Why Experts Say Non-Toxic Crib Mattresses Are So Important & Where to Buy the Best Ones
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There’s so much focus on a baby’s crib that it’s easy to forget that it’s the crib mattress that will be supporting your baby and toddler during nighttime and naptime for the next three to five years. But if you’ve been researching non-toxic crib mattresses, you’ve come to the right place. Crib mattresses come in a standardized size to tuck snugly into any crib, assuming you get a new or nearly-new crib that’s up to current safety standards. Never use a vintage crib made before 2011, when important regulations were put in place.
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lists other crib safety tips as well, noting that a crib mattress must be firm. It might feel hard to you, but it will be safe for your baby. Don’t put any blankets or pillows in the crib, since loose bedding is a suffocation hazard. The most that your crib mattress needs is a fitted crib sheet wrapped around it.
Best Non-Toxic Crib Mattresses at a Glance
Best Overall: Newton Baby Crib Mattress and Toddler Bed, $300
Runner-up: HALO DreamWeave Baby Crib Mattress and Toddler Bed, $220
Easiest to Keep Clean: Sealy Nature’s Haven 2-Stage Baby & Toddler Crib Mattress, $130
Best for Transitioning From Baby to Toddler: Babyletto Pure Core Crib Mattress, $199
Best Foam Option: Moms on Call Sleep & Grow Crib Mattress, $300
Lightest Option: Delta Children Twinkle Stars Breathable Baby Bed Crib Mattress, $100
Best Splurge: Naturepedic Organic Crib Mattress, $459
Best Hypoallergenic Option: Organic Dream Certified Organic Cotton Lightweight 2-Stage Crib & Toddler Mattress, $200
Best Traditional Spring Option: Beautyrest® Supreme 2-Stage Crib Mattress, $299
Most-Trusted Organic Option: Avocado Organic Crib Mattress, $439
Experts in This Article:
Laura Hunter, LPN, Co-Founder of Moms on Call
Jennifer Walker, RN, BSN, Co-Founder of Moms on Call
A crib mattress and a toddler mattress are one and the same, and if you buy a convertible crib that transforms from a crib to a toddler bed you can keep the same mattress, too. If you do buy a new toddler bed you can just move your crib mattress over to it. Because you can expect this mattress to hold your child for years, until it’s time for a twin bed and twin mattress, we recommend you shop for a well-made and non-toxic crib mattress.
Why Are Non-Toxic Crib Mattresses Important?
It seems obvious, right? But we asked Moms on Call Co-Founders Laura Hunter, LPN and Jennifer Walker, RN, BSN, for their take. They are each a pediatric nurse and are both moms, and their brand has its own mattress in our list below. “In the early days, your baby will spend more time sleeping than awake. That makes a crib mattress much more than just a sleep surface; it’s a growth and development center,” Hunter said. “For the healthiest and most comfortable sleep environment for your baby, you should know the components in your crib mattress.”
What Do We Mean By “Non-Toxic” or Organic Crib Mattress?
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests you avoid any crib mattress that lists PVC (usually for waterproofing), vinyl (sometimes used to cover a crib mattress) or polyurethane foam (sometimes in a mattress core) in its materials. All of those can potentially release toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over time that your baby might breathe in. For our list, we chose only crib mattresses without those materials. Also, we only list crib mattresses that are Greenguard Gold Certified, which means they’ve been independently tested to be sure there’s a limit, deemed safe by the UL Solutions organization, to how many VOCs they emit.
While a mattress can’t be “organic” in the way that food can be organic, you can buy a mattress made with some organic material, usually organic cotton in the cover. However, there are very safe, non-toxic crib mattresses that don’t use anything organic. Some might use recycled or recyclable materials for the core, making them a little better for the environment.
What to Look for When Buying an Organic or Non-Toxic Crib Mattress
Your budget is your budget and you might have plenty on your baby registry, so price might be paramount. Good non-toxic crib mattresses start at about $100 and go up from there. Many under-$75 crib mattresses, even those that are Greenguard Gold Certified, might have questionable materials, such as a vinyl cover — or terrible reviews. “Look beyond popular marketing terms like ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly,’’ Walker said. Check the materials closely. It’s always good to read user comments, too.
Note that while we love the idea of an organic cotton cover, many of those have to be hand-washed, whereas polyester or blended covers more often can go in the washing machine. We list the thickness of each crib mattress for your information, but a thicker mattress is not necessarily a better one. Six inches is the maximum thickness allowed by the CPSC for a baby’s crib mattress.
The Best Non-Toxic Crib Mattresses
Newton Baby Crib Mattress and Toddler Bed
This popular crib mattress was the first to have a core that can be brought into the shower and completely rinsed clean. The core is made of a woven polymer, a lightweight plastic like the kind used for yogurt containers. It’s breathable because air can easily pass through the mesh. That core is wrapped in a polyester cover you can put in the washing machine. You don’t need a crib sheet with this one (though you’re free to add one), and it’s sold in several cute colors to match your nursery. More than 90 percent of its Amazon reviews are five-star ones.
