Today was a big day for my husband and me. One of the key ingredients in our plan to keeping Maggie’s lungs healthy, and slowing down the progression of cystic fibrosis, is to keep as many toxins out of our home as possible. Since we all need new mattresses – us because we are severely overdue for one, and her because she is moving on up to a toddler bed – we went to Green Mountain Organics in St. Johnsbury, Vermont to look for certified organic mattresses.
While more expensive than a traditional mattress, certified organic mattresses don’t contain the toxic ingredients that traditional mattresses do such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chlorate, and phthalates. Some mattress companies won’t even divulge the ingredients in their mattresses. But even without knowing the exact ingredients, all mattresses must be fire retardant which means they have chemicals added to them that won’t allow your mattress to go up in flames, but smolder instead. This includes PBDEs or polybrominated diphenylethers, which have been linked to cancer among other diseases. Organic and natural mattresses, however, use wool, a natural flame retardant material, and therefore avoid the toxic flame retardant chemicals present in the average mattress.
Since we spend so much of our life sleeping with our faces and bodies pressed against our mattress and bedding materials, we felt it was important to ensure that our beds are free of toxins. Maggie doesn’t need to breathe in any chemicals that we can easily protect her from.
The mattress we chose for ourselves is by Savvy Rest and was customizable for our firmness preferences. It was more comfortable than an innerspring mattress because it is made from latex. Natural latex has a comfort level similar to that of the highly toxic traditional foam mattresses on the market. While the price was a little high for our budget, we feel it was money well spent. After all, mattresses are a 20-plus year investment and in our case, it’s one that can help keep Maggie and the rest of our family live healthier. Maggie’s new bed is a custom size so we have to wait to hear back on whether the company can make one in that size, but are hopeful that they will. We will do anything we can do to help her thrive and live as long and healthy a life as possible.