Summary: After spending many postpartum months sleeping in their second baby’s room, we celebrated our best friend’s return to her own bed with a total bedding makeover from Birch, including pillows, sheets, duvet, and protectors for their pillows and mattress (they have two young kids now, after all!). Birch’s high standards for certified organic and nontoxic materials make them the perfect fit for the whole family, so our friends could rest easy (and deeply!) knowing their cozy new bedding is as safe as it is comfortable.
Pros:
- I love that the sustainable and ethical standards for Birch are high, and they have the certifications to prove it.
- Birch’s materials are not only chosen for being natural, nontoxic, and ethically produced, but also for their functionality. The bedding is all naturally breathable, temperature-regulating, and super soft to the touch.
- Both our friends report that the bedding feels and looks exactly like the high-quality bedding found in a luxury hotel.
Cons:
- Maximalists will find the palette choices here a little uninspiring — there aren’t many colors to choose from and no patterns at all.
- These high-quality products don’t come cheap, but they will last you years.
There are some friends who are more than just our friends, but people we consider our family — and that is how we think of Rebecca and Jon. Not only are we godparents to each other’s kids, but during the pandemic they bought the house right across the street from us, so we could live out every millennial’s dream of raising kids in a compound (iykyk!). For more than a decade we have been part of all of the major events in each other’s lives — Rebecca planned my bachelorette weekend and came with me to my first doctor appointment when I was pregnant, and they took in our beloved dog William for the first chaotic weeks after we’d become parents. When their first child came prematurely, I went over and set up their nursery, unpacking all the gifts and boxes of baby supplies they hadn’t yet gotten to; when they came home I brought my breast pump and walked her through the various tips and tricks I’d learned from my own nursing days.
Rebecca and I have both spent most of our adulthood without our own family nearby, and so we’ve taken on many of those roles for each other. Not a day goes by when I don’t feel incredibly lucky that we ended up crossing paths when we did. She’s been a crucial support for me during hard times, and I don’t often have the forethought or bandwidth to express my gratitude the way I’d like. Which is why I was over the moon when the opportunity to review Birch bedding coincided with a key transitional period in Rebecca’s life.
After having their second baby last summer, Rebecca has spent less than a handful of nights in her own bed. Between a long postpartum hospital stay and then sleeping in the baby’s room to make night feedings a little easier, these last several months have taken a real toll on her sleep. So when it was time to transition the new baby into sleeping alone, I was so excited to makeover Rebecca and Jon’s bed in Birch’s sustainable, organic bedding — what better way to celebrate the milestone and welcome Rebecca back to her own bed?
About Birch
Birch was launched by Helix in 2019, with a focus for creating sleep products that met the highest standards of ethical and sustainable materials, production, and practices.
Third-party verifications are one of the only ways to know when a company is true to its sustainability claims, and not simply relying on unregulated terms for green marketing points. The Birch sleep products come with an impressive pedigree of certifications, including Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS), Rainforest Alliance, GREENGUARD Gold, among others. Read through their certifications page to get a sense of their commitment to best sustainable practices for consumers and the planet. Birch is the real deal!
Receiving our shipment & first impressions
I was a fan of the Birch natural down insert, which I got to test for our comforter review. I knew if it was any indication of the quality of the rest of the products, our friends were going to be in for a treat!
All of the products came in individual packages over the course of a few weeks, packed in recyclable cardboard. There was minimal plastic, only around the down duvet insert and to compress the plush mattress topper — everything else was packed in reusable cloth bags. We got the full bedding line, everything but the mattress (which our editor reviewed here). It was a bit of a workout to haul the packages across the street, but you shouldn’t have to deal with that!
My honest review of Birch’s bedding line
Organic Pillows | $148.75 each (Standard)
These pillows are dense but squishy, with a 100% organic cotton cover. The soft, breathable cotton is lightly stretchy and cool to the touch. The fill is made from plush Birch wool, which is cruelty-free, moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, and a natural flame retardant. The shredded latex core provides support free of conventional polyurethane-based foams, and eco-INSTITUT certified.
The pillows seemed a little softer at first than what my friends were used to, but they were surprised at how well-supported they felt throughout the night. They both also mentioned enjoying the consistent temperatures. “The pillows never seemed to get too hot,” they said. As someone who is known to spend the night flipping pillows back and forth looking for the cool side, this is a real sell for me!
Organic Mattress Pad | $248.75 (Queen)
Waterproof Mattress Protector | $148.75 (Queen)
Waterproof Pillow Protector | $48.75 each (Standard)
I decided to group all the first-level items like pads and protectors together, so we could get a sense of their features and performance quality in one shot.
Most people are probably looking for a mattress protector that does exactly that: Preserves the life of your mattress by providing a layer of protection from stains and spills. Birch makes two: A stain-resistant organic cotton pad with a light quilt fill, and an organic cotton waterproof option with a thin polyurethane-based waterproof interior that makes it completely liquid-proof.
For all of the usual performance features of a conventional mattress pad but made with considerably better materials, the organic mattress pad is an ideal investment. (Note: This is a pad that is made to offer a layer of protection, different than a topper — see my review of that below!) Made with Fair Trade-certified cotton and constructed in a soft, weave design with a familiar wave pattern, it looks like a conventional pad that you might find for half the cost at any big box store. In fact, after washing everything and putting it all on the bed, Jon and Rebecca weren’t entirely sure if they’d put their old one on or the new one from Birch! But if you’re committed to a nontoxic setup, you’ll want to opt for the Birch.
