The Best Organic Crib Mattresses For Your Nursery (2023)

26 min reading time

Are you an expectant parent with a packed schedule? Don’t worry about sifting through endless research to find a non-toxic crib mattress. We’ve done the work for you! Check out our curated list of the top organic baby mattresses.

If you’re like most new parents, you want everything for your baby to be just perfect. But your to-do list is long and time is short. What should be your top priority in the nursery?

Since babies spend most of their time sleeping, finding the best organic baby mattress is unquestionably the most important pre-baby task you have.

As you know, not all crib mattresses are created equal. Some are downright toxic, loaded with endocrine-disrupting PBDE flame retardants, formaldehyde-reeking glues, styrene-derived synthetic latex, or benzene-containing polyurethane foam.  

You rightly expect the materials in prolonged contact with your little one’s skin and close to their face to be free of toxic chemicals. This is crucial for avoiding dermal or respiratory absorption of harmful chemicals. Allergies, asthma, or worse could result if you don’t take all necessary precautions. 

In this article, find out everything you need to know about organic baby mattresses, including complete information on materials and certifications. We’ll make this important purchasing decision easier for you. Find Better Goods’ recommendations for the best organic baby mattresses in a handy table below.

Our Quick Recommendation: Avocado Green

After our full analysis, the best organic crib mattress we found was from Avocado Green.

They offer three different mattresses, so you can fit one to your budget.

They’re made from coconut coir, certified organic cotton, wool and latex and guaranteed to have no toxic chemicals. They’re also hand-sewn with no glues or adhesives, making them an easy choice for a safe crib mattress.

Click here to see the Avocado Green mattress on their website.

Table of the Best Organic Baby Mattresses and Runners Up

Here is a handy table summarizing several key points about the crib mattresses we analyzed. Please note that many brands have more than one crib mattress. We’ve linked to the most popular ones here.

MattressPriceWeight (lbs.)MaterialsWaterproofDual FirmnessReturns
Avocado$43928Organic cotton, coconut coir, wool, latexNYY
My Green Mattress$29916Organic cotton, coconut coir, wool, latex; metalNYY
Soaring Heart$499Organic cotton, wool, latexNNY
Savvy Rest$399Organic cotton, wool, latexNNN
Saatva$355Organic cotton, wool, latex; metalNYY
Green Cradle$699Organic cotton, wool, latexNNN
Naturepedic$29920Organic cotton, wool, latex; metal; PLA, polyethyleneYYY
Nook$43919Organic cotton, coconut coir, wool, latex; corn, glass-free rayonNYY
Lullaby Earth$279polyethylene, recycled polyesterYNY

Better Goods Picks: Best Organic Baby Mattresses

After careful scrutiny of materials and certifications to find crib mattresses that are truly organic—made only with all-natural and non-synthetic materials—here are our top picks for organic baby mattresses.

Soaring Heart

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Wool | Organic Latex
Made InUSA
Details20-Year Warranty | 30-Day Comfort Guarantee
Price Range$499
Where To BuySoaringHeart.com

In business since 1982, Soaring Heart is a small company based in Seattle where they handcraft all of their certified organic crib mattresses. No chemicals are ever used.

Soaring Heart selects its organic wool, cotton, and latex from small farmers in New Zealand, Texas, and Sri Lanka, respectively. They visit often to ensure quality as well as nurture strong working relationships with their partners.

We like Soaring Heart for being totally transparent about their certifications. Further, their GOTS and GOLS certifications are written with their name on them—not a distant supplier’s name. This ensures that you know the materials coming from them haven’t been intercepted by some unknown entity and possibly contaminated on the way to Seattle.  

The organic cotton in Soaring Heart mattresses is composed of 60% staple and 40% mote. The staple and mote are two parts of the cotton plant that are stronger and more expensive than the third part—called linter. Most mattresses and bedding use the linter. This unique blend needs no additives like boric acid added by other companies to pass all federal flame testing.

