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It’s no secret that little ones spend a lot of time sleeping. Babies require copious amounts of rest to support the incredible development that is occurring in their tiny bodies. According to Stanford Medicine, newborns sleep 16-17 hours a day. All that sleep means a lot of time in contact with sleeping materials, making it essential to ensure that those materials are safe for their vulnerable systems and sensitive skin.
Exploring the best non-toxic crib mattresses, tuning in to what to avoid, and determining where to purchase them is a great place to start in the pursuit of being a guardian to our little angels.
Let’s get into it!
The Qualities We’re After
There are a few non-negotiables when it comes to crib mattresses. For safety reasons, they need to be firm, fit snugly in the frame, and be made from non-toxic materials. For cleanliness, ease of use, and comfort, it’s best if they can be moved by one person and have a waterproof cover that can be washed and changed. Let’s look more closely at each of these.
Mattress Firmness
It is vital that cribs have firm mattresses because infants cannot reliably lift their heads or independently change their position. To protect them while they sleep, they mustn’t be on surfaces that conform to their body shape, such as memory foam.
As your child ages, a softer surface becomes more attractive to them and is no longer a safety concern. For this reason, dual-sided mattresses that can be flipped at the appropriate time (as per your pediatrician’s recommendation) are a great option for mattress longevity.
Snug Fit
Another important consideration is how well the mattress fits in the crib.
For safety, it must pass the two-finger test, meaning that you should not be able to fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the side of the crib. If you can, it poses a risk to your little one.
Non-toxic Materials
We know that freshly minted humans are incredibly delicate and should be treated like the treasure they are.
With that in mind, it’s crucial to ensure toxic chemicals do not come into contact with that soft, permeable skin. Not all safety certifications are created equal, and some are more loose guidelines than rigorously tested and independently verified requirements. It helps to know what to look for.
- GREENGUARD Gold: Known for its strict standards, this certification offers peace of mind through testing for over 10,000 chemicals, meeting low-emission limits, and supporting better indoor air quality.
- CertiPUR-US: This certification knocks out the concern for a number of the better-avoided chemicals in one fell swoop. It ensures that the mattress doesn’t contain ozone-depleting foam, certain flame retardants, formaldehyde, heavy metals, or phthalates. It also certifies for low VOCs, ensuring better indoor air quality.
- JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association): This certification ensures third-party testing that exceeds federal regulations and provides independent verification of safety and quality.
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) & GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard): These certifications maintain the leading independent standard for organic materials, ensuring that at least 95% of the components are organic and free of hazardous chemical inputs.
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Class I: This certification is the highest tier of assurance that a finished product is free from harmful substances and infant-safe.
- MADE SAFE: This certification ensures the finished product does not contain substances known or suspected to harm people, animals, or the environment.
What to Avoid
It’s important to steer clear of certain materials when selecting your crib mattress. The top no-go materials are: Vinyl (PVC), Chemical Flame Retardants (such as PBDEs, TDCPP, and antimony trioxide), and Polyurethane Foam.
Each of these is associated with neurological damage, hormone disruption, and cancer, which is clearly unacceptable for your baby’s crib. In addition, it’s best to avoid PFAS, Formaldehyde, and phthalates, which show up in some waterproofing materials. These chemicals are linked to developmental problems, cancer, organ and immune damage, and endocrine disruption.
Ease of Use
Provided the mattress has certification ensuring the absence of unwanted, hazardous materials and chemicals, it is incredibly useful to have a waterproof cover. Babies make messes, and the easier it is to clean the spaces they inhabit, the fewer headaches and hassles you’ll have.
In that same vein, the weight of the mattress is important. If you can easily lift it, remove the cover for laundering, and replace everything yourself, you’ll be helping keep the peace of mind of your future self intact. With that criteria in mind, a mattress under twenty pounds is ideal.
Best Non-Toxic Options
Life keeps reminding me that there is no such thing as perfect. Instead of seeking the impossible, I prefer to identify my most salient concerns and make an informed decision from there. On that note, I selected an array of crib mattresses based upon my criteria of third-party safety certifications, proper fit, waterproof cover, maneuverable weight, dual-sided pediatrician-approved construction, and price tag. Here are my top picks:
Avocado
In their lineup, I loved the luxury organic crib mattress. It has all the safety certs, it’s dual-sided, free of chemicals, it has an organic waterproof protector you can purchase separately, it’s handmade to order in California, and it boasts a 25-year warranty.
As you can imagine, it also comes at a high cost, starting at $799 before adding the (non-negotiable) waterproof protector for $76. Another downside is that it weighs around 36 pounds, which can be a bit much for some to wrangle alone.
Naturepedic
In their lineup, I swooned for the Breathable Organic 2-Stage Baby Crib Mattress because it has a breathable, organic, waterproof, and allergy-friendly removable cover. I like the company for its organic, vegan, and chemical-free certifications, and for being made in the USA.
In addition, their mattresses have a seamless waterproof surface made from non-GMO sugarcane; they have a lightweight dual-sided option (only 14 pounds) and come with a lifetime warranty. They also meet AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) standards for mattress firmness, and the model I like starts at a less eye-popping price of $369.
Simmons Kids®
In their lineup, I like the Simmons Kids® Naturally Crib and Toddler Mattress for its affordability, lightness (15 pounds), dual-sided construction, waterproof cover, and GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US Certifications. It is also made in the USA and has a 35-year limited warranty. Perhaps the best part is that you can find this mattress starting at $94.
Helix
In their lineup, I like the Helix Crib Mattress for its dual-sided design, pediatrician-approved construction, waterproof, breathable, washable cover, lightness(16.3 pounds), GREENGUARD Gold and CertiPUR-US certifications, and high user ratings.
It is also made in the USA and has a limited lifetime warranty. In addition, it resides on the more affordable end, starting at $299.
My Top Pick
Each of these mattresses checked most, if not all, of my boxes, making any one of them a viable and satisfactory option. However, the two that made the final cut for me are the Avocado and Helix mattresses.
In the luxury slot, the Avocado mattress has it all: organic materials, a traceable supply chain, a laundry list of safety certifications, and B Corp status, so you can feel good about the quality and safety of your purchase and rest easy knowing it has a low environmental impact.
In terms of affordability, ease of use, and clearly high standards of construction, the Helix Crib Mattress impressed me the most. I love that you can easily remove the cover for washing and that it is light enough to flip, change sheets, or otherwise maneuver on your own.
The Takeaway
Babies are precious, their bodies are incredibly sensitive, and they rely on us for protection. Since ample rest is necessary to enable them to grow and thrive, where they lay their heads is vitally important. In a world rife with toxic chemicals, we have to be careful consumers to ensure that what comes in contact with our children’s skin is not a source of those toxins. Being informed, looking for third-party safety certifications, and taking care with our choices is a solid way to pursue that goal.
There are many options available on the market that meet or exceed safety standards for crib mattresses, but the two that stood out for me are Avocado and Helix. Avocado stands out for its high-end quality, sustainability, and organic luxury, while Helix stands out for its GREENGUARD Gold safety, user-rated quality, and manageable weight for easy cleaning. Whatever your personal goals and considerations, these two options are likely to provide a safe, durable, and comfortable place for your little one to get the rest their growing body needs.