In a recent chat with our midwives, I asked about reducing the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) for our 9 week old, Romi. Our midwives have done a lot of research on the topic and one of the things in our conversation that stuck out to me that I was not aware of was the notion of mattress wrapping. I decided to research it online.

Disclaimer: This post is about what I learned from my limited research and why I decided to buy one. This post is educational and not meant to be SIDS prevention advice. There is no claim that using a mattress wrapper will prevent SIDS.

When I typed “mattress wrapping SIDS” into google, it seemed to me that the largest body of information on mattress wrapping comes from New Zealand. According to the Baby Mattress Covers website, in 1989 a British scientist had a theory that SIDS (aka crib death aka cot death) was caused by toxic gases generated from elements commonly present in babies’ mattresses. This theory jibed with the theories of a New Zealand scientist so they teamed up to do some research.

They found that most baby mattresses and bedding contain phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony. These are used as plastic softener, fire retardant or are used as part of the manufacturing process. Ironically, separately, the presence of phosphorus, arsenic or antimony in mattresses or bedding does not seem to pose a danger (what?!). However, when fungus interacts with these elements, extremely poisonous gases are generated (anti-cholinesterase agents). Household fungus often grows in mattresses as a result of heat and moisture.

In short, a baby’s nerves stop transmitting impulses to the lungs and heart because of the accumulation of gases over time (1).

In 1996, the Kiwi doc invented a mattress wrapper whereby the mattress is sealed inside the protective cover, preventing mattress gas generation (aka off-gassing) from reaching the baby. He also launched a massive nationwide campaign on mattress wrapping as a prevention of SIDS/crib death/cot death. Since 1996, there have been no reported cases of SIDS among the at least 235,000 babies who have slept on wrapped mattresses (2). New Zealand’s SIDS death rate has been reduced by 80% since mattress wrapping commenced (3).

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For me, I found it very compelling that no SIDS deaths have been reported on the large population of babies who have slept on wrapped mattresses. I have heard a lot about mattress off-gassing. I think off-gassing is one of those things you either buy into or not, and I buy it. The thought of me, my family (but in particular my babies) breathing in all those known chemicals or gases was making me anxious – whether they cause SIDS or not. Further, Romi is a tummy sleeper and her face is literally up against her mattress for hours on end.

According to a publication by Cot Life 2000 (1), British SIDS statistics show that the rate of SIDS from one baby in a family to the next actually increases. According to this group, this is because many families re-use crib mattresses and the likelihood that fungus is present in a used mattress is higher, and fungus is the precipitant for the harmful gasses. As I was researching, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that Romi was sleeping on the crib mattress we used with Ohana. I could have purchased a new mattress (full of chemicals), but a crib mattress wrapper would only run me about $50. To me, this was a no-brainer.

So what is a mattress wrapper? Ironically, it’s plastic! But not just any old plastic. Polyethylene plastic wrappers at least 125 microns (or 5mil) thick are said to be the minimum standard for mattress wrapping according to Healthychild.com. Polyethylene is considered one of the safest plastics available, as it has a simple molecular structure that doesn’t require toxic chemical additives.

When I told Missus Scooter about my latest scheme, I was expecting eye rolls and “the look,” but I was happy to hear she was just as behind this as I was. Of course, it’s not that surprising, she is just as much a worry-wart mom as I am. When I said I would love to buy mattress wrappers for Romi’s crib, Ohana’s full-size bed, and our King-size bed, then I got “the look.” We agreed to purchase a mattress wrapper for the crib first and then evaluate the other beds in the house.

I ordered a crib mattress wrapper from BabeSafe out of  New Zealand. All of the things I read online mentioned them positively and pointed back to research published by them. They have several U.S. distributors  and if the distributor does not have supply at the time you order, BabeSafe will ship directly to you with no shipping fees.

When it arrived, it looked like what you would think – a large plastic ziploc bag. It felt a little thick but not terribly so. There were two venting holes on the bottom of the wrapper – which I understand are important. There is big black writing on the wrapper that indicates which side is to be placed down. On the open end of the wrapper is adhesive that you use to close up the wrapper once you put it on the mattress.

Missus Scooter and I took the mattress out of the crib and removed the bedding. We slipped the wrapper on and then sealed it up. There was a bit of excessive plastic on the open end so we folded it over and taped it down with clear adhesive tape (recommended by BabeSafe). On top of the wrapped mattress, BabeSafe instructs to place a pure cotton blanket (or towel). Pure cotton being very important. They are very clear about what fabrics to use (ONLY pure cotton) and not to use (sheepskin, lambskin, blankets with polyester or acrylic, mattress protectors/ waterproof covers, etc) as these may contain harmful chemicals. Over the pure cotton blanket, you put a pure cotton fitted sheet. Since BabeSafe is out of New Zealand, they actually instruct to use a fitted sheet, top sheet, and blanket for bedding (all pure cotton of course). This is not common practice in the U.S. or in our household so I just put on the cotton fitted sheet.

I had read some things about the downside of mattress wrapping: the wrapper is hard to get on, it’s loud, and it feels like you’re laying on plastic. The wrapper couldn’t have been easier to put on – I have no idea what the people on the forums are talking about on that topic. Perhaps they were referring to wrapping a larger mattress or maybe other brands are more difficult to put on. As for it being loud, I found the cotton blanket barrier between the wrapper and the fitted sheet was a huge diffuser. I laid down on the mattress after the bedding was on and it didn’t feel plastic-y at all to me.

The other benefits of using a mattress wrapper are: it acts as a dust mite barrier, it is naturally a waterproof (and other substance proof) protector, and the wrapper will not affect the performance of specific mattresses (like memory foam).

All in all, I feel much more at ease now that Romi’s crib mattress is wrapped. Since we have decided to let her sleep on her tummy, a well-warned against practice, I felt like I had to wrap the mattress. If nothing else, it makes me feel better and it certainly won’t hurt anything. I use a fan in her room, we give her a pacifier, she has never been exposed to smoke, and we use a tight fitting flat sheet (some of the recommended practices to reduce the risk of SIDS according to an article published in Parents magazine).

My next purchase will be a wrapper for Ohana’s bed. I would love to wrap our mattress as well, but we have been talking about getting a new mattress anyway so we will definitely be looking into natural latex, organic cotton or organic wool mattresses.

Have you ever heard of this practice or wrapped your mattress? What do you think about the theories behind mattress wrapping?

1 Cot Life 2000, 2012, The Cause of Cot Death and How to Prevent It, Cot Life 2000, Auckland, New Zealand.

2 Refer three studies which have reported the incidence of mattress-wrapping in New Zealand: NZ Med J 2000; 113:8-10; NZ Med J 2000; 113:326-327; Eur J Pediatr 2008; 167(2):251-252

3 NZ Ministry of Health: Official crib death statistics 1994~2011 (inclusive)