Organic Dream Crib Mattress Review, including what I love, what I’d change, and the big question: is this Newton alternative even better?
Disclosure: Upon my outreach and request, Organic Dream provided me with a no charge Comfort Supreme model for this review. I also previously received a no charge Newton Original in exchange for a review. All opinions remain my own.
For years on end, Newton has sat comfortably at the top of the heap when it comes to breathable crib mattress options. Year after year, I’ve chosen it as the best breathable crib mattress on the market, followed closely by the Naturepedic breathable.
However, in late 2022, I became aware of a Newton crib mattress alternative: the Organic Dream baby and toddler mattress.
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$299
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- Organic mattress cover
- 6″ deep mattress with great support
- Plushest, softest, and comfiest crib mattress cover on the market IMO
- 2-stage dual firmness
- Easy to tell which side is infant vs toddler.
- No chemical smell when unboxing
- 100% washable
- Hypoallergenic
- Non-toxic construction
- 100% Made in USA Transparent about raw components sourcing
- Comparable in price to Newton Original, with a few additional bells and whistles
- Super comfy due to the plush cover
- Mattress core is a bit noisy
- Easy to put the cover back on the wrong way
- No information about recycling the mattress core
- Zipper can be a bit finicky
Intrigued, I reached out to Organic Dream and asked them if they would send me one of their crib mattresses in exchange for an honest review.
I specifically asked for their Comfort Supreme 2-Stage Crib and Toddler mattress because it seemed like the closest Newton crib mattress alternative.
And they agreed.
Organic Dream Crib Mattress Review
What follows is my review of the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme mattress.
I’ve included a side by side comparison for parents trying to decide between the Newton vs Organic Dream crib mattresses, as well as going over what I think are the pros and cons of Organic Dream’s Comfort Supreme mattress.
What Is Organic Dream?
Like a lot of my favorite brands, Organic Dream products are designed by parents, looking for a solution for their own babies and young kids.
As the brand name suggests, the company is focused on creating non toxic and organic crib mattresses, keeping health and safety in mind for every product they design. You can read more about the company’s story and mission, here.
How does that work out in practice? Let’s take a look at their crib mattresses!
The Organic Dream Baby Crib Mattress is the Newton Mattress Dupe You Need to Know About
Organic Dream makes a few different models in terms of crib mattresses. I received their Comfort Supreme 2-Stage Crib and Toddler mattress, which I think is an awesome Newton mattress alternative.
The only dual firmness breathe through crib mattress, the infant side offers excellent firmness and support, and is topped with one of the softest, plushest crib mattress cover on the market. This mattress also offers an organic cotton sleep surface.
So what are some key features of the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme Mattress, and how did it stand up to my testing?
A Soft and Comfy Organic Cotton Surface
All of Organic Dream’s crib mattresses are covered in an extremely soft, stretchy, and cushioned quilted mattress cover with an organic cotton sleep surface.
This is a key feature to this mattress, and near the top of the list of “pros” because it is so darn thick and plush!
When I unzip the cover on our mattress, the first thing I notice is how thick it is. The quilted organic cotton on the surface is buttery soft to the touch. Looking at it from back to front, it’s clear there’s some batting in there, which thickens it up and adds the super soft cushioned feeling.
The mattress core itself is very firm (which is how baby mattresses should be – I go into this more further down in this post), but the cover is cloud-like.
I’ve tested a lot of crib mattresses over the years (I currently have about 10 different brands and models in my storage locker), and I have to say the Organic Dream mattress cover is by far the plushest, softest, and most comfy I’ve come across. It’s divine, and I expect one of the more expensive parts of the mattress from a production stand-point.
Because the cover is so thick, it’s worth noting the zipper on the cover can be a bit sticky to get going, when going around corners, and when zipping the cover back up again. It’s not a huge deal, and seems like a fair price to pay given the thickness of the cover, but it is a bit tricky, and you have to get used to it.
Bottom line? The Organic Dream’s cover is thick, soft, and plush, and is one of the nicest crib mattress covers I’ve come across in my testing.
Compared to its closest competitor, this cover is much thicker and plusher than the Newton cover, is softer to the touch, and offers an organic cotton sleep surface (compared to Newton’s polyester sleep surface).
