Mattress Buying Guide

Cheap mattresses what a joke, I worked in the bedding industry for years and I would like to share some information that I learned. I say if you want a cheap mattress there are two options look in the dumpster or fill up a bag with leaves. A mattress is an investment in yourself and cheap should never be something you look for in a mattress.

Generally cheap means of very poor quality or flimsy, Is that what you want in a mattress? Flimsy poor quality junk, junk that has deep body impressions in a month, that the sides collapse on a few weeks after purchase. Sure you could spend a few hundred bucks on a queen set now, then a year from now be sleeping on a lumpy uncomfortable mess. There you’ll be a year later out mattress shopping again looking for that great “cheap mattress”. Cheap is not the way to go. I understand cost can be an issue but those cheap mattresses are basically a scam, don’t fall for it.

However if you want a good mattress that is rather inexpensive there are options. Don’t buy the cheap mattress specials that the big names, like Sealy, Serta or Simmons, try to push on you they are just that cheap mattresses. Read the rest of this entry »

Polish entrepreneurs are moving production to the U.S. where manufacturing plants, office space, mattresses, machines and land can be bought cheaper due to the depreciating dollar – “Dziennik” daily writes.

As the newspaper reports Polish furniture company Com.40 is launching mattress and couch production in Danville, VA for USD 36 million. The company plans to hire 800 workers.
Experts quoted by “Dziennik” believe the value of the US dollar against the Polish zloty may drop below 2.05. Some say it might even fall below what is called the “psychological barrier” of 2 PLN.

Manchester-based sleep coach Nick Littlehales has advised the England football squad on how to achieve maximum match fitness by getting the right kind of overnight rest.

His expertise could not save the team from the nightmare of failing to qualify for Euro 2008, but he hopes this will not hinder his new business venture.

Littlehales has designed up to 40 sleep-related products using technology developed in the sports industry.

He has now signed a deal with Wilmslow-based Comfy Quilts to manufacture items such as mattresses which use the same cushioning materials as sports shoes and pillows with chilled inserts which cool down a sleeper’s head.

“Sleep is often interrupted because a person’s head gets too hot. You put the inserts in the fridge for a few hours and they cool the head down during the night,” he said.

Littlehales believes there is a market for the products among the public as well as athletes. “All these products and the technology come from the world of sport rather than Bhs,” said Littlehales. “Sleep debt is a major problem which many people have never taken much notice of. You might be sleeping eight hours a day but you are not getting the full benefits — unless you sleep in the right way and on the right products.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Mattresses have not traditionally been considered a discretionary item _ after all, almost everyone needs at least one.

However, as consumers cut back on discretionary spending amid spiraling food and gas prices, a prolonged housing slump and weak credit markets, specialty mattress makers have been hit hard.

While the average mattress costs about $500, specialty mattresses can cost thousands of dollars.

And in the current environment, “you might hesitate on a $2,000 mattress purchase,” said Morgan Keegan analyst Laura Champine. “For the first time in years, traditional mattress sales are holding up better than specialty.”

Meanwhile, prices for raw materials such as steel for springs and foam have been soaring. As a result, specialty mattress makers reported dismal earnings for the first quarter.

In April, Select Comfort Corp., known for its “Sleep Number” bed, said it swung to a first quarter loss while revenue fell 22 percent.

Tempur-Pedic International Inc. said first-quarter profit fell by more than half as sales fell 7 percent.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the Valley, our bragging rights are stuck in a season of suffering: Recession rumblings make vacation talk gauche, and no one is reveling in real estate anymore. Instead, even gloat-worthy chatter topics have gone green.

We’re comparing gas mileage over morning coffee, jealous of those smug Prius pioneers and their 44 miles per gallon. There’s that guy at the office who walks to work - and talks about it each morning. The envy factor is higher for the neighbor with new bamboo floors than the friend who bought a Tuscan abode in Troon. In Hollywood, the new movie-star-laden waiting list isn’t for a motorcycle or a private plane but for a just-released Simmons Natural Care mattress constructed from the milky sap of the rubber tree.

It seems eco-pride is the fun new bragging right. Living large now means living small, and he who has the most canvas grocery bags wins.

We used to fixate on financials and fitness: who makes the most money or who has the perfect Pilates-toned body. Perhaps we should just be glad then that our psychoses are fixating on something a little more important: Mother Earth and who loves her most.

Lunchtime girl talk in Ivy Ciolli’s circle of friends shifted recently from “What are you wearing?” to “What part are you contributing to making the environment a better place?” says Ciolli, 30, co-owner of Twig and Twill, a Scottsdale shop that stocks eco-friendly fashions and home products.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I moved my 3-year-old daughter to a big girl bed. It went a lot easier than I thought. But it got me thinking: How do you know when it’s time to move your toddler to a big bed?

