As more and more people become aware of the dangers of chemicals and the public demands safer products, more mattress companies are coming out with an ‘organic’ crib mattress line. Many of these products contain some organic materials, but still have other toxic materials in them. Some, for example, contain organic cotton but combine it with polyurethane foam, PVC/vinyl and other toxic materials. So, as I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs, you have to make sure you really do your research. But, beyond that, is the problem of allergies and sensitivities.

Could your baby be sensitive to wool?

Wool, for example, a common ingredient in natural or organic crib mattresses, is one of the biggest offenders.

Some experts say that a ‘true’ allergy to wool – an immune system reaction that can result in rashes, swelling of the airways and eyes, asthma, and a lot more – is pretty rare. But sensitivity to wool is much more common, and often the symptoms are similar.

A study done on over 2,000 wool textile workers showed that 9% of the workers had persistent cough and phlegm, 31% were wheezing, 10% experienced breathlessness, 18% had persistent cold symptoms, 10% had persistent conjunctivitis, about 2% had persistent chills, 2% had 10 or more nosebleeds a year, and 5% had one or more chest illnesses per year. They aren’t necessarily allergic to wool, they’re just sensitive to the wool dust.

Wool also harbors dust-mites and other potential allergens like cat dander. In fact, if you have cats and wear wool sweaters, you’re exposed to 10 times the amount of cat dander than if you were wearing nothing at all – according to a study mentioned in about.com.

We also wonder how wool is cleaned. It may be ‘organic,’ but how do they get all the dirt, sweat, grease, waste products, fleas, etc. etc. out of the wool? We don’t know. We’ve asked a few manufacturers and, frankly, they just don’t seem to want to tell us.

Your baby not might be allergic to wool at all, and may not be or become sensitive to it. But, from our viewpoint, it’s better to be safe than sorry – which is why we don’t use wool in our crib mattresses.

Gloria
The Naturepedic Blog Maven