Water Resistant Without Chemicals
The covers are breathable and machine washable, as well as being “wet resistant” for up to 12 to 16 hours, without using waterproofing chemicals or materials.
Waterproofing chemicals, such PFOA and PFOS (known collectively as PFAS) are bad news from a health perspective, so it’s great the Organic Dream is made without them.
But how does it actually perform on a wet resistant test?
I tested this out by measuring out 1/4 cup of water (equivalent to 4 tablespoons), and spilling it on the infant side. A baby’s wet diaper should contain what feels like between 2 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons of liquid, so 4 tablespoons – while on the upper limit – isn’t a huge stretch.
On this test, the mattress really didn’t perform very well, and the liquid soaked in almost immediately.
I quickly unzipped the mattress cover and felt through to the back of the cover, and could feel a slight wet spot after about 30 seconds to a minute, but the fire sock itself wasn’t wet yet.
To be fair, I spilled the equivalent to the entire contents of a baby’s very full bladder on the mattress very quickly. This is a realistic scenario, but only once in a while – like when a diaper comes all the way off in the night, and then a baby pees.
It’s not something that will likely happen all the time – a full-on diaper fail is more of a once in a while thing (in my experience).
More likely? A bit of pee leaks out from an over-full diaper, slowly throughout the night when your baby moves around.
To test this scenario out, I measured out 1 tablespoon of liquid (water), and poured it slowly in 4 unequal increments onto the mattress, with 2 minutes in between pours. I then waited 30 minutes after the last of the 4 increments to test how wet it was.
In this test, the mattress performed much better. The mattress surface was still wet to the touch, but it didn’t soak through to the back of the mattress cover, nor to the fire barrier underneath.
Based on this test, this mattress would perform well in a slow overnight or nap-time diaper leak, but you’d need to remove the cover and wash it once baby wakes up.
For this reason, I recommend purchasing this mattress with an extra cover or two, allowing a full swap-out with a fresh cover while the soiled cover is in the laundry.
Breathe Through vs Waterproof
Here’s the thing about breathe-through breathability and waterproof…they don’t go together, so you have to choose which is more important to you.
True “breathe-through” mattresses, like the Organic Dream and Newton, can’t be fully waterproof, because full waterproofing is inherently impermeable to water (and air!).
Truly waterproof mattresses, like the Naturepedic Breathable and Lullaby Earth Breathe Safe Air can’t be truly breathe-through, because of their waterproofing system. They make their mattresses quite breathable by adding a 3D fabric cover on top of the waterproof layer to create space for air. This way, they have a breathable mattress surface, but not a breathe-through mattress core like Organic Dream and Newton.
Each family needs to recognize this trade off, and decide for themselves which is the most important factor for them.
Removable and Washable Cover
It’s fairly standard for crib mattresses to have removable and washable covers, at least with mid-range and higher-end brands, which this certainly is.
My Colgate Eco Classica III doesn’t have a removable and washable cover, and I think it’s the worst feature of that mattress. But the Naturepedic Breathable, Lullaby Earth, Newton Wovenaire, and Nook Pebble crib mattresses I own all have a removable and washable cover – or at least the option to buy one.
This feature puts the Organic Dream crib mattresses on par with other mid-range to high-end organic and non toxic crib mattresses, and it really is a feature worth having when dealing with middle of the night accidents.
On their website, Organic Dream recommends buying an extra cover or two, and I have to say I agree with this recommendation. Since the cover isn’t wipe-down waterproof, it will need laundering after accidents.
If you child has a diaper leak or big spit up in the middle of the night, you can simply strip one cover off, replace it with a clean and dry one, and then worry about a full wash in the morning.
Crib Sheets for the Organic Dream Baby Mattress
While you can sleep on the Organic Dream without a sheet, the company recommends a thin, breathable crib sheet over top.
Since it’s a 6″ thick mattress with a rather thick cover, I wondered how well some of our sheets would fit, so I thought I’d test it out with a few different crib mattress sheets.
