This will probably be my last post for a short time – baby comes on Monday so I’ll be laid up for a bit. But before I go, I wanted to post this last thing because I’ve gotten the question a few times and I had this own challenge myself. My 3 1/2 year old graduated to a real big bed, twin style! And while I went through lengths to make sure he had the safest everything – wood bed that wasn’t off gassing, organic mattress, and I even went so far as Dr. Suess organic sheets. But then there’s the problem of leaking and accidents with little kids. Even though the mattress has some great waterpoofing to it – I wanted some added protection to help me avoid a lot of washing. After all the effort I spent on making him a safe sleep environment I didn’t want to cover his organic mattress with a piece of vinyl. Kind of defeats the point, no?
So I went on another hunt to find a mattress protector that wasn’t vinyl. Easier said than done but on a whim I tried a few super stores to see what they had and what I was up against. Vinyl, vinyl everywhere! But I hit the jackpot.
A company called AllerEase makes mattress and pillow protection made entirely of polypropylene and polyethylene plastic, weaved in a manner that it is thin and has a soft material feel like those reusable bags at grocery stores. It fits the mattress well and has helped us avoid some major “wet” incidents so far so I can attest to its waterproof ability. I feel better knowing there is no vinyl between my son and his bed. Plus it wasn’t a fortune..I think I spent a total of $23 on a twin cover.
Where Do I Find It? I found mine in WalMart of all places and according to AllerEase’s website they sell them at Target, KMart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl’s and Sears (although I checked almost all those places and only found it at WalMart… the other stores I looked in only had vinyl but perhaps its regional). You can also order them online at Amazon.com and a few other retailers.