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I have been reading many of the posts on this forum but I am no closer to an answer. My son is moving out of his crib into a twin bed. For his 2nd birthday I am making over his nursery to be a big boy room. I want to make this redo as "green" as possible and not be adding a bunch of chemicals to his room. The mattress part of this project just has be stumped. I believe I want a 100% natural latex mattress, firmer core and softer top, and wool or other natural cover. No flame retardant chemicals! However being a thrifty mama I am having a hard time with the prices I have seen from Flobeds and others recommended here. I thought about foam by mail but I'm a little leary of them. Anyone have a recommendation (even better a link!) for a twin size latex mattress hopefully under 600? Or at least close to it? Also it can't be a super mattress because it is going on a bottom bunk bed. Many thanks! I need to purchase something asap because his birthday is in a couple weeks. |
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Hi Roy, wish I could help, I recently bought a twin sized mattress for my teenage daughter. I spent some months shopping, but I just could not bring myself to order from foambymail. I have seen pictures of decent latex some people have received, and some people are happy with what they get for the price, but I've also seem some pretty terrible latex others have received. For me, I just wanted to know the source of my latex (I wanted Latex International Talalay latex) and I wanted to know the latex and the cover would be good quality. If you order from a place like foam by mail, I believe all you get is a basic terrycloth cover (uh, even the terry cloth cover might be a $20 upgrade). I wanted a "real" mattress cover. I ended up getting the mattress from Sleepez, and I think it was a good value at $950 with no shipping (and no tax because it was out of state). I got the blended Talalay, because I have Blended Talalay in my own bed and some sources believe that it is more durable. I honestly do not think there is anything wrong with the blended, it may last longer, and it is a little less expensive. I did ask for, and receive, the organic cover at no extra cost. However, the twin I ordered was $950, more than you are looking to spend. I think I would view this in terms of the fact that a quality latex mattress should last your son until he goes off to college. Compared to other "S" brand mattresses, you may spend a few hundred dollars more initially, but spread over the lifetime of the mattress, you will more than make up for a slightly higher price in the number of years it will last. Case in hand - I bought my older daughter an "S" brand mattress she loved just a few years ago, maybe 3 years at the most. It has already had, for at least the last year, a giant crater in the middle of the mattress, due to the cheap PU foam used in its construction. Sometimes "price" "value" and "thriftiness" are not the same thing! |
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And you won't get 100% natural latex for that $950 either. Blended latex is cheaper. For the price you are looking for, Foam by Mail is about your only option...imo Hopefully, I will get my shipment from Foam by Mail tomorrow, and I will let you know how "terrible" it is. This message was modified May 20, 2010 by laredo7mm
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laredo7mm wrote: And you won't get 100% natural latex for that $950 either. Blended latex is cheaper. For the price you are looking for, Foam by Mail is about your only option...imo Hopefully, I will get my shipment from Foam by Mail tomorrow, and I will let you know how "terrible" it is. You can get cheaper twin mattresses by building it yourself but it still will cost a pretty penny. The only way to really get the price you want is to buy used (if you can find it) or buy something that is NOT "green". For example you could get a PU foam core at overnightmattress.com and add latex on top of it (get the one without the memory foam on it. more and more I read that memory foam may be toxic.) Put it in an allergy proof cover and that should solve any problems from dust mites in the foam. I don't think PU foam is that much of an issue with off-gassing. Otherwise you're just going to have to pay more than you want. |
| It might be possible to get a latex and wool mattress for less than that....actually I am sure it is. Although getting 100% natural might be an issue. Keep in mind for a child (and even most teenagers) even a 6" latex core is plenty of support (really even a 4" right now would be more than adequate). |
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Budgy raises a good point. For a very young child, he could probably get by with less latex - 4" or so should be adequate to support his light weight. As he gets older, though, you would want to add additional layers of latex to support the extra weight, and eventually you'd end up with somewhere between 8-10" of latex. So you may very well be able to do what you want within your budget. Look at Sleepez and Sleeplikeabear, they sell LI Talalay latex layers (they call them "toppers") and covers separately. For example, at Sleepez you can look at this page and see that a 6" 100% natural Talalay latex core is $460, a 6" zippered cover is $60, and shipping is $49, for a total of $569! Then as he gets older and heavier, buy additional toppers and new zippered covers to accomodate the new thickness of the mattress. This message was modified May 20, 2010 by KimberlyH
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Im actually gonna have to endorse that SleepEZ twin 6" core mattress. I didn't think you could do natural for that price....but there it is right there....no ones gonna beat that for the quality you get. I assure you that unless you have a really picky kid down the road that 6" will be adequate for a long time. |
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Kimberly and Budgy! See I knew if I asked the right people I could find what I am looking for! I want quality latex for my son but it was hard stomaching 1K price tags for a two year old! Ok I really want to order this tomorrow to make sure its here in time for his birthday room makeover. Last questions and I promise I will leave you guys alone. Any thoughts on whether I should do dunlop or talalay? Seems more people on this forum go for the talalay. Also what firmness do I want? I know with adults you take into account sleep position and weight. My kid sleeps every which way and only weighs 23 lbs. Bless his heart he is such a peanut for his age. But I know he will get much bigger over the years. I've read alot of posts about people buying for adults but not toddlers. Any help is appreciated! Thank you again! |
| personally I don't usually make recommendations for one over the other as it is more preference than anything. however with a 6" core....you might want to get a dunlop.....only reason being it will be plenty supportive enough for a while. and then if you need it softer down the road you can add a talalay process topper to it. |
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LOL I was going to say just the opposite and say stay away from Dunlop! I have tried it and did not like it at all! It has a dead, lifeless feeling compared to talalay, to my mind. But some people like it so it's a personal thing. If you went the Talalay route, I think a 32-ish ILD would give plenty of support and still be soft enough for comfort. Maybe you should phone Sleepez and ask what they think. |