurpedic mattresses is not as high as they used to be. They have become more competitive in price with other mattresses. So that’s definitely a plus. Second, tempurpedic mattresses are far less likely than a mattress with springs in it to start sagging. As someone who currently sleeps on a 8 year old mattress that definitely sags, this has piqued my interest in this type of mattress for when we finally replace ours in a few years. If a mattress will last a few years longer, that makes it worth a little bit more money, in my opinion.

I will be really interested to hear if my friend sees any improvements in her back pain, and if she feels that those improvements are due to chiropractic treatments, her tempurpedic mattress, or a combination of the two.

This post brought to you by healthyback.com. All thoughts and opinions listed here are strictly my own.