I tested the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme with non toxic and organic crib sheets made by:
- Little Unicorn muslin crib sheets
- Pehr non toxic crib sheets
- Burt’s Bees organic jersey knit baby crib sheets
- Pottery Barn organic crib sheets
The Burt’s Bees organic crib sheets and the Pehr crib sheets fit the mattress the best: both fit well with no issues (FWIW, the Burt’s Bees crib sheets have fit every single mattress I’ve tested them with, perfectly).
If you’re interested in either, Maisonette has an excellent selection of Pehr crib sheets. Nordstrom also carries Pehr, but I have found their crib sheet selection, specifically, a bit more limited. Amazon’s selection of Pehr crib sheets is also pretty good!
Burt’s Bees organic crib sheets are available via Burt’s Bees Baby directly, as well as Walmart and Amazon.
Disappointingly, my Little Unicorn sheet didn’t fit fully over the crib mattress’ long edge, and was a struggle to get on, so I can’t recommend this brand of crib sheet for the Organic Dream mattress.
The Pottery Barn crib sheets were tight, but they did fit. The sheet covered the long edge, unlike the Little Unicorn sheet, but it didn’t tuck under as the Burt’s Bees and Pehr sheets did.
Of the crib sheets I tested with this crib mattress, the Pehr and Burt’s Bees were the best. The Pottery Barn sheet was fine, and would work in my opinion. However, I wouldn’t recommend using Little Unicorn muslin sheets with this mattress.
Greenguard Gold Certified
All Organic Dream crib mattresses are Greenguard GOLD certified by UL Solutions. Greenguard certification tests products for off-gassing and VOCs, and Greenguard GOLD certified means the mattress won’t off gas or negatively impact your indoor air quality at home or in your nursery.
Greenguard GOLD certification relates to VOCs and off-gassing from a product, and products with Gold level certification have been independently tested to have extremely low levels of off-gassing and low chemical emissions.
In practical terms, Greenguard Gold certification means the mattress shouldn’t have a dramatic “new mattress smell,” which is actually caused by chemicals (volatile organic compounds) off-gassing from your mattress to pollute your indoor air quality. No smell, plus clean air!
In fact, there was no discernible smell when I unpacked my Organic Dream mattress, which was shipped in a cardboard box with the mattress encased in plastic.
To me, Greenguard Gold certification should be the standard for all crib mattresses, kids mattresses, and adult mattresses in this day and age.
Most crib mattresses are now Greenguard Gold certified, and I personally wouldn’t purchase one for myself or my daughter that isn’t certified (my husband and I sleep on a Happsy organic mattress, which is Greenguard Gold as well).
Free From Flame Retardant Chemicals
Every mattress sold in the United States has to meet federal flammability standards, but the law doesn’t state how mattress companies need to go about meeting those standards.
For a long time, most conventional mattress manufacturers used chemical flame retardants to meet this requirement. As the public and companies themselves have become more aware of the potential harms associated with flame retardants, the most responsible companies have shifted away from using chemicals to meet the requirement and towards more natural and non toxic options (many mattresses made from polyurethane foam will still have some form of chemical flame retardants in them).
Most non toxic mattress brands I’ve come across use either natural wool and/or cotton or a non toxic fire sock to meet the standard.
The Organic Dream mattress uses a viscose rayon fire sock derived from tree and plant cellulose. It’s a stretchy, loosely knit manmade fiber that sits over the mattress core, under the organic cotton cover.
Many companies treat their fire socks with something extra, such as hydrolyzed silica. Organic Dream doesn’t mention anything about “something extra” on their website, so I reached out to the company and asked.
The company confirmed the fire sock isn’t treated with anything else.
“It is purely cellulose-based viscose rayon.” (email communication with Organic Dream).
Breathe Through Design
This is where Organic Dream’s crib mattress most closely resembles the Newton crib mattress and stands apart from other crib mattresses: the breathable inner layer.
When I pull away the cushiony soft organic cotton cover and pull off the fire sock, I’m left with the core of the Organic Dream product: their 100% Washable DreamCore® inner layer.
Take a look at the polyethylene mattress core. It has the same “instant noodles” look as the Newton Wovenaire,® with plenty of the space between the “noodles” being filled with air.
All you have to do is stick your face right up against the mattress core and try breathing, and it’s clear Organic Dream has come up with a breathe-through design to rival Newton’s.