Crib mattresses by Soaring Heart are constructed slightly bigger than the average crib size to ensure a snug fit. This reduces the chance of a child slipping between the crib and the mattress, possibly causing injury or death. 

Their mattresses are as firm as all good crib mattresses must be to prevent accidental suffocation in cases where a baby turns over on their stomach, but they are thinner than others. This means your energetic baby who is pulling up or standing will safely stay inside even if the crib is on its lowest setting.

Soaring Heart is an active member of their community, participating in events for charitable causes. They donate 1% of all profits—which is a sizable chunk for a small business—to worthy organizations. They offer scholarships to youth aspiring to careers in mental health or compassionate care. 

Additionally, Soaring Heart partners with the nonprofit Spring Back Recycling to ensure all used mattresses are properly and completely recycled. From their product’s start to its end, Soaring Heart crib mattresses are truly sustainable and eco-friendly.

My Green Mattress 

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Coconut Coir | Organic Wool | Organic Latex | Metal
Made InUSA
Details20-Year Warranty | 365-Night Sleep Trial
Price Range$299
Where To BuyMyGreenMattress.com (Use code BETTERGOODS for 15% off)

The Emily Mattress (EM) by My Green Mattress (MGM) was developed by the company’s founder for his baby daughter who suffered from eczema and allergies. 

This mattress features GOTS-certified coconut coir blended with GOLS-certified natural latex. This blend serves to encapsulate 150 stainless steel springs. Although the metal springs may disqualify the EM from being all-natural for some organic purists, a stainless steel metal alloy is Earth-based. They are more eco-friendly than the plastic springs of other crib mattresses.

The metal springs are a higher gauge than those in other baby mattresses such as Naturepedic’s. This means the EM mattress is firmer than its competitors, which is a desirable feature for sleep safety according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The wool layer in the Emily Mattress is made of Oeko-Tex certified natural Ecowool, free of pesticides and heavy metals. Since wool is a natural flame retardant, no PBDE flame retardants are present. The EM also carries a Greenguard Gold certification signaling no VOCs.

Avocado Green

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Coconut Coir | Organic Wool | Organic Latex
Made InUSA
Products25-Year Warranty | 30-Night Trial
Price Range$439
Where To BuyAvocadoGreenMattress.com

Avocado Green (AG) offers three organic crib mattresses over a broad price range, so you’re sure to find something that meets your budget.

All AG mattresses contain coconut coir (husks) that provide a firm surface for your growing baby. They are made with GOTS-certified organic cotton and wool, and GOLS-certified organic latex grown in India. AG has close working relationships with their raw materials suppliers to guarantee quality. 

AG mattresses are Greenguard Gold- (no VOCs) and MadeSafe-certified (no toxic chemicals). 

Since they’re hand-sewn, AG mattresses have no glues or adhesives, which are responsible for formaldehyde off-gassing. 

Savvy Rest

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Wool | Organic Latex
Made InUSA
DetailsNo returns
Price Range$399
Where To BuySavvyRest.com

What we love about a Savvy Rest organic baby mattress is its all-natural simplicity. There’s a solid 5-inch slab of organic Dunlop latex surrounded by an organic quilted cotton casing. In between is an organic wool batting as a flammability barrier. For a minimal fee, you can receive a sample kit of the Dunlop and Talalay latex used in their crib and adult mattresses as well as a swatch of their mattress casing.

Savvy Rest is an employee-owned B corporation, so we know they treat their workers well and give back to their community. Certification logos are displayed on their site.

The Savvy Rest website isn’t clear on where their mattresses are made or if they’re handsewn. We’ve reached out to them for more details and in reply they said their crib mattresses are made in Virginia and are handsewn. 

Best Organic Baby Mattresses: Runners-Up

There are many companies selling baby mattresses that come close to being truly organic but aren’t quite there yet. Or, they claim to be organic- and may even use that word- but do not display the GOTS and GOLS seals on their websites, raising questions about whether their products actually are certified organic or do contain certified organic materials. Possibly, they are aspiring to hold those certifications one day.

