The Essentia Blog

Michelle from didn’t leave a city asks…..

“Would you have any information regarding what type of memory foam is used in an infant product designed to elevate and secure an infant from birth to six months in the crib as described in One Step Ahead (can be viewed online), a catalog of baby products? It claims to be safe but I purchased one and the odor is quite strong. I am reluctant to let my newborn sleep on this.
Thank you in advance for your time.”

Answer: Memory foams are made from petroleum based chemicals and a slew of others. The odor, or off-gassing has been a major complaint among many. www.chem-tox.com/guest/guestbook.html

Personally I would not place my infant in any mattress that had an odor let alone a strong chemical odor but i’m a no health professional.

I would go with a 100% natural latex, rubber or organic cotton mattress with organic fabrics for a baby or one of Essentia’s Bio mattresses for a toddler.

All mattresses sold in the U.S.A are required to pass fire tests.
Chemical fire retardants should be avoided at all costs because they’ve been linked to all kinds of things like SIDS, cancer, learning and memory deficit as well as heart, lung and kidney damage. www.peopleforcleanbeds.org or www.essentiadirect.com/research/fire-retardants. Wools are natural fire retardants and often used in mattresses as fire retardants. Another option would be to get a doctors note which allows you to purchase a mattress without FR.

Read reviews and take your time in choosing a baby mattress because their developing bodies are very delicate.

It seems that people refer to us as, “Essentia..the natural Tempur-pedic mattress”. So Essentia is the natural Tempur….. if that means an eco-friendly, non-toxic, 80% more breathable alternative to Tempur that’s more comfortable, i’ll take it. It’s fine by me.

Tempurpedic commercials and website scream green, natural, fresh and their’s nothing natural about a Tempurpedic mattress. Tempur material, like all other memory foams are made with petroleum. That’s a natural resource right?

btw, that’s what we laugh about in-house

Common complaints with Tempur mattresses include eye irritation, heat build-up, fumes or off gassing.

So if you’re interested in a natural, non-toxic mattress made with natural latex, organic essential oils and plant extracts check us out.

Our mattresses offer a supremely comfortable sleep, being natural is just a bonus.