The cover is also “breathe-through” – when I stick my face right up against the organic cotton and blow, I can feel the heat from my breath on the other side of the cover.
When the entire mattress is put together (mattress core plus fire sock plus organic cotton cover), I can still get a decent breath in when my face is smushed right up against the mattress.
While I can get some breaths in, I find it’s not quite as airy as when I do the same with the Newton. In my opinion, this comes down to the mattress cover, and the materials the companies have chosen for the cover.
Organic Dream’s cover is super thick, quilted, and plush, with an organic cotton sleep surface. The thickness of the cover adds a lot from a comfort perspective, but lessens breathability a bit.
Newton’s cover is polyester, with a 3D construction designed to create more air pockets. It’s not nearly as soft, and it’s not organic (polyester is a type of plastic), but the breathe-through-ness is unparalleled.
As with waterproof vs breathable, this is another trade-off that families have to decide for themselves: comfort and organic vs breathable.
Of course, you should always place your baby to sleep on their back, following safe sleep guidelines. Where the “face smushed against the mattress breathability” comes in is when your baby learns to roll, and starts deciding for themselves how they sleep, regardless of being put to bed on their back.
Made in the USA with Materials from Canada and Europe, Not China
One thing I absolutely love about Organic Dream’s line of baby bed mattresses is that they are made in the USA, using materials imported from Canada and Europe, not China.
Don’t get me wrong: I like China and have travelled extensively there. BUT…it’s hard to ignore a history of safety issues with China, especially when it comes to baby products.
In October 2008, I spent a month in Mainland China, right when a melamine in eggs scandal hit. In 2003 and 2004, I lived in Japan, where I was told to buy imported Australian milk, rather than imported Chinese milk, because of safety variability and concerns. When I visited friends living in Hong Kong in 2006, they said the same thing – they were careful about the food they bought, and where it came from.
That’s certainly not to say all products made in China are unsafe. Not at all! Rather, in a head-to-head comparison of two products, when all else is equal, I’d personally pick the made in the USA with materials sourced from Canada and Europe option every time.
All of Organic Dream’s mattresses are made in the USA, using components sourced from Canada and Europe.
And the food grade polymer that makes up the breathable core of the Comfort Supreme mattresses is from Canada and Europe.
Cover to Core Washability
This is another feature of this crib mattress that’s different from many crib mattresses – they entire thing is washable, not just the cover.
As with the Newton, you can basically stick the mattress core in the shower and give it a full rinse after accidents, while the cover and fire sock can go in the washing machine and dryer on low heat (although Organic Dream does recommend hanging to dry as the best option on their website).
I tried out washing both my mattress cover, fire sock, and mattress core to see how they perform.
When I received my Organic Dream baby mattress, it came with a care instructions card outlining washing and drying instructions for the mattress cover, inner cover (fire sock) and the mattress core.
Before washing, I checked their website, and found some additional tips which I followed:
- Before machine washing the cover, zip the cover fully closed to reduce the chance of the cover getting snagged in the machine.
- Use a mild, organic detergent (I used a Tru Earth fragrance free laundry detergent strip, which is our normal laundry detergent these days)
- On their website, Organic Dream recommends letting the cover hang to air dry or using low heat on the dry.
I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous about washing and drying my cover and fire sock. My dryer doesn’t have a low heat or delicate function, so I opted to air dry both the cover and the fire sock, rather than risk them shrinking.
However, I was a bit nervous about hanging the fire sock to dry. Newton specifically recommends their fire sock be tumbled dry, noting it can develop a smell if it’s left damp for too long. Because of this, they recommend against hanging their encasement to dry.
Thankfully, this wasn’t an issue with the Organic Dream. Both the cover and the fire sock encasement washed great, and dried well by hanging to dry. No weird odors, and no shrinking from the experience.
Non Toxic Construction
The Organic Dream Comfort Supreme is free from chemical flame retardants, PVC and phthalates, formaldehyde, and polyurethane foam.
It’s also latex free. While many natural and organic mattresses use natural latex, latex-free is a great option as well; this is especially true for families with latex allergies.
