For your friends named Sloan, Poppy or Something Jane, Serena & Lily now has an organic mattress that mumsy can add to the very discreet registry, (which will most certainly not be mentioned on the Mrs John L Strong invitations).

Serena & Lily also have several sweet, Palm Beach (sans “West”, thank you) worthy organic sheet sets, that would all look positively darling on said mattress.

and…

and…

It’s nice to know that headband wearing mums can keep their heirs and spares just as safe as the rest of us.

Now go fix mummy a martini….

If you read this blog, you most likely have an organic mattress for your little one.  But this, this fantastic invention makes our organic mattresses look positively archaic.

Nook, a company brought to my attention by an old friend from my days in advertising, is making this fantabulous organic mattresses, called Pebble, that, in their own words:

” From a unique air layer that fosters oxygen flow inside the mattress, to the superior softness of all-natural eucalyptus fibers, to the unique pebbled surface that promotes air circulation, every detail is examined for maximum breathability, non-toxicity and smart design in the crib.”

Now. It could all be bollocks – but for $610 it had better not be.

The funky futuristic looking thing will delight trendy parents, the air circulation thing will assuage the traditionalists.

What I love most, is that this mattress is an indication of things to come. Organic baby things are the future – and all our gear and furniture will just continue to get better, healthier, safer and more beautiful.

Which makes me happy.

Happy Sunday!

Like many newlyweds, my husband and I bought a new mattress when we got married. A non-organic one. Soon after I suffered the first of three heart breaking miscarriages. The first were on Clomid. The second two with IVF.

Now. I’m not suggesting that the flame retardant saturated mattress was the only reason for my fertility issues (my life was non-organic then), but this new research does give one pause….

via SafeMama

From: HERE

“Women exposed to high levels of flame retardants take substantially longer to get pregnant, indicating for the first time that the widespread chemicals may affect human fertility, according to a study published Tuesday.”

The article goes on to explain:

“This study provides the first evidence that PBDEs may impact human fertility,” wrote the authors, led by epidemiologist Kim Harley, in the study published online inEnvironmental Health Perspectives. “If confirmed, this finding would have strong implications to women trying to conceive given that exposure to PBDEs is nearly universal in the United States and many other countries.”

Harley said “the results are surprisingly strong.”

“These findings need to be replicated, but they have important implications for researchers,” she said.

Each ten-fold increase in a woman’s blood was linked to a 30 percent decrease in her odds of getting pregnant.

Previously, laboratory tests have found altered male hormones and reduced sperm counts in animals exposed to PBDEs. But this study is the first to find reduced human fertility.”

FIVE years later (after our mattress had off-gassed), we were finally blessed, thanks to Dr. Kaplan at the Fertility Centers of Illinois, with our impossibly beautiful and stunningly healthy little boy.  Needless to say, his crib and toddler mattress, as well as his changing table pad, are all organic.

As will be our next mattress which I am getting for my birthday.

The stork hates fire retardants.

When you can, please buy an organic mattress (or, at least a topper) – and tell all your engaged friends to as well. Other mattresses aren’t worth the nightmare that is infertility….

Sleep on it.

When Toby Belch advises Aguecheek to place as many lies on a sheet of paper as would fit on a sheet on the great Bed of Ware….the mattress on said bed, was organic.  400 years ago when that cheeky challenge was first penned by Shakespeare, who clearly knew of this immense bed -  randy bard that he was – (incidentally, also referenced in Don Juan), mattresses were filled with straw, wool and feathers. (Personal Note: My best friend and I were nearly chucked out of the Victoria & Albert Museum for touching this bed for good luck. I’m almost 8 months pregnant, so there you are….)

Though I itch just thinking of how many mites lived with one in a straw bed, today’s organic mattresses are again using naturally fire retardant, breathable, waterproof (via the lanolin), antibacterial property sporting wool, often topped with unbleached, soft as angel wings down.

What you will not find in these beds, nor in the great Bed of Ware, are carcinogenic chemicals such as Pentabde, a member of the polybrominated diphenyl ether family of flame retardants, that was used in mattresses prior to 2004, when it was phased out. Nor will you find equally toxic pesticides, benzene, naphthalene or formaldehyde.  (Again, when you don’t know what it is – run.)

Well, a clever girl like you may ask, if that penta-stuff was phased out in 2004, what chemicals are used in its stead?  Well, Virginia: great question. But the answer is: I can’t tell you which. Why? And I quote:

“Major manufacturers such as Simmons, Sealy, and Tempur-Pedic won’t divulge their flame-retardant formulas, which are considered trade secrets. A Simmons press release touts a “proprietary blend of char-forming, intumescing, flame-resistant components.” Tempur-Pedic vaguely states that its products “consistently meet all safety standards.” Source.

Right.