Others we call runners-up offer unique products that capture our attention for good reasons. We’ll explain why below. It could be the reason why you decide to purchase their mattress.

When in doubt, Better Goods strongly suggests that you reach out to the company and request to see photos of the actual certifications. If you receive no reply, or are shown questionable documentation, we recommend you shop elsewhere.

We applaud the efforts of the following companies. Although they don’t meet our strict criteria for genuinely organic baby mattresses, they may suit your preferences. So, we’re including them here.

Saatva

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Wool | Organic Latex | Metal
Made InUSA
ProductsLifetime Warranty | 45-Day Free Returns
Price Range$355
Where To BuySaatva.com

What we admire about Saatva is their honesty. Their website page title for their crib mattress is simply “Crib Mattress.” Interestingly, this mattress contains both certified organic cotton and latex.  It is also Greenguard Gold-certified. 

What is unique about Saatva is Guardin, a natural antimicrobial and water-repellent coating made of essential oils and minerals. Unfortunately, the Saatva website doesn’t specify which Guardin product it is. Some contain no PFAS, toxic heavy metals, BPA, formaldehyde, or phthalates, but another contains some PFAS.  We’ve reached out to Saatva for clarification. In an email, Saatva said, “Guardin’s active ingredients are essential oils like mint and thyme.”

Saatva’s crib mattress stands out because it contains eucalyptus fibers for comfort and support. It is also certified by Oeko-Tex. However, Saatva describes its latex as “natural”—not organic—suggesting it may have been conventionally produced with pesticides or contain up to 30% of synthetic materials. 

In an email response to Better Goods about their latex, Saatva told us “We use both latex and coil support…Talalay latex offers a mix of breathable comfort and pressure point support. It is also extra durable, and extra resistant to body impressions. There are eucalyptus fibers woven into the support layers, acting as an extra-firm transitional layer above the center coil unit…We use GOLS certified 100% natural latex which is made from certified organically produced raw materials. All-Natural latex is a blend of approximately 98% natural latex and 2% carbon dioxide (CO2). The 2% CO2 is needed as a bonding agent in the “Natural Latex” process and obviously does not alter the fact that it is classified as 100% natural.”

We like that Saatva uses recycled metal in its coils. This is likely one reason why their crib mattress has earned a Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certification, a hallmark of sustainability and a circular economy. We know of no other crib mattress maker with this certification.

Green Cradle

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Wool | Organic Latex
Made InUSA
Products20-Year Warranty
Price Range$699

What caught our eye is Green Cradle’s huge 6-inch tall crib mattress they describe as “extra firm.” It is surely the thickest mattress we’ve seen. 

Such a mattress runs the risk of being too hard to sleep on. (See what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about that in their sleep guidelines.) Being so high, it could inadvertently make it easier for a baby to climb—or tumble—out.

Green Cradle describes its crib mattress as GOTS- and GOLS-certified. But neither of these seals are shown on their site.

Naturepedic

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Wool | Organic Latex | Metal | PLA | Polyethylene
Made InUSA
DetailsLifetime Warranty | 100-Night Free Trial
Price Range$269-$459
Where To BuyNaturepedic.com
CouponUse code BETTERGOODS15 for 15% off and free shipping!

We know that Naturepedic is considered by many to have the best organic baby mattresses on the market. We beg to differ.

Although their crib mattress webpage displays all the certified organic certifications as its major competitors, it does not tell you everything about the actual materials in the mattress.

Further searching revealed Naturepedic uses two types of bioplastics in and on their crib mattresses: bio-polyethylene and PLA. As we discussed in a previous section, there are important reasons why neither of these materials should be considered natural.

If a waterproof baby mattress is your primary criterion as you’re shopping, then Naturepedic is certainly better than one with a vinyl cover or a PFAS coating. But there are ways to protect an organic mattress with wool puddle pads or double flannel layers. Saatva products use Guardin for a natural water repellent.  