My husband and I decided it was time when our toddler was waking up every night for a glass of water, to use the bathroom or any other excuse to get some comforting. When we moved her to her big girl bed, she stopped waking up in the middle of the night.

We talked to Dr. W. Michael Brown, director of pediatrics at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, who offers these tips on moving your toddler to a big bed:

• “If they’re trying to climb out, it’s time to move.” Brown says this is the No. 1 reason parents are forced to make the transition. Typically it’s boys, between 15 and 18 months old, trying to climb out. But for any child at this age, be sure to remove the crib’s bumper pads, lower the mattress all the way down and get anything out of the crib that can be used as a step (i.e. stuffed animals). Watch for any signs that the child is going for the rail. Falling from a crib is way worse than falling from a toddler bed, he says.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I wonder, what is this blog about? The Internet is rife with parenting blogs and sites. How is SFGate’s different? This site is about parenting in the Bay Area. It’s about raising kids in this amazing yet often quirky place that we call home.

To promote this theme, I’m introducing a new feature called “A Bay Area Moment.” From time to time, I’ll write about an experience that would only happen in the Bay Area–and then I hope you’ll share your moments. This feature offers us the opportunity to celebrate and laugh at ourselves.

My kids and I had a Bay Area moment over the weekend. Here goes:

On Saturday, we bought a mattress (thanks to a generous donation from grandma) for Dante’s twin bed frame. I, the paranoid mother, didn’t want a mattress treated with toxic flame retardant so I spent Friday night researching green options. We finally decided to make our purchase at Keetsa, a San Francisco-based company that uses nontoxic flame retardants, recycled materials, and sustainable ingredients.

I called the store the following morning.

Read the rest of this entry »

Can’t sleep? Is the thought of creating consumer waste with your next furniture purchase keeping you up at night? Green Nest LLC makes green living easy with their e-commerce site, www.GreenNest.com offering eco-friendly products and furniture.

Through their winning entries in Green Nest’s Freecycle Contest, both Shannon B. of Windsor, CT and Holly A. of Topanga, CA can rest easy on their new certified organic mattress foundations. The Green Nest organic mattress foundations were donated by a local Southern California family, The Garmon’s, who said, “The choices were not hard to make. The ones which touched our hearts the most were the ones who were putting others in front of themselves. Servant Hearts!”

The Green Nest Organic slat Foundation has a heavy-duty organic cotton cover that is united with extra-firm support from wide wood slats placed every two inches for maximum coverage.

The Organic Slat Foundations are designed to be used with the Green Nest Organic Inner Spring or natural latex mattresses while providing perfect support and unmatched comfort. Solid wood slats are fitted following a traditional European design in heavy-duty organic cotton fabric. They feature a 2 inch gap between slats which allows for ample air circulation as well as a heavy-duty organic cotton cover and kiln-dried Spruce wood frame. These foundations offer both the benefits of organic materials and environmentally friendly practices.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mattress-maker Sealy is launching a new ad campaign aimed at convincing sleepers their products will help them get the most out of what little sack-time they may get.

“If you can only get six, then why not get a better six?” the ads ask, referring to the fact that most Americans no longer get the traditional eight hours of sleep per night.

The light-hearted campaign supports two major project introductions by the Trinity-based manufacturer, according to an announcement from Sealy (NYSE: ZZ). In January, the company debuted its new Posturepedic Innerspring line, designed for back support and pressure relief. Sealy also recently brought out a specialty latex product it calls PurEmbrace.

Mattress-makers in general, like the rest of the furniture industry, have suffered from the slow housing market. Sealy has been growing more slowly than its niche competitors like Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort, according to industry trade newspaper Furniture/Today.

Yard and garage sales are quite popular.

Today with the Internet there are many more opportunities to shop for good deals on a whole range of used items including children’s furniture. However, older items may not be safe, as they might not meet local and/or current safety regulations. Theses items include:

Car seats

Experts do not recommend buying used car seats. Used car seats usually do not come with instructions; it is essential that car seats be installed and used properly and as directed. If the seat is more than 10

years old it is considered unsafe. Are all the parts in perfect working order? Is it the right size and fit for your child? A seat that has been in a collision must not be used again. Buyers cannot tell how old the seat is or what has happened to it. All car seats must meet current safety standards and carry a compliance label (stating the size of the child for which the seat is designed) on the side, rear or bottom of the seat.

Read the rest of this entry »