When we got married, we had a waterbed. We liked it well enough; it was pretty high-maintenance, but it was comfortable. But when we started having babies, we liked having them in bed with us and weren’t comfortable with having little babies in a waterbed. (It’s just too easy for them to roll down into a crack or under mama or daddy, or something.)
My parents finally replaced their mattress, because the one they had was hurting their backs. They thought that maybe it would be more comfortable for Michael and me, because we’re pretty small/light, so they gave it to us. We’ve used it for a number of years now, and it isn’t comfortable. It hurts us, too. We’ve been putting off getting a new one, though. Because we have our tiniest ones in bed with us, it was very important to me to have a natural mattress. It seems pretty silly to get an organic mattress for the crib she’ll sleep in once she’s 6 months or so, and then put her at one day old into our bed on an off-gassing conventional mattress! But I had been researching natural mattresses, and they were all sooo expensive. The least expensive one I found started at $1600. Then Amerisleep just fell right across my path, and I was so excited to have found them.
Amerisleep sets the industry standard for minimal petroleum use with their memory foam mattresses, replacing it with a 100% plant-based product. And these mattresses are affordable! A mid-range model costs about $800 – half as much as I was finding elsewhere. As with other memory foam mattresses, they’re designed to be used on a platform bed or hard support (as opposed to a box spring); these are also adjustable bed-compatible. The mattress itself, as far as quality and style, compares to Tempur-Pedic(R). The plant-based foam dissipates heat more effectively than petroleum, though. Amerisleep uses eco-friendly practices in their factories, as well. I also appreciate that they’re made here in the United States.
We ordered a Liberty Bed from them. When the mattress arrives, it is compressed and rolled, and looks like this:
The paperwork says that it may take a couple of days for the foam to completely recover from having been compressed, so we unrolled it on top of our other mattress. (Michael was planning to give it a night, and then take the old mattress out.) But by the time we were finished getting the packing all off, it looked like this:
(Our little mattress tester was well-guarded, by Daddy on one side and Mama on the other.)
The corners may have to be adjusted a little once the mattress expands, so they sit properly inside the cover. You can see here that we hadn’t done that yet. It wasn’t at all difficult, though.
Here is the mattress all nestled down into its place:
We purchased a waterproof mattress protector, as well, but we laundered it before putting it on, so what you’re seeing here is the mattress itself. It does have something of an odor when you first unpack it; I didn’t think natural materials off-gassed like that, so I’m a little confused by that. The odor is definitely significantly less than I’ve experienced with other products, but I would suggest not putting a very tiny baby on it for the first couple of nights, while you let it air out. The mattress is super-super comfortable! It should be very safe for co-sleeping, too, because it doesn’t transfer movement, and the surface (where you aren’t lying) stays very flat, so a baby is not likely to roll into any sort of indentations or anything. (We could play a game on this mattress if we wanted to; it’s that flat, and that free of motion transfer.)
I am really, really happy with this mattress and think it’s a very good value for the money.
If you choose to buy a mattress, Amerisleep will also donate a (special, easily-mobile) mattress to someone in need. And be sure to tell them I sent you!
Disclosure: I received a steep discount on my mattress in exchange for writing this review. I was not, however, compelled to write a positive review, and all opinions are 100% my own. I would have, eventually, purchased an Amerisleep mattress, anyway – it just would have taken me longer to save up for it!
Watch out for these guys!!!!! We purchsed a Liberty bed from them in April. It was advertised as comparable to the Tempur Cloud Supreme…so not true. This bed was VERY firm and after three months of tossing and turning we decided to return it. What a nightmare. We did as they said..were told we had to have a shipping tracking number within a week of receiving the credit memo. We sent the mattress back within three days at a cost of $281.00. We were told that the foundations could not be returned. (I had complained about the foundations when I recieved them as the covering was not intact….I was sent around from company to company until I finally gave up and patched the holes.) When they finally acknowledged receipt of the mattress, they said it woul dhave to be inspected and we could expect a refund within 7-12 business days. We did not. After several more phone calls and emails, the finally told me that they were not going to credit my AMEX, but instead were going to send a check within 7-15 (additional) business days. We wnet out of town for a month, and when we came back…no check. I called American Express and filed a dispute. This is still not resolved, however I do still have all my correspondence, so am certain it will be resolved in my favor by AMEX.
Amerisleep is not natural. They don’t even make their own mattresses. You can read more here http://www.amerisleepreviews.com
Like you, I wonder about the “no VOC” claim, because it does have an odor, and that IS VOC’s, right? (Although it’s *just* possible that it’s actually residual from the plastic it comes wrapped in.) Although maybe not. Beef has an odor, too; that doesn’t mean it’s harmful to breathe while you’re grilling.
But the fact that multiple companies/sites sell the same mattress does not automatically make them “not made in the US,” “not made by the company that claims to make them,” or not made with a higher percentage of natural materials” than anything else a normal person can afford. (Amerisleep actually doesn’t claim that their mattresses are 100% natural. Those that do, are so many thousands of dollars they are simply not realistic for my budget.) So the guy is smart enough to realize that different websites, with different URL’s, are going to rank better in the search engines for different terms, and give him traffic from multiple directions. Good for him!
I had second thoughts about these people after going to their website! They are even “pushy” on that!
I got a “pop-up” and it wouldn’t go away! They asked for your name and email address and what you were interested in! After watching the video of the shaved head dude….who looked like a used car salesman…
I wasn’t interested. After reading their “return policy”…….wasn’t interested! They state that you have so many days to make up your mind……….BUT……..should you not care for it say….on the 30th day….”call us up and we’ll talk about it!” Yeah………right!!!! Too many companies out there with positive information and an “honest” return policy that’s free!
Really? I don’t remember ever getting a pop-up on the site. I wonder if that’s new?
I have no idea if amerisleep makes there own mattress or if its really made with no chemicals or whatnot. I ordered my liberty bed and have had it for a week and I love it. So i dont care if about all these claims.. all i know is the mattress is awesome and i dont regret buying it. I am a real person and dont work for amerisleep.