Natural Mat's Organic Crib Mattresses

We put so much thought into decorating our baby’s nursery and making it childproof that it can be easy to overlook the place where baby spends most of his time- the crib. If you’re concerned about offgassing of the petroleum-based polyester,nylon and polyurethane foam that makes up most mattresses and looking for a natural alternative, check out Natural Mat. Unlike standard polyurethane babymattresses, Natural Mat‘s crib mattresses are made of natural and organic raw materials and are naturally flame-retardant, contain non-toxic dust-mite resistance, and are completely free of synthetic chemicals and materials.

For the last two months, since we moved her out of her converted crib/toddler bed, Anya has been sleeping on Natural Mat’s twin-size Latex Mat, their most hypo-allergenic mattress. Anya adores the bed and gets jealous when any of her friends try to sit on it. But she probably most enjoys the fact that it’s a "big girl bed" but I can tell she likes it because she settles down very easily. Since her bedtime routine includes our lying down with her till she falls asleep (I know, I know), Josh and I can attest to the bed’s comfort. If we didn’t already have a natural foam mattress for our bed (Sterns & Foster I think), I would ask the company if they could make me a Natural Mat in king size!

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The Latex Mat mattress’ latexis completely natural and is tapped straight from the rubber tree. Thelatex forms a springy core and is sandwiched between layers of organiccoir for extra support. This is then wrapped in the company’s uniquelambswool which is bathed in a mixture made from extracts of lavender,lemon and eucalyptus making it completely anti dust-mite as well asmaintaining the excellent thermal insulating properties of wool. The27” x 52” crib mattress retails for $525. The twin size retails for$999.

They also offer the Coco Mat and Mohair Mat. The Coco Mat is their mostbreathable mattress and ideal for small babies. It’s made from coconutfibers that are coated in natural latex and wrapped with lambswool. Thecrib size retails for $375. The Mohair Mat is their premium mattress,offering a firmer base. The core is made of horsetail hair (the longestand most durable natural fiber in the world), sandwiched between layersof organic coir, and wrapped in mohair fleece. It retails for $625.

All of their mattresses are covered in an unbleached cotton herringbone cover, which isremovable and machine washable. Thecompany also sells an 100% organic cotton bed linen range,which includes unbleached organic cotton sheets and mattress protectors ($70). The sheets are cotton percale ($45) for summer and flannelette ($46) for winter.

CBB Deal: Save 10% on any Natural Mat product from barebabies.complus receive free shipping for anything over $99 when you use couponcode cbbnm10off (expires 3/08).

For more information about "eco-nomizing" your bedroom, visit the Green Guide.

Comments

I am wondering how this company can claim the natural rubber Latex they use is 100% non-allergenic.. Many people have severe latex allergies and some people can have a dangerous reaction just from being in the same room as a single balloon made out of latex.. not just from direct contact it like they claim.

- Angie on February 19th, 2008

I agree with Angie, these mattresses are a pile of allergies. It has all the things you don’t want near your baby including animal hairs and latex. Horse hair? Seriously? And wool is not much better. There are much better and less toxic mattresses out there and for a lot cheaper. Go for organic cotton, not animal hair.

- Kate25 on February 20th, 2008

Angie and Kate,

I am responding to your comment on behalf of Natural Mat regarding our claim that the natural rubber latex we use is 100% non-allergenic. Latex allergy is associated ONLY with touching the actual product. The FDA highlights (please see last paragraph below) that you cannot use the term hypoallergenic when it is likely that there will be human contact with natural latex. This in practical terms is related specifically to the medical industry where there is direct skin contact through latex gloves, etc. In the Natural Mat product, the latex is sandwiched between two layers of coir, then a layer of wool, then two layers of cotton covers. Without actually cutting into the mattress there would not be any direct skin contact with the Natural Mat product, which is what all latex allergies are related to. Additionally, latex is a hypoallergenic material because allergens cannot grow, thrive or attach themselves in any way to latex, which is why the product is heavily used in the medical industry.

Angie and Kate, this is also the case with horsehair. Any allergies caused by horsehair are solely caused by touching it. Horsehair does not “outgas”, and does not cause any allergies by proximity. It is only by touching it that a very small percentage of the population reacts. The four layers around the horsetail hair on the Mohair Mat, and the two tightly woven layers of cotton surrounding the wool layers on our products not only assure our small customers’ utmost comfort, but they also protect against allergy concerns.

And although there are a plethora of products out there using cotton, the vast majority of them are cotton or organic cotton with some sort of polyurethane or other non-breathable coating on it to make the mattress waterproof, thus completely eliminating the breathable benefits of cotton.

Finally, of the thousands of Latex Mats and hundreds of Mohair Mats Natural Mat has sold for infant use throughout England, Europe and now the U.S., we have never had one instance of any adverse allergic reaction of any level from the use of our products. We pride ourselves on providing what we, and thousands of mothers believe to be the best product we can possibly make to aid in baby’s well being.

FDA (regarding use of latex in products under FDA jurisdiction):
Labeling of medical devices containing natural rubber latex that is likely to come in contact with humans must state in bold print: “Caution: This product contains natural rubber latex which may cause allergic reactions”… Labeling of medical devices that contain natural rubber likely to come in contact with humans shall not contain the term “hypoallergenic”.

- Hilary on February 26th, 2008

Nevertheless some people DO have severe reactions to latex even from the latex particles in the air. People can even have an allergic reaction from vacuuming carpet with a latex backing!
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/latexalt.html#types

Yes, latex is heavily used in the medical industry, but if you notice more and more hospitals and doctors offices are becoming latex free/latex safe because of the possibility of a serious allergic reaction, including Kaiser Permanente. Especially with gloves, which would obviously be the product most commonly in contact with skin.
See the following articles: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=4148
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BPC/is_9_26/ai_91653566

- Angie on February 27th, 2008

I always like to air on the side of caution. As a concerned parent, I am always looking for the BEST product available for my child, not the good enough one. I can attest that there are organic mattresses available on the market that have no latex or wool or mohair (possible allergy materials) and also do not contain “some sort of polyurethane or other non-breathable coating” as the previous post tries to point out!

- Ellie on July 20th, 2008