Dual Firmness
I appreciate the Organic Dream is a dual firmness mattress, with both a super firm infant side and a slightly more plush toddler side that you can use as a toddler mattress. You can switch to after a baby’s first birthday (I think after 15 to 18 months is better).
I also like that it’s theoretically really easy to tell which side is which, since it’s embroidered into the cover.
The problem with this, however, is when you remove the cover for washing.
When you put the cover back on, you have to pay attention to ensure you put the “infant” cover back on the firmer infant side of the mattress, and the “toddler” side back on the toddler side of the mattress.
Thankfully, in my experience it’s quite easy to tell on this mattress, as one side is noticeably firmer when you press down on it (the infant side).
Hypoallergenic
One of the big benefits of this style of polyethylene mattress core as opposed to more conventional crib mattresses is the hypoallergenic design.
Because the entire mattress is washable, it’s easy to keep common allergens such as dust mites and mildew out of the mattress, simply by keeping it clean and staying on top of regularly washing.
Additional Models
In addition to the Comfort Supreme, which is the model I have, Organic Dream also offers their Classic Lightweight crib mattress (available in single sided or dual firmness for infants and toddlers), a Cool Gel version which contains a gel layer to keep the mattress cooler, a mini crib mattress, and a pack n play mattress.
Newton Vs Organic Dream Crib Mattress
Below, I’ve outlined a few key differences between the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme vs the Newton Original. To be clear, I think both of these products are excellent, and a great choice for your baby.
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Most Comfortable
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Most Breathable
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$299
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$299
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Yes
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Yes
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Made of 100% washable DreamCore® food grade polymer sourced from Canada and Europe
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100% washable WOVENAIRE® food grade polymer made in the USA with polymer of unspecified origin.
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Super soft organic cotton cover with 100% organic cotton sleep surface
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Polyester described as a "3D spacer fabric"
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6"
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5.5"
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17 pounds
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11 pounds
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Slip-on non-toxic fire sock made from cellulose-derived viscose
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Wood-pulp derived viscose encasement
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100% made in the USA
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USA and China
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Unknown
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Yes. Fully recyclable when you're finished with it.
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Dual firmness
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Single firmness
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100 Nights
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100 Nights Starting from Due Date
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Materials
This is a big difference between the two brands.
The Organic Dream Comfort Supreme has a food grade polyethylene core that they call DreamCore®. It’s 100% washable, made in the USA, and made from polymer sourced from Canada and Europe.
Newton also makes their mattress core (they call it WOVENAIRE®) in the USA from food grade polymer. They don’t specify where they source the polymer from – it could be the same as Organic Dream, or it could be China. We just don’t know, and based on that, this is a bit of a key differentiator for the Organic Dream.
And then there’s the mattress cover.
The Organic Dream’s cover is made of extremely soft organic cotton, with a plush, quilted construction, as opposed to the “3D” polyester that Newton uses. There are pros and cons to both.
In my opinion, the 3D polyester fabric Newton uses is a bit more breathable, but it’s not nearly as soft to the touch, and it’s plastic. Because the Newton mattress is a bit thinner, and with a thinner cover, this might make a difference comfort-wise once you have a toddler.
The Organic Dream, on the other hand, has a super soft, luxurious-feeling organic cotton cover. It’s much nicer to touch, and is still comfy and breathable, but is a bit less “breathe-through” based on my own tests.
Fire Barrier
Both brands use a cellulose-based viscose rayon fiber to meet federal flammability standards. And both achieve it via a slip on fire sock or encasement.
Newton describes their’s as “an encasement made of viscose (a reconstituted wood pulp) that is used as a natural fire barrier.” It’s sort of wooly and a bit fuzzy in texture, without much stretch to it.
Organic Dream describes their’s as an “100% Natural Cellulose provides excellent clean support and acts as a natural fire cover.” It’s more of a knit/weave that you can see in the photo below, and has some stretch to it, which in my experience makes it easier to get on and off, compared to the Newton.
Both companies call their fire barrier layer “natural” which seems like a bit of stretch from the marketing department in my opinion.
Yes, they use natural inputs (wood and plant pulp), but the fabric is man-made and goes through a number of steps to get it from pulp to inherently fire resistant fabric.
That doesn’t mean it is bad…just that it seems like a stretch to call it natural!
