Make Your Nursery a Lean, Green, Organic Machine!

Go Green For Your Baby

The 21st century has really made a proactive leap into eco-friendly practices. Living in an over-populated world where demand for consumer products is at an all time high and resources are scarce, parents who practice green living should be commended.

Don't tell Mother Nature I told you this, but being eco-friendly is not just about preserving the environment, it is also about saving our health. Manufacturers profit from giving products a longer shelf-life. Everything from cribs, to mattresses, and baby bedding, as well as diapers, food, paints and carpets are treated with chemicals to make them last. This means we (and especially our kids) are constantly exposed to harmful toxins, which leads to health problems like allergies, cancer and much more.

That is why as a mother of 2 small children, I made sure to give my home a green makeover, starting with the baby nursery.

Green Nursery = Healthy, Happy Baby

After much research about all the harmful toxins that lie just in the household, I went into toxin-phobia mode. Is there a term for that yet? There should be. But after a nice dose of psychosomatic worrying, I took a deep breath, did my homework, and found out how I can create a green nursery that is healthy for my baby and good to the environment.

Here are valuable tips that will help you build an eco-friendly baby nursery:

1. Paint: The first item to take care of because it's a pain in the you-know-what to remove all your nursery furniture and items to paint your walls.

• Toxins: Paint contains Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) that vaporize and emit gases long after they have dried. Regular paint emits half of its VOCs within the first year!
• Health Risks: VOC exposure has been known to cause cancer, kidney and liver damage, headaches, eye, throat and nose irritation, and damage to the central nervous system.
• Organic Alternatives: Low or zero VOC paint from brands like Benjamin Moore Pristine EcoSpec Paint, Yolo Colorhouse, and more.

2. Baby Furniture: Natural hardwood is always best, but can get expensive. Many nursery furniture items are made of particle wood or laminated wood and are finished with VOC finishers. However, it is great to see that most manufacturers now use non-toxic finishes.

• Toxins:Formaldehyde and VOC Finishes
• Health Risks:Cancers, organ damage, headaches, asthma