{"id":147,"date":"2010-01-08T15:44:22","date_gmt":"2010-01-08T23:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/katherinemalmo.com\/blog\/?p=147"},"modified":"2010-02-26T15:08:05","modified_gmt":"2010-02-26T23:08:05","slug":"mattress-quest-part-i-%e2%80%93-the-retardants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katherinemalmo.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/08\/mattress-quest-part-i-%e2%80%93-the-retardants\/","title":{"rendered":"Mattress Quest Part I \u2013 The Retardants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is how I see her<\/p><\/div>\n

Several months ago a mother in our parents\u2019 group said she was concerned about putting her daughter in a sleep sack because when her baby pulled herself to stand in her crib she got her feet tangled. Sometimes she fell. The mother wanted to know if anyone else was concerned. When no one answered I said that anything that kept my child in bed, that kept her from climbing over the rail, that, in short, hobbled her was a good thing. So it should come as no surprise that I\u2019m not excited about Josie\u2019s transition to a big-girl bed. I can\u2019t imagine her staying in a bed without bars. In fact, it\u2019s a beautiful miracle that she hasn\u2019t already learned to climb out.<\/p>\n

This, my friends, is the rarely-mentioned dark-side of potty training. Freedom to reach the bathroom means freedom to roam the bedroom.<\/p>\n

In spite of my reluctance, I have to begin my quest for the right natural, organic mattress. My first stop is the Soaring Heart Natural Bed Company (http:\/\/www.soaringheart.com\/<\/a>). I\u2019ve read their ads in my grocery store\u2019s monthly newspaper forever. I walk into the colorless showroom and sit on a mattress made of latex that I\u2019m pretty sure was hand carried from the mountains of China by peasant children with clear skin and good personal hygiene. I tell the salesman I\u2019m looking for a twin size bed for my daughter and ask him to tell me everything.<\/p>\n

He says latex is the way to go. It\u2019s guaranteed not to hold an impression for twenty years. I ask if it\u2019s hot, like Memory Foam. He says it\u2019s breathable and shows me a sample of foamy rubber riddled with holes. I ask him about the difference between an inner-spring mattress and latex. He says they don\u2019t have an organic inner spring mattress and (again) that latex is guaranteed not to hold an impression. I ask how I should protect against kid pee. He suggests a machine-washable, liquid-repellant, organic wool topper.<\/p>\n

The latex mattress he recommends costs $800. As my mother later says, what is it, made of diamonds<\/em>? He reminds me Josie will spend one-third of her time on this mattress. Then he points out that it\u2019s a natural material that won\u2019t off-gas and it\u2019s not treated with any kind of chemical flame retardants.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s stop here for a minute and ponder flame retardants, shall we? In the past, these chemicals, in various forms, have been used on our clothes, furniture, carpets, electronics, etc and have been found to cause thyroid hormone disruption, learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, hearing problems, delayed puberty, decreased sperm count, birth defects and, possibly, cancer (http:\/\/www.ewg.org\/node\/8412<\/a>). One particularly dangerous category of flame retardants called PBDEs was used on furniture until 2005 (yes, that means anything made prior to 2005 is suspect). These days some mattress manufacturers meet flame resistance regulations by using other (hopefully less toxic) chemicals, while some, like Soaring Heart, insert a fabric fire barrier between the inner layers and outer cover.<\/p>\n

Chemical flame retardants aren\u2019t only used on mattresses and furniture. You may find Proban or THPC \u2013 which have been linked to genetic abnormalities and damage to the liver, skin and nervous system \u2013 on children\u2019s pajamas.<\/p>\n

How do you know if pajamas are treated with a chemical retardant?<\/p>\n