Safer Sleeping: Buying an Organic Mattress in NYC

Every night, babies and children go to sleep with their faces  pressed against their mattresses and their pillows. Typical mattresses have pesticides, polyurethane foam, flame retardants and formaldehyde which are associated with a host of health problems. Temper-pedic beds made with memory foam are the absolute worst–I heard–although many people love them.

Having a less toxic bed environment is important because we detox at night. Also, according to an article in the New York Times called Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit, poor quality sleep might be a contributing factor for some people with attention problems.

We are still sleeping on the same mattresses we have had for 12 years–only because I was also aware that if you aren’t going to buy a non-toxic mattress then an old mattress might be preferable to a new one that is off gassing chemicals. But today, I sprung for certified OMI organic mattresses for everyone. It is a small fortune*–but, I think,  a good investment in our health. I found OMI organic mattresses at Long’s Bedding on the Upper West Side in NYC. My friend Lisa researched organic mattresses for years and told me OMI were the best. Lisa isn’t an extravagant person. She is quite sensible and the number one priority in her life is her health. (She also has a journalism degree from Columbia–so she is good at research.)

“Everyone who lives  in New York City should have a good mattress and a good pair of shoes.” said Terri the salesperson at Long’s Bedding, where I bought my OMI mattress. I took the bus home from Long’s and calculated  how many cab rides I would have to forgo to pay for the bed–it’s a LOT of bus rides. But if you calculate the cost of the bed divided by 10 years and then divided again by the 356 days in the year the cost of an OMI bed at Long’s is about $1.62 per night and the cost of the youth mattress with a topper is 52 cents per night. Which is not a bad investment in the present and the future. I don’t drink Starbucks coffee–but it is certainly less than buying a Starbucks coffee everyday–which is not even organic.

OMI has a full line of beds, a youth bed  as well as crib mattresses that are endorsed by Healthy Child Healthy World. They even have certified organic pet beds “for your furry friends.” (Sorry Kathy–you aren’t getting an organic bed!)

To read more about this issue read: Sleep Safe in a Toxic World by Walter Bader.

Realistically, many people cannot afford an organic mattress. But if you find yourself in a position where you can spring for one–here is a buying guide at Clean Healthy NY.

Mommypotamus has a great article on How To Buy A Non-Toxic Mattress (And An Inexpensive Alternative.) BabeSafe, which is a mattress cover from New Zealand, is her recommendation to protect infants and babies from toxins in mattresses.  I did read that while the mattress wraps do seal in the chemicals–they are noisy because they are made of plastic. According to HealthyChild’s article on Mattress Offgassing, Polyethylene is the safest, most non-toxic plastic available for mattress wrapping. 

*organic mattresses from OMI run from $495 for a crib mattress to $1,395 for a youth mattress to $5,795 for a queen size.

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To see the whole line of organic mattresses go to OMI Mattress. To place an order, contact Terri, Judie or Bob Long at Long’s bedding in NYC. Long’s ship nationwide but best to try out the beds in person. 

Long’s Bedding

121 W 72nd St  

New York, NY 10023
www.longsbedding.com

(212) 873-1752