The waterproof mattress and pillow protectors are for anyone looking for a heavier-duty level of protection — while still being beautifully soft. When we pulled these out of the packages we were all intrigued by the texture, which was more like a well-worn, high-quality waxed jacket with a jersey knit exterior. I was worried there would be a sound, something sort of crinkling that might remind you of a diaper. Reader, I’m happy to report that it slips snuggly and silently over the pillows and mattress. A sleek zipper design makes it easy to take on and off, and the protectors are all machine washable.
Once properly fitted and tucked under the rest of the bedding, these protectors were out of sight, out of mind. And that’s exactly what we wanted!
Organic Cotton Sheet Set | $223.75 (Queen)
So while the sheet sets are the only products that offer some colors beyond “white” and “natural” we decided to stick with the all-white scheme as the ultimate classically sophisticated flex. Is it possibly inadvisable to go all-white in a house with two young children and a black-furred dog? Sure! But is it also a little bit deliciously rebellious? Yep! Everything is washable, so why not go for the choice that feels the most luxurious?
The organic cotton sheets have been a huge hit for these sleepy parents, who both report that the sateen weave is super soft and the cotton is very breathable and comfortable no matter the temperature. With a 320 thread count, these sheets stay on the cooler side, and get softer with every wash. While Birch calls them “wrinkle resistant” I’d say they look more lived in. In any case, they get two thumbs up from both Jon and Rebecca (and many tail wags from Zoe).
Natural Down Duvet Insert | $398.75 (Queen)
White Duvet Cover Set | $173.75 (Queen)
The natural down duvet is a plush, super cozy comforter designed for year-round use. Filled with 70% Responsible Down Standard certified White Down and 30% ethical Birch wool, the duvet strikes the perfect balance of loft without excessive weight. It feels like a big fluffy cloud, and the white cover set only enhanced the association!
The duvet cover is almost identical to the sheets, made from Fair Trade organic cotton in a sateen weave that feels ultra soft and cool to the touch. There are ties on the inside corners of the cover, and hidden wooden buttons fasten the enclosure. I will say, that while I think the buttons are absolutely gorgeous, they do not slip in and out easily — which makes it somewhat laborious to take on and off, but also means that the cover stays secure once fastened.
Plush Organic Mattress Topper | $498.79 (Queen)
This is the one product we actually ended up trying ourselves (we are trying to extend the life of our mattress for a few more years and really needed something to fix my mid back issues stat!). I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this topper, which looks like it might be sort of structured on the website, but is described as “plush” and soft. It came wrapped and compressed in plastic, so I let it decompress on my office floor for a day before trying it out on our bed. It didn’t appear that different from the few minutes after decompressing to the next day, and it didn’t look as boxy as it does on the website. It is not extremely heavy though a bit bulky to lug around on my own; I just folded it up like a big weighted blanket in the end and managed just fine!
Like the rest of their products, this mattress topper is decorated with all the certifications any health- and sustainability-minded consumer could want: it is GREENGUARD Gold and GOLS certified, and free of any polyurethane-based foams. It has been tested by the eco-INSTITUTE and was made in a Fair Trade factory, plus it made the lists for best mattress topper for its naturally cooling latex features with TIME, The Strategist, and Forbes last year, not to mention a host of other publications awarding it the top honor (scroll down on the product page to see!). Our own editor rated it highly on her review as well. So needless to say, I went into our first night of sleep with high hopes.
And I was not disappointed! For months now, I’ve been waking up with various pain points in my rhomboid, neck, and midback. I’m a side sleeper no matter what I do, so I’ve been trying to work on supporting my body by hugging a pillow and putting another between my knees to prevent the pressure on my joints that can come from twisting forward in the night. I am not exaggerating when I say that I woke up from my first night of sleeping on the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper feeling with none of my usual pain! It provides a kind of cradling support that allows me to instantly settle into whatever position I choose, without the usual fidgeting around trying to get everything comfortably in line. It’s cozy but not squishy, a gentle firmness that gives my joints a rest but still gives that ideal experience of sinking into something lush and soft.
So, is Birch bedding worth it?
While we all loved our experiences with Birch, there’s no denying that their products don’t come cheap. But if you value ethical practices, and organic materials, and you have the patience to save up and wait on one of their sales, you can secure a dreamy nontoxic set of all their sleep products at a steal. And when you consider how much time you spend in bed, and how essential sleep quality and sleep hygiene are to our overall health and wellbeing, you might consider it a more than worthwhile investment. This is especially true if you’re ushering in a new era with your bed after motherhood, a move, or a new mattress purchase — or gifting it to someone who is. ✨
Stephanie H. Fallon is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a writer originally from Houston, Texas and holds an MFA from the Jackson Center of Creative Writing at Hollins University. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she writes about motherhood, artmaking, and work culture. Since 2022, she has been reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, fact-checking sustainability claims, and bringing her sharp editorial skills to every product review. Say hi on Instagram or on her website.
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