Nook 

MaterialsOrganic Cotton | Organic Coconut Coir | Organic Wool | Organic Latex | Corn | Glass-Free Rayon
Made InUSA
DetailsLifetime Warranty | 100-Night Free Trial
Price Range$249 – $439
Where To BuyNookSleep.com

Nook Pure Organic 2.0 crib mattress is different from other brands in that it comes with “glass-free rayon.” Unfortunately, it’s not clear what exactly this is, so we sent a question to Nook via email. It may be, as their website FAQ page suggests, “…a special corn fiber and rayon blend to meet flammability standards” that is wrapped around their natural coco-latex core. We’ll update this post if we hear back.

Nook states it uses 100% organic cotton, corn, coconut, and rubber tree latex. As we mentioned in a previous section, corn diverted from food use is problematic in a world experiencing massive crop failures due to the climate crisis.

We’re also concerned about the Dreamsheet by Nook, composed of “tencel fibers…filled with poly fiber to create the softest machine-washable ‘pebble’ puffs.” Tencel is chemically processed wood pulp. It’s not clear if the poly fiber is derived from fossil fuels, so we included a question to Nook about that, too. Questions also arise about RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE, a supposedly all-natural water and stain repellent.

Nook makes another crib mattress, the Air 2.0 Lightweight, which contains “CertiPUR-US foam, glass-free rayon, non-toxic polyester.” From the sound of it, this mattress doesn’t seem too natural.

Lullaby Earth

MaterialsPolyethylene | Recycled Polyester
Made InUSA
ProductsLifetime Warranty | 30-Day Free Trial
Price Range$179-$279
Where To BuyAmazon

Lullaby Earth doesn’t make any claims about being certified organic. What we find intriguing are its claims to having a “breathable mattress.” Unfortunately, it’s not clear what it’s made of until you go to their page titled Crib Mattress Safety.

There it says their mattresses are made of “…food-grade polyethylene and polyester—common materials used throughout the food packaging industry due to their purity and recyclability.” As described above in this article, neither part of that statement (purity and recyclability) is true.

Bottom Line on the Best Organic Baby Mattresses

Our Quick Recommendation: Avocado Green

After our full analysis, the best organic crib mattress we found was from Avocado Green.

They offer three different mattresses, so you can fit one to your budget.

They’re made from coconut coir, certified organic cotton, wool and latex and guaranteed to have no toxic chemicals. They’re also hand-sewn with no glues or adhesives, making them an easy choice for a safe crib mattress.

Click here to see the Avocado Green mattress on their website.

What Makes a Baby Mattress Organic?

You may be familiar with the USDA Certified Organic label. This certification applies only to foods and beverages or to agricultural products.

If a crib mattress contains 95% or more of USDA Certified Organic materials—such as coconut coir, cotton, wool, or rubber latex—it may be certified organic if the company undergoes certification by an authorized organic certifier.

To the best of our knowledge, only a few companies actually sell authentically certified organic baby mattresses. This means they went through the rigorous process to become certified organic. 

OMI was the first company to earn this certification for mattresses. Although they used to offer a certified organic crib mattress, a 404 Page not Found error message appeared when we tried to find it at the time of writing. We sent OMI an email about this. They replied: “We are no longer selling/making crib mattresses. I’m so sorry.” OMI still sells luxury organic mattresses for adults.

For all other products, there is no legal definition for the term organic. Unfortunately for shoppers, companies may—and do—use this term loosely. What one company means by the word is usually not exactly how another company interprets it. 

In keeping with the spirit of how organic is used for foods, beverages, and agricultural products, an organic crib mattress—as most people understand it—means at the bare minimum that it is non-synthetic and all-natural

So now the question about the meaning of organic turns on what precisely non-synthetic and all-natural mean.