So now that you are pregnant, or a new mum, and have bought junior his organic crib, bassinet and toddler bed mattresses, it doesn’t make much sense to then allow him on your stuffed pile of toxins and dust mites, does it?

Exactly.

You need an organic mattress. A third of your life (more, if you are Cuban), is spent in bed. Your mouth and nose (conduit to your lungs), are smooshed against the thing.  And your entire body – and absorbent skin – are up against it for hours and hours. You really, truly and verily need an organic mattress.

I know.  Things haven’t been this bad since your grandmother used eye kohl to feign stockings (my grandmother drew fishnets).  You really are considering planting a Victory garden. And you wonder how bad bathtub gin could possibly be….

But I promise you that organic mattresses are NOT as expensive as you think – and they are an investment in your HEALTH!  More importantly, the health of your child.

If you are one of the lucky few who went from MIT to being a baby faced billionaire, then consider the Hasten bed. It costs as much as the Bed of Ware, but is meant to be fabulous. (Test sleep at The Peninsula hotel in Chicago.)

If you do not have a Bugatti, then you may want to compare organic mattress prices and features at the Pristine Planet. Prices range from $700 to $2000+.  At the very least, consider an organic topper. A Queen sized organic topper will average $350, whereas an organic pad can be less than $300.  Not cheap – but for the price of an evening (pre-baby), at SoHo House, you could be healthier.

Basically, getting an organic mattress is one of the top 5 healthiest things that you can do for your nest.

To sleep, perchance to dream….

Have you ever wondered why Pixar or Disney hasn’t re-made the “Princess and the Pea” story, though the Princess category is one of the most profitable for licensing?  I’ll tell you. Because that Princess was too damn ill from polyvinyl chloride, diethyl hexyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and flame retardant exposure from all those mattresses, to sign over the rights to her life story.

After you read this, which describes the malevolent tetrogens that are in a conventional baby mattresses, you’ll buy an organic one (you will, you’ll see): http://www.healthychild.com/toxic-sleep/part-i-toxicity-analysis-of-baby-mattresses/

I think that the Princess, now married for the second time,  to that adorable stable boy, is also too upset to speak to producers after discovering that her breast milk (and yours, and mine), most likely contained flame retardant levels 10 to 20 times that of our European sisters.  How the boll#$%^ have we been so exposed to flame retardant chemicals? Our mattresses. Every single one we have ever slept on: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-09-22-breast-milk_x.htm 

(Note: Mattresses are not the only culprit, sadly. Flame retardants are now found in most household dust – as a result of the chemical saturated foam in furniture, textiles and the plastics in TV’s, etc. VACUUM!  ALOT! And get a non-ozone producing air purifier. I’ll talk about vacuums and air filters next.)

And of course, the Princess was less than amused to discover that that pile of mattresses also contained PVC’s that will never, ever, ever leave her system: http://www.safemilk.org/article.php?list=type&type=55 

Alright. You get it. I know you do. The good news? Organic crib (and adult) mattresses are everywhere today. Buy one. If nothing else, just do this one thing, and reduce your child’s chemical body burden and statistical chances of suffering from asthma, allergies and SIDS, among other diseases and conditions. http://www.healthychild.com/toxic-sleep/has-the-cause-of-crib-death-sids-been-found/

Understandably petrified to buy anything else, I now have several organic mattresses in the house (which use naturally flame retardant wool): one for the crib, one for the bassinet and one for the toddler bed, all from http://www.naturepedic.com/ The least expensive organic mattress that I have found that is kosher INSIDE AND OUT is here: http://www.babyearth.com/naturepedic-mattress-naturepedic-no-compromise-organic-crib-mattress-150-seamless.html  When looking for a mattress, please be VERY CAREFUL of “Greenwashing” – it’s when part of a product may be organic, but other parts are not, the latter not being mentioned in it’s promotion - as an example – the very inexpensive Sealy “organic” mattresses actually have a non-organic FOAM core.  Most foam is evil. Repeat after me….MOST FOAM IS EVIL. That’s the bit that they usually treat with the most chemicals. So do NOT go by cost alone. Again, when it isn’t perfectly clear what is IN a product, either don’t buy it, or contact the company and ask.

This recent article from The Chicago Tribune on choosing a crib mattress may prove helpful: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-tc-fam-cribs-0806-0802aug02,0,4564480.story

Lesson #3: Your child is breathing in whatever he is on, or is on him. And as he breathes in TWICE as much as you do, he will absorb in TWICE the toxins.

PS: No matter how toxic your breast milk, it is still the best for baby. That’s how good the stuff is.

PSS: The Princess is actually fine. She’s Danish and Denmark is part of the European Union which has already banned most of the insidious chemicals that we are happy to expose our children to. http://chemicalwatch.com/2553 and http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/relaunches-controversy-children-exposure-chemicals/article-166009