Free Seminar Jan 14 at GreenPea Baby

We're delighted to announce that Barry Cik, President of Naturepedic, will be coming to speak at GreenPea Baby next week (Thursday, Jan 14, 6-7pm). Check out the details about his free seminar that we're calling "I won't EAT my mattress, so why should I buy an organic? (And other questions on baby product safety)" . He'll be speaking specifically about:

• What drives consumers to organic
• How can consumer products harm babies
• What is the government doing to protect consumers
• What certifications are available
• How to choose a healthier mattress for your baby.

If you have had questions about baby products, safety, consumer safety regulations and similar topics, you owe it to yourself and your children not to miss this!

Why Naturepedic?

Customers have often asked us why organic mattresses are so important, and particularly why Naturepedic is our preferred mattress manufacturer.

First, and most importantly, after countless hours of research into the latest health information, we rank a toxin-free mattress as the top priority for parents beginning to plan their nursery budgets. The research has been piling up against vinyl, PVC, and polyurethane products for many years, and we were delighted about the regulations controlling use of the substances associated with these materials in children's products -- but some of the replacement materials, and fire-resistors, even in some organic mattresses, are still not safe enough given the number of hours that babies and children spend in their beds.

Naturepedic is not the only manufacturer of organic mattresses, of course, so why have we chosen to feature them? Babies and children spend many hours on their mattresses, so we chose Naturepedic because we know parents will rest easier knowing that the mattress their baby is sleeping on:

1. ...uses 100% organic cotton fibers grown in the U.S., Greenguard certified as toxin-free at every stage of the growing and manufacturing process, as well as innerspring coil support.
2. ...is hypoallergenic, free of common allergens that even many organic mattresses contain, such as natural latex, rubber, coir and wool.
   
3. ...is wrapped in waterproof food-grade polyethylene material (eliminating risk of mold and mildew growth in the mattress) and this material is independently certified as non-toxic.

We also like that they are strong consumer safety advocates, and are working to help educate all of us on what to look for, and what to avoid, to keep our children healthier. If you'd like to read more, visit www.naturepedic.com, and www.greenpeababy.com.

Is Your Baby Mattress Safe?

As many of you know, GreenPea Nursery refuses to carry any crib mattress that contains phthalates or flame retardants knows as PBDEs. As of February 10, 2009, the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires the removal of certain types of phthalates from crib mattresses. Wow this is great! I can now sell more brands of mattresses. Not so fast. You see the CPSIA requires the removal of three varieties of phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and BBP) for use in baby and children’s mattresses and other baby products. Crib mattress manufacturers are still allowed to use three other types of phthalates known as (DINP, DIDP, and DnOP). These phthalates are only illegal for teethers and other items that are expected to be placed into a child’s mouth. According to Naturepedic, another phthalate chemical known as (DnHP) which has been known to cause cancer has not yet been banned at all. So although three of the bad guys have been removed, other phthalates may be used in vinyl covered crib mattresses.
Naturepedic does not use PVC (vinyl) for the waterproofing of their mattresses. They use a food-grade polyethylene which is naturally soft and does not require a plasticizer additives.

Read more about phthalates and what the CPSIA means to crib mattresses in this article provided by Naturepedic.