The Importance of Choosing Petrochemical-Free Products

Any ingredient derived from fossil fuels (coal, oil, or gas) is synthetic. These ingredients are called petrochemicals. In general, the manufacturing process of petrochemicals involves or generates toxins like dioxins and furans. Many of these are carcinogenic. 

In some cases, final products may also possess residues from the manufacture of the chemicals making it up. So, consumer products could be carcinogenic—or, to say the very least—toxic—because of how their components are made. 

To avoid even the slightest possibility that organic products contain toxic residues, a truly organic product would not allow synthetic substances to be a component of it. This must be the case especially for items that come in direct contact with newborn babies. In other words, organic baby mattresses should be non-synthetic

For organic crib mattresses, we’ve noticed that many certifications parents have come to trust permit the presence of petrochemicals in their mattresses or mattress covers. Although certain parts of their mattress may be organic, not all components are. In this article, we’ll point out these peculiarities. Then, you’ll have complete information on competing brands before you make a purchasing decision.

The Major Petrochemicals in Baby Mattresses

Though by no means complete, here is a list of the major petrochemicals to watch out for in baby mattresses:

  • Polyurethane
  • Flame retardants (PBDEs)
  • PVC (vinyl)
  • Phthalates
  • Formaldehyde
  • Naphthalene
  • Benzene 
  • Polyester
  • Polyethylene

Research on endocrine disruptors like PBDEs and phthalates in crib mattresses show they are particularly bad for infants undergoing rapid neurological development. Because these petrochemicals are not tightly bound to a base substrate (like foam), they continually loosen and float into the air—or your baby’s lungs.

Also, research on the presence of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in the air around cribs proves infant exposure is at elevated and unhealthy levels. VOCs, like formaldehyde or naphthalene, shouldn’t ever be in mattresses. So, it becomes critical to find a mattress that has no components that are fossil fuel-derived because they could generate VOCs.

All-Natural

A baby mattress that contains only materials derived from living organisms such as plants or animals is all-natural. These materials have not undergone intensive processing. 

One test for a material being natural is that it will decompose in a backyard soil compost pile in a few days to months. There is no need for excessively high temperatures under strict industrial conditions for decomposition.  

Here’s a list of natural materials commonly found in some organic baby mattresses:
  • Cotton
  • Wool
  • Rubber latex

PLA in Baby Mattresses

Other lists we found of crib mattresses include several products containing PLA (polylactic acid), considering it to be natural. This is not true.

Although formed from fermented plants, (corn, cane sugar, or cassava root), PLA does not break down under normal conditions in a reasonable amount of time like natural substances will. For example, pure wool and cotton completely break down in garden compost after a few weeks or months. 

Research estimates that only 1% of PLA will break down after 100 years. So, it is misleading for companies selling PLA products to claim they are biodegradable and sustainable—two words used frequently by industries as code for natural

Furthermore, there are only a handful of recycling plants in the United States that can recycle PLA under high temperatures in a controlled environment. But it rarely is. 

So, it is misleading for companies selling PLA products to say they are recyclable as if it’s commonly done. It’s not. PLA products mostly end up in a landfill, unchanged for decades or even centuries. Since breakdown will be slow and incomplete, there will likely be side effects, including contaminant leakage or microplastic formation.

Some PLA manufacturers add chemicals to it to make them more degradable. Some of these additives are petrochemicals. To determine what they are, you’d need to contact the PLA manufacturer.  They will likely claim it’s proprietary information and will not tell you.

Researchers studying PLA compared its breakdown products to microplastics derived from fossil fuel-based plastics. Both types of microplastics are harmful to aquatic animals. 

In some cases, PLA-derived microplastics are as deleterious as fossil fuel-based microplastics. By extension, they are harmful to humans who consume seafood contaminated by these microplastics.

