Frugal Babe

Yesterday we ordered an organic crib mattress for our baby.  We had been looking at various options for a couple weeks now, and had seen this one for closer to $300 on several websites, so when I found it for $229 with free shipping, we went ahead and ordered one.  We both feel really good about getting it.  Just about everything we have for our son was either a gift, a hand-me-down, or stuff we bought used, so we’ve spent very little so far on baby stuff.  We could care less about matching nursery furniture (his dresser was mine until we made built-in storage in our bedroom, and the only other furniture in his room is a recliner that used to be in our living room and a big woven basket that I got in Africa).  We’re using cloth diapers that my mother and I made, and I’m drying them on clothes racks, so we’re spending very little there.  I’m breastfeeding him and plan to do so for at least a year, so we’re not spending anything to feed him.  So in the overall baby budget, a $229 mattress is not really that much of an expense.

Everything we read about all the chemicals and toxins in mattresses that offgas for years made us very wary about putting him down on a normal crib mattress.  For now he’s sleeping in our bed, and will continue to do so until he sleeps through the night.  It’s a whole lot easier to wake up and feed him if he’s right next to me than it would be if he were in another room.  My husband and I are both very sold on the attachment parenting idea, so during the day our son spends almost all of his time either being fed, held, or worn around in a sling.  But once he’s sleeping through the night, we’re going to move him from our bed into his own crib.  I like knowing that he’ll be sleeping on a mattress made of organic cotton, without any chemicals or toxic fumes right next to his head.

The mattress fits into our eco-friendly lifestyle, and we’re glad that it’s something we were able to afford.  We already buy mostly organic food (or grow our own), use baking soda and vinegar to clean our house, and don’t use any chemical pesticides or fertilizers on our yard or garden.  We try to avoid exposure to toxins and chemicals whenever possible, and we’re glad that our son won’t be sleeping on a mattress filled with all sorts of strange chemicals.  Now I’m especially glad that I didn’t buy that necklace - I’d much rather spend the money on a safe, natural place for my son to sleep than on a piece of jewelry.