# sweating on a wrapped mattress



## Steve's Wife (Jan 19, 2006)

We've had our mattress wrapped since a few months before my 8 month old was born. I was hoping to be able to replace it soon but it doesn't look like that's going to happen soon. Anyway, my problem is that poor DD wakes up soaked in sweat every morning. The plastic just seems to keep her skin from breathing. Has anyone found a solution to this? I even folded over a blanket 4 times and put her on top of that so there would be at least 5 layers (including the sheet) between her and the plastic, but she still woke up soaked. When we (occasionally) sleep on an unwrapped mattress she doesn't sweat.

Steph


----------



## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

No ideas, but now I'm going







over Lina's sweating. And she's just laying on a waterproof pad. Bother and I got rid of the wool felt because it annoyed me.

However, you might have luck with wool roving as a mattress wrap. Add a layer or 3 of cotton if you're sensitive to prickles.


----------



## MisaGoat (Jul 10, 2006)

When do you sleep on the other mattress? Is it for a shorter period of time?

My son was always very sweaty during/after sleep when he was younger. I would feel him get sweaty and knew he was sleepy. I don't know why but I posted on here about it and got a lot of responses from people who also had sweaty babies.


----------



## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I can not sleep on a wrapped mattress without being miserable and covered in sweat when I wake up. And I'm not one the normally gets hot at night. We just don't wrap our mattress and ignore the stains.


----------



## Steve's Wife (Jan 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MisaGoat* 
When do you sleep on the other mattress? Is it for a shorter period of time?

My son was always very sweaty during/after sleep when he was younger. I would feel him get sweaty and knew he was sleepy. I don't know why but I posted on here about it and got a lot of responses from people who also had sweaty babies.

When we visit my mom. It's for the same amount of time, overnight. Hopefully we can buy an organic mattress sometime soon and I can forget about the plastic barrier between us and the toxins.


----------



## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

I had this same problem. We put a waterproof/allergen proof wrap on our mattress and it made us all sweat like crazy! We're much more comfortable now without any cover on the mattress. Fleur rarely leaks through her diaper or spits up at night, so I'm not worried about anything getting on the mattress.


----------



## Dylie Love (Sep 5, 2006)

Have you looked at the Clean Rest mattress protectors? I have one on our new queen mattress that my DH sleeps on with our toddlers. Its WONDERFUL! The only protector I have found that stays in place, is totally sound free and keeps the pee out of the mattress. It comes in a crib size too!

It works great if you are protecting a new mattress from soiling and from starting the toxic gas stuff. If however you want to block the existing gasses (on a used mattress) from escaping... still not sure about that. I contacted them yesterday and they gave a rather generic "we can't really tell you cause we don't know what is in your mattress" comment. Which means they don't know about the toxic gas issue.

The polyethylene sheeting has controversy due to it mimicking hormones, so that freaked me out and I decided against "wrapping" my mattress.

Alas, my battle with the crib mattress may never end. However I think I have found a solution that will suit my crunchiness and wallet. Japanese style futon in a crib size for around $100 (also available organic with doc note, $?) and then the Clean Rest cover.

FYI, Clean Rest is available at Bed Bath & Beyond (ship to store and use coupon) or online and they said something about 25% off and free ship? Queen was $100 -coupon and crib is $80 -coupon.

Hope that helps!!


----------



## Steve's Wife (Jan 19, 2006)

Do you have some links to share on the polyeth and hormones? I looked up as much info as I could find to make sure it didn't off-gas and cause another set of problems. I am not even convinced of the science in regards to older mattresses being so toxic, as they all spawn from one or two sources. But I figured better safe than sorry. But if there is a question on the safety of polyethelene then I might need to rethink the mattress wrapping. DD has a neurological condition so I want to keep her toxic load as low as possible.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dylie Love* 
Have you looked at the Clean Rest mattress protectors? I have one on our new queen mattress that my DH sleeps on with our toddlers. Its WONDERFUL! The only protector I have found that stays in place, is totally sound free and keeps the pee out of the mattress. It comes in a crib size too!

It works great if you are protecting a new mattress from soiling and from starting the toxic gas stuff. If however you want to block the existing gasses (on a used mattress) from escaping... still not sure about that. I contacted them yesterday and they gave a rather generic "we can't really tell you cause we don't know what is in your mattress" comment. Which means they don't know about the toxic gas issue.

The polyethylene sheeting has controversy due to it mimicking hormones, so that freaked me out and I decided against "wrapping" my mattress.