Other reasons that PLA is not sustainable:
  • Fragility of PLA — PLA is a fragile material. To enhance its strength and flexibility, which are vital characteristics for a crib mattress used by active babies, manufacturers often resort to the addition of petrochemicals to PLA. The exact composition can sometimes be proprietary, which means you might not be privy to the full details of the substances used.
  • Conventional Production Process — The raw materials used for creating PLA are conventionally grown, which often means the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides derived from fossil fuels.
  • Emission of Greenhouse Gases — The production of PLA results in significant emission of nitrous oxide, a highly potent greenhouse gas, which is even more harmful than carbon dioxide or methane. This emission primarily occurs during the creation and utilization of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that are needed for the cultivation of raw materials for PLA. On the other hand, the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is banned under USDA Organic rules.
  • Higher Greenhouse Gas Emissions Compared to Other Plastics — The incorporation of these additional elements in the production of PLA likely results in higher overall greenhouse gas emissions compared to other plastic types like HDPE (plastic type #2) or LDPE (plastic type #4), as demonstrated in the following graph:

Source: Ghomi, et. al. (2021)

Polyethylene in Baby Mattresses

Most polyethylene today is derived from fossil fuels and used to make plastic. Recently, polyethylene made from foods like sugar cane or corn has become available. A few crib mattresses contain it. It is touted as a sustainable bioplastic.

Although bio-polyethylene (to distinguish it from its fossil fuel-derived analog) appears to be a natural choice as a mattress component, shoppers should know that bio-ethylene is not as natural—or eco-friendly—as it sounds. 

Research shows that using renewable resources (like food) as starting materials to make products reduces carbon emissions. But there are increased environmental costs (deforestation, pollution runoff, etc.) needed to grow the foodstuffs. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizer used in conventional agriculture also adds to the carbon footprint of bioplastics. Producing organic cotton, wool, or rubber latex prohibits the use of these environmentally costly inputs.

Furthermore, in a time of accelerating food insecurity due to the climate crisis, diverting food production to make bioplastics is controversial. If a “more” natural option for a product such as a crib mattress is already available, the sustainable choice is the more natural option. Certified organic crib mattresses, produced using only non-consumable agricultural products that don’t need to undergo an energy-demanding conversion like they do in bioplastics manufacture, are the better choice.

Why a Used Crib Mattress is a Bad Idea.

Hand-me-downs are great! But when it comes to baby crib mattresses, it’s actually a no-go.

While you might be okay if you know exactly what you’re looking for, some studies have linked the use of old crib mattresses with an increased risk of SIDS.

A study published in 2002 by the British Medical Journal concluded that there was a “…valid statistical associated between sudden infant death syndrome and the use of an infant mattress previously used by another child…” and I would therefore never recommend letting your baby sleep on a used crib mattress.

Other reasons not to purchase a used crib mattress:

  • Third-hand smoke. This is the toxic chemicals that linger after a cigarette or cigar is extinguished. According to the government-funded tobacco-awareness website, Breathe Easy Maine, “Infants exposed to thirdhand smoke are more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and those exposed are at an increased risk for asthma.”
  • They’re unsanitary. Crib mattresses are magnets for poop and pee, and you have no idea how well the previous owners took care of it. Moisture can lead to mold, bacteria and fungi growth inside of the mattress too. Pretty icky stuff, and you’d never know about it unless you cut the mattress in half.
  • They can be full of dust mites (or even bed bugs). An improperly cleaned mattress can be a dust mite or bedbug gateway into your home.
  • Crib mattresses don’t last forever. A used mattress may not have a lot of life left in it. If it’s starting to sag or lose its support, it might not be safe to use anymore. A sagging mattress is a definite SIDS risk.
  • Safety standards have changed. While we’re all about buying an organic crib mattress here, older crib mattresses used flame retardants like PBDEs which are even worse than the ones used today.

It’s just not worth using a hand-me-down mattress.

Crib Mattress Certifications

Discovering the specifics and differences between mattress certifications should not be a painful or time-consuming process. Unfortunately, it is often both.

Here’s an essential guide to what you need to know when shopping for a crib mattress to make your search more effective.

