The Very Best Organic Crib Mattress

Best Budget-Friendly: Colgate Eco Classica III

Can we talk? Organic crib mattresses can be priced like they came out of a hotel mini bar. We’re talking “Honey, we’ve got to take out a second mortgage” expensive. So it is with relief that we found an organic crib mattress that doesn’t break the bank: Colgate’s Eco Classic III mattress.

After testing 11 different organic mattresses and consulting with experts on mattress construction (as well as visiting mattress factories ourselves), we pick Colgate as one of our best bets. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Eco-friendly foam = lightweight. We like lighter weight crib mattresses made of foam—they are easier to lift up in the middle of the night to change sheets, especially for sleep-deprived parents. The only problem? Most foam crib mattresses are made from petrochemicals. This mattress is made from ecologically friendly CertiPUR-US foam. The foam is:

✓ Made without ozone depleters

✓ Made without PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants

✓ Made without mercury, lead, and other heavy metals

✓ Made without formaldehyde

✓ Made without phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission

✓ Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million)

• Made in the USA by a family-owned company. Colgate, a small family-owned mattress maker outside of Atlanta, Georgia founded in 1955, is one of the companies we’ve been researching for over 25 years. And we’ve always found them to be straight shooters. This contrasts to some imported crib mattresses, whose claims of “natural” and “eco-friendly” materials are hard to verify.

• Waterproof cover.

• Affordable. 

• No chemical fire retardants. 

What Needs Work

• Polyurethane foam. Yes, the foam here is more eco-friendly than other petrochemical foams . . but we know some folks prefer more sustainable materials in a mattress. In that case, we recommend our next pick.

Best Splurge-Worthy: Naturepedic Organic Crib Mattress – Classic Lightweight

If you are considering giving an organic crib mattress as a gift or have the budget for a splurge, here’s what we suggest: Naturepedic’s Organic Crib Mattress.

We actually visited Naturepedic’s factory outside of Cleveland, Ohio to verify the company’s claims of organic and sustainable practices. Here’s a shot of a worker assembling a Naturepedic crib mattress, attaching the organic cotton batting to the mattress core:

(For the record, we always pay our own travel expenses when we visit a factory. We don’t take money or freebies from the brands we recommend).

Here’s more on why we recommend this mattress:

What We Liked

• Lightweight. This mattress features closed-cell air pockets made from food-grade polyethylene. As a result, this mattress is half the weight of a traditional coil mattress. Here’s a photo of the inside of the mattress:

• Quality construction: organic cotton filling, a firm foam or coil innerspring AND a waterproof cover. All of Naturepedic’s mattresses contain no PVC’s, polyurethane foam or chemical fire retardants.

• Waterproof cover. This mattress’ cover is organic cotton fabric with a food grade polyethylene waterproofing—making it both waterproof and dust mite/bed bug proof. Under the cover is another layer of organic cotton filling and there are no chemicals required to make it flame retardant. Another plus, the mattress is seamless with waterproof edges.

What Needs Work

• Pricey. The No Compromise is not exactly the cheapest mattress on the market, but it is comparable to (and somewhat less expensive than) other organic, chemical-free options.

• Glitches—but good customer service. Some parents have complained their mattress sagged after only a short time. Other parents note that the measurement of the mattress was off and it was too small for their crib (leaving an unacceptable gap). Naturepedic replaced those mattresses that had problems. Overall, the company’s customer service is good.

Best Low Odor Mattress: Organic Dream Crib and Toddler Mattress

Most crib mattresses seem to require a bit of airing out when they first arrive at your home. The ingredients often have an odor that you’ll want to outgas. But with the Organic Dream mattress, parents report no odor when the mattress is unwrapped! Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Organic cotton cover is washable; parents love how soft it feels. 

• Made in the USA. 

• Greenguard Gold. And BPA-free.

• No chemical smell once unboxed. 

What Needs Work

• Rather pricey. Still under $200, though.

Best Lightweight Mattress: Lullaby Earth Healthy Support Crib Mattress

Lullaby Earth is part of the Naturepedic mattress company—we recommended one of their mattresses earlier in this article. Lullaby Earth is Naturepedic’s more affordable line of crib mattresses. What is the different? These mattresses are made with foam instead of coil springs (that is less expensive to manufacture). Also: Lullaby Earth mattresses have one layer of cotton batting while Naturepedic mattresses use two layers.

Here’s why we like this mattress:

What We Liked

• Non toxic foam. This crib mattress is made of polyethylene foam (a non-toxic, food-grade foam that requires no fire retardant chemicals). Most other non-organic foam mattresses on the market are made of polyurethane.

• Lightweight at just 7 lbs. That makes it easier to change sheets in the middle of the night.

• Seamless edges makes the mattress easier to keep clean.

• Affordable. 

• Made in the USA at a factory outside of Cleveland, OH.

• Waterproof cover. 

What Needs Work

• Noisy, say a few critics. We didn’t notice this in our testing, but some parents say they found the cover to be too noisy.

• Sagging. We see a few reports from our readers that this mattress sagged after several months of use; others said it didn’t sag at all. We’re not sure how widespread this issue is, but we understand how that would disappoint parents who thought they should get longer use out of this mattress.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing cribs and crib mattresses since 1994. Yes, that long! In addition to hands on inspections of crib mattresses, we have also visited manufacturer facilities and met with safety regulators—and when we travel, we pay our all of our own expenses.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Baby Bargains is your independent and unbiased source for expert baby gear reviews. We’ve been writing and reviewing baby gear since 1994. Yes, that long!