Material: “Wovenaire” core is a food-grade polymer; polyester cover
Styles: White, Gray, Pink or Blue
Thickness: 5.5 inches
Weight: 11 lbs
HALO DreamWeave Baby Crib Mattress and Toddler Bed
Halo’s DreamWeave is made of the same washable core material that the Newton uses. This one’s polyester-blend cover is waterproof on one side for the toddler years, when you’re potty-training, and the brand says that its cover is hypoallergenic. Like with the Newton, you don’t actually need a crib sheet for this mattress.
Material: Woven polymer core; polyester, rayon and spandex cover
Styles: This size is for Halo’s BassiNest
Thickness: 4.5 inches
Weight: 14 lbs
Sealy Nature's Haven 2-Stage Baby & Toddler Crib Mattress
Inside this Sealy are 150 traditional innerspring coils, buffered by cotton. The outside cover uses organic cotton fibers with PVC-free waterproofing on the underside, so you can spot clean or wipe the cover when needed. It’s made in the USA and is two-sided. You’re meant to use the firm side (marked) for your baby’s safety in the first year and then flip to the other, cushier side for toddlerhood.
Material: Steel coils, cotton filling; organic cotton and polyfiber cover
Styles: This version touts hypoallergenic (rather than organic) cotton in the cover
Thickness: 5.5 inches
Weight: 14 lbs
Babyletto Pure Core Crib Mattress
Babyletto’s soft-core mattress is covered in a zippered cotton cover that’s lined with a non-PVC waterproof lining. The brand suggests you hand-wash the cover. At nine pounds it’s among the lightest-weight crib mattresses so it’s easy to handle when you’re changing out the crib sheet. It’s a two-stage mattress with a firmer side for babies and a softer side for toddlers.
Material: Polyester core; cotton cover
Styles: Just the one shown
Thickness: 5 inches
Weight: 9 lbs
Moms on Call Sleep & Grow Crib Mattress
Looking for a non-toxic foam mattress? This is a new pick, manufactured by Colgate, with a firm baby side and softer toddler side. The foam is CertiPUR-US Certified, which means an outside organization has tested the foam core for low VOCs and ensured it’s made without harmful chemicals or flame retardants. The crib mattress is covered in a cotton cover.
Material: Foam core; cotton cover
Styles: Just the one shown
Thickness: 5.5 inches
Weight: 13 lbs
Delta Children Twinkle Stars Breathable Baby Bed Crib Mattress
At 8.5 pounds this is the lightest choice and the least expensive on our list, easier than many to take out of the crib when you want to clean it or change out the crib sheet. The fiber core is made entirely from recycled water bottles, and the cover is breathable and machine-washable.
Material: Fiber core made from recycled water bottles; cotton cover
Styles: White, green or pink
Thickness: 5 inches
Weight: 8.5 lbs
Naturepedic Organic Crib Mattress
This is the top-of-the-line Naturepedic crib mattress, with an organic-cotton cover and organic cotton fill all certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). A wave-shaped polyethylene core takes the place of traditional steel springs or foam. It’s a two-stage crib mattress with an extra-firm side for babies and softer toddler side.
Material: Polyethylene core covered by organic cotton fill; organic cotton cover
Styles: Naturepedic has a less expensive Lullaby Earth line too
Thickness: 6 inches
Weight: 14 lbs
Organic Dream Certified Organic Cotton Lightweight 2-Stage Crib & Toddler Mattress
A woven food-grade polymer core, like that of the Newton Baby and Halo, is covered by an organic, hypoallergenic cotton cover for this crib mattress. The cover should be hand-washed and the core can’t be rinsed with this one, but it’s an affordable price for a six-inch, two-stage crib mattress covered in organic cotton.
Material: Woven polymer core; organic cotton cover
Styles: Their washable core version costs a bit more
Thickness: 6 inches
Weight: 12 lbs
Beautyrest<sup>®</sup> Supreme 2-Stage Crib Mattress
This Pottery Barn Kids exclusive and bestseller, made by Simmons, is a traditional spring crib mattress with 190 coils, cushioned with a foam made in part from soy. Note that the brand recommends you add a mattress cover to prevent stains. The allure of Pottery Barn Kids is the in-home assembly option, so if you’re getting a crib from them you could add this non-toxic crib mattress and have it all set up for you in your nursery.
Material: Metal coils and foam fill; cotton cover
Styles: Just this one
Thickness: 6 inches
Weight: 27 lbs
Avocado Organic Crib Mattress
Boutique brand Avocado, a Certified B Corporation for its minimal environmental impact, has crib mattresses handmade in Los Angeles with coconut fiber, latex, cotton and wool, all GOTS-certified organic. They recommend their organic cotton mattress pad, sold separately, to protect the mattress. It’s the heftiest mattress on our list, a truly substantial pick, and also pricey, but this one is organic from core to cover. It’s dual-sided with one for babies, one for toddlers.
Material: Organic latex and organic coconut fiber core; organic cotton and organic wool cover
Styles: Just this one
Thickness: 5.5 inches
Weight: 28 lbs
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