For more on what an organic baby mattress is in light of the following certifications, the Organic Trade Association has an insightful article on the topic.

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification guarantees that 95% of the mattress is made of certified organic materials. There are prohibitions on what the remaining 5% can be. For instance, PBDEs, polyurethane, heavy metals, and formaldehyde are definitely excluded. A GOTS certification also ensures that the entire manufacturing and distribution process is environmentally sound and socially responsible.

Version 7.0 of this standard becomes fully in force in March 2024. Currently, companies are transitioning from the earlier version to the new one. With a nod to sustainability, this version permits for the first time the use of recycled GOTS-certified materials. To decrease the release of harmful microplastics to the environment from recycled plastics (polyester fabric, used water bottles), there are greater restrictions on their use in GOTS-certified products. The standard also recognizes that recycled plastics decrease the quality of GOTS goods.

Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certification assures you that 95% of the mattress is made of certified organic latex sourced from rubber trees. There are restrictions on what the remaining 5% can be, similar to those for GOTS. This standard prohibits silica, boric acid, modacrylic, or other flame retardants. Graphite (carbon) is allowed as a flame retardant up to 30% of the product weight. 

Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ensures that all materials in the item do not emit volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). The product does not have to be certified organic. Mattresses with this certification could contain synthetic foam. Oeko-Tex Organic Cotton and Oeko-Tex Standard Made in Green are two additional credentials organic baby mattress companies may wish to seek. Only 70% organic cotton is needed for the Oeko-Tex organic cotton label. Among the prohibited substances are PFAS.

UL Greenguard and Greenguard Gold certifications promise that products contain low or no VOC emissions, respectively. Certified goods have been screened for 15,000 chemicals found in indoor air.

CertiPUR-US certification applies to the foam portion of mattresses. It guarantees heavy metals, CFCs (ozone-depleting chemicals), formaldehyde, and certain flame retardants and phthalates are not in the foam. CertiPUR foam is low-VOC. Because this standard was developed by the foam industry rather than an independent third-party like all the other certifications mentioned here, its credibility is compromised. 

Tips When Evaluating Organic Baby Mattress Certifications: How Not to Get Duped

Over the years doing consumer research, we’ve learned a few things about how companies use certifications to their marketing advantage. Sometimes, this benefits only them—not you.

Here are tips when cross-comparing brands’ certifications.
  • Website Certification Seal — Generally, a certification seal posted on a company’s website can be considered trustworthy. However, to confirm the authenticity of the seal, it’s advisable to cross-verify with the certifying authority to ensure the company is in good standing.
  • Certificate Verification — If the certification isn’t displayed on the company’s website, request a copy. Always check for signatures. To guarantee that your crib mattress includes the certified material, the signature should belong to an employee or the owner of the mattress company.
  • Certified Material Content — Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof way to ascertain if a mattress contains only certified material. Some companies may unethically mix certified material with conventionally grown material, while claiming to hold certain certifications and sell certified goods.
  • Trust & Due Diligence — Ultimately, it comes down to trust. Engage with the company, seek out online reviews or solicit feedback from friends who have already navigated the process of selecting an organic crib mattress. This can help you confirm or dispute the company’s claims.

New parents in search of the best organic baby mattress need to consider materials and certifications before purchasing. Your best options will be made with organic cotton, wool, and rubber latex. Organic coconut coir is also a great material for a crib mattress. No flame retardant chemicals such as PBDEs will be present.

The GOTS and GOLS standards are the highest ones for organic baby mattresses. With these certifications, you can be assured that you have a high-quality item free of toxic chemicals.

Better Goods recommends these certified organic baby mattresses:

It’s true that organic baby mattresses cost more than conventional mattresses. However, it’s an investment in your baby’s life that will repay itself in good health for years to come. And that is priceless. Your baby will thank you. ????

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1 Comment

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    Nancy Jeffrey

    A very educational mattress review. As a pediatrician, I was very happy to see the warning about memory foam mattresses. That warning needs to be more widespread.

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