Alas, my battle with the crib mattress may never end. However I think I have found a solution that will suit my crunchiness and wallet. Japanese style futon in a crib size for around $100 (also available organic with doc note, $?) and then the Clean Rest cover.

FYI, Clean Rest is available at Bed Bath & Beyond (ship to store and use coupon) or online and they said something about 25% off and free ship? Queen was $100 -coupon and crib is $80 -coupon.

Hope that helps!!


----------



## Dylie Love (Sep 5, 2006)

Gosh, I spent soo many hours researching this stuff I forgot where I found that. I will try to find it... sorry for not being more thorough.

Yes, I agree that I found it rather suspicious that all the info about wrapping came from that same Dr. Sprott (?) on lots of different websites. But it almost seemed like they were all started by him. Regardless, I believe it, it makes total sense to me. I find it fishy though that rather than promoting better beds, he is promoting wrapping in his plastic bag.


----------



## Dylie Love (Sep 5, 2006)

Oh geez, I hope I wasn't just sleep deprived. I swear I saw it and now can't find it... here is what I found out this time around:

Polyethylene or polythene (IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is a thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products (notably the plastic shopping bag). (wikipedia.com)

I probably found info about Polyethylene terephalate and assumed it was the same plastic used in sheeting. This plastic has been found to have endocrine disruptors in it. The polyethylene most likely used in the sheeting you have (painters drop cloth or similar?) is "High density polyethylene (HDPE) - Used in opaque milk, water, and juice containers, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, garbage bags, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners. Our research on risks associated with this type of plastic is ongoing." (pebbleinthepond.com)

The Plastipure.com site had a media kit with info regarding all plastics containing Endocrine Disruptors even the ones touting BPA free and phalates free... possibly a biased opinion but none the less.

Soooo, maybe I am wrong. I personally would not do it, but its probably the lesser of two evils.


----------



## Dylie Love (Sep 5, 2006)

That Dr. Sprott claims that if the baby is sweating while using his wrap, its because she is over dressed or covered and to only use bedding and clothing that is 100% cotton or wool. Maybe the blanket you are using under her is a blend or synthetic?? Just a thought.


----------



## Steve's Wife (Jan 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dylie Love* 
That Dr. Sprott claims that if the baby is sweating while using his wrap, its because she is over dressed or covered and to only use bedding and clothing that is 100% cotton or wool. Maybe the blanket you are using under her is a blend or synthetic?? Just a thought.

yeah, I read that too and it's a crock. I sweat on the wrapped mattress, too. It's totally the plastic. All the bedding and pj's are cotton.


----------



## Dylie Love (Sep 5, 2006)

I sweat on anything thats supposed to be water proof, except the "water resistant" covers from Ikea (I think those are rubber?) and the Clean Rest. Not sure if it helps, but I did notice our clean rest cover has an air bubble in it. I guess I didn't get all the air out when zipping, but the air is still trapped inside. Whether toxic gas is a smaller particle and would go through that cover or not, I don't know but its slightly reassuring.

Did you read that part that Dr. Sprott said about how in Russia they wrap their mattresses in Rubber? Maybe that would be an option for you.

Also, someone mentioned on another thread that she was from New Zealand and had never heard of any of this and if it was true, she should know and the baby nurses would have mentioned it. So makes me think his whole "this has eliminated SIDS in New Zealand" thing less believable. Honestly I think its true, makes so much sense, but I don't know that the wrap is the right answer.

Good luck


----------



## durafemina (Feb 11, 2004)

yeah - student midwife from New Zealand here (I'm from Canada though) - I'd heard about Dr. Sprott and I asked my midwife here about it since part of her job is educating parents about safe sleeping/protecting against SIDS (side note - she is very pro co-sleeping







). She said no-one does that here, and she absolutely wouldn't bother doing it with a new baby, although she did acknowledge that mattresses that have gotten wet then release toxins through bacteria/molds that accumulate on them. She thinks that as long as the baby isn't sleeping face down on that mattress, breathing them directly, they would be fine.
FWIW, since New Zealand is such a damp country, we always sleep with wool blankets between the mattress and the bottom sheet. They really keep you dry and cozy as the wool wicks moisture away and is naturally antibacterial. We've never noticed any scratchiness either - the blankets are pretty soft.
Am thinking I might just add more wool layers under the sheet for the new baby - not that it would seal in the toxins, but it might reassure me as an added layer/filter between babe and whatever. . . .
I'm still in the thinking stages though, obviously. . .


----------

