Sleep is vitally important for your newborn baby as this is a time for them to rest and grow, so the surface they are laying on needs to be super comfortable and supportive. The mattress you choose will last them around 4-5 years so it needs to be carefully considered to ensure it is the best one for you and your baby.
Before my visit to the Harrison Spinks Farm I knew little about natural mattresses however, I have always been a fan of this fabulous brand and was keen to learn more about the production process that is all completed right here in the UK, between their factory and very own working farm!!
Upon arriving at the Harrison Spinks Farm we started the tour looking at where Hemp is brought in from the field and processed for use in both adult sized and the Harrison Spinks Baby Natural Start No.1 mattress. Annually Harrison Spinks grows around 75 acres of Hemp, a fiber that has lots of different uses, Harrison Spinks ensure that 100% of the bale is used by dividing it up into three parts; fibers for the mattresses, woody shiv for building materials or animal bedding and dust which is palletized to be used for fuel. The team were passionate about using the crop to its full potential and I really love that there is no waste from the hemp and every bit is put to good use!
So why Hemp? Hemp is absorbent and naturally resistant to mildew which keeps your mattress fresh and hygienic, making it a perfect material to use around your newborn baby.
April sees the end of lambing season at the Harrison Spinks Farm and the farmer Gary took us to see the little lambs and we even got to feed them which was amazing!! Every year there are around 250 lambs born at the farm and they have approximately 400 sheep who are sheared every June for their beautiful fleeces. The fleeces are cleaned and used to make a soft and springy filling inside all Harrison Spinks Baby mattresses.
Wool from the sheep is used because it is a resilient, anti-bacterial filling and its inherently fire retardant properties make it possible for HS not to use chemicals in their mattresses. Wool is also warm and can regulate body temperature, so you little one will be the perfect temperature all year round, giving you peace of mind no matter what the weather.
You will also find Coir and Mohair wool within the Harrison Spinks Baby mattresses and although these materials don’t come from the farm they are 100% natural. The Coir works perfectly with the BabySpring® Technology (more on this later) and gives your baby the perfect support throughout the night.
My favourite part about the Harrison Spinks mattresses has to be the BabySpring® Technology which is used to create the world’s smallest pocket spring. In order to do this Harrison Spinks draw their own wire on site in the Leeds factory and the process is really incredible as you can see the wire being passed through lots of different machines to create the end product for the tiny springs.
The BabySpring® makes perfect sense as it is a lot more targeted and flexible than traditional cot springs and in the early days as your baby grows at such a rapid rate, the BabySprings® offer excellent head and back support. The Natural Start mattresses have hundreds of tiny springs, as it is scientifically proven that a high spring count offers increase support and comfort which is just want we want for our sleeping babies.
Once we had looked at all of the fillings for the Natural Start collection, we got to make our very own mattress with the help of Alan, the man in charge of overseeing the whole building process. Before we start to build the mattress, each piece is put through a large metal detector just to be on the safe side and the team use a metal table jig that is set to the perfect size and height to ensure every mattress is the same.
Each layer is glued into place with the same material used in nappies; a glue that never sets hard meaning it will never snap and cause harm and once all pieces are in place, the 100% organic cotton cover is placed over the top which will work to keep your little one cool and fresh.
I loved that each mattress is quality checked and signed by the person who gives it the final seal of approval, that way Harrison Spinks know that each mattress is leaving the factory of the highest possible standard.
All Natural Start mattresses come with a 5-year guarantee so you know you are covered for the whole time you will be using the mattress and the team are always on hand to help any customers. As the whole process is completed here in the UK, this also means that Harrison Spinks have full control over the whole process of production and have very little issues, if any at all!
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I already loved Harrison Spinks and after seeing the process from start to finish, I could not recommend Natural Start mattresses more. The materials are all of the highest quality and for something that is going to be with your baby for around 5 whole years, who wouldn’t want the best?
Shop the range here and let us know what you think of the mattresses.