Organic Dream confirmed via email they don’t use anything else in their fire barrier, and it is made purely of cellulose-based viscose rayon.
As of 2020, Newton also uses only cellulose-based viscose (confirmed to me in previous communication with the company). In my mattress, it’s a separate encasement, but some Newton mattresses have the viscose quilted into the cover.
Where It’s Made
This is another notable difference between the two brands.
The Organic Dream Comfort Supreme is 100% made in the USA.
Newton splits up production, with the WOVENAIRE® mattress core made in the USA, the cover made in China, and assembly taking place in the US.
Firmness
Based on my tests, the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme is a firmer crib mattress than the Newton, which in my opinion is a good thing. Safe sleep guidelines require babies be placed to sleep in a bare crib with a firm, well-fitting crib mattress covered only by a well-fitting fitted sheet.
In a side by side comparison test, putting a 20 pound dumb bell on the Newton and on the Organic Dream, it’s clear how much firmer the Organic Dream mattress is.
It’s hard to show the firmness differences via photos, but it’s there. The Organic Dream holds up really well against indentation to the dumb bell, whereas the Newton noticeably indents.
When I stand on my Newton Mattress (without the cover), my foot reaches all the way through, and I can feel the floor underneath. When I stand on my Organic Dream mattress (also without the cover), my foot doesn’t go all the way through and I can’t feel the ground.
Thickness
The Organic Dream is also a thicker mattress without a doubt.
But when you strip the covers away, the difference is actually much less (about 0.75 inches, or 2 cm), which shows just how plush Organic Dream’s breathable crib mattress cover is!
Noisiness
One thing I prefer about the Newton vs the Organic Dream is the noisiness of the mattresses.
Both make some noise when you press on them or step on them. But the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme is definitely a bit louder and crunchier when I stand on it.
I worried this would wake up a baby when sleeping, but when I lie down on both and roll around, neither mattress makes much of a noise under the weight of my adult body, so I don’t think this is an issue from a usage perspective.
Weight
The Newton crib mattress wins from a weight perspective: it’s about 6 pounds lighter than the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme (11 pounds vs 17 pounds).
This weight difference won’t be as significant as time goes on, but could be significant if you have a C-section, especially if you’re single-parenting and don’t have a partner to help lift the crib mattress for sheet changes and washes at the beginning.
You might also notice this in the crib when you move the platform down to the lowest level, particularly if you’re short and have to lean over quite a lot to reach down and lift the mattress.
Eco Friendliness
Both of these crib mattresses contain a significant plastic component – the Newton is more or less all plastic (WOVENAIRE® core, plus polyester cover) and the Organic Dream has a plastic core (DreamCore®).
One thing that sets Newton apart, however, is their recycling program. According to Newton, the entire mattress should be recyclable. BUT, if you have trouble recycling it with the facilities available where you live, they will arrange recycling for you.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think the Organic Dream Comfort Supreme is an awesome crib mattress, and I’m happy to finally see a good Newton alternative on the market, as it offers more choice for parents.
Compared to the Newton, I prefer the Comfort Supreme’s organic cotton cover for comfort vs Newton’s polyester cover, the thickness and firmness of the Organic Dream baby crib mattress, and the fact that I know it’s all made in the USA with components sourced from Canada and Europe. I like the fire barrier on the Organic Dream mattress better, as it can be hung to dry (unlike the Newton which needs a tumble dryer) and it’s stretchier and easier to get on. Finally, I like that it’s a dual firmness design, and you’ll be able to use it as a toddler bed mattress as well.
The only dual firmness breathe through crib mattress, the infant side offers excellent firmness and support, and is topped with one of the softest, plushest crib mattress cover on the market. This mattress also offers an organic cotton sleep surface.
However, I find the Newton Original is easier to maneuver (being a thinner and lighter mattress), and the cover is also easier to get on and off, and slightly more “breathe through” than the Organic Dream. Being thinner, the zipper doesn’t get stuck like it does on my Organic Dream mattress, making middle of the night cover changes slightly easier.
Depending on what you’re looking for, either could be a good choice, and every family will have to weigh what’s most important to them when shopping for and selecting a crib mattress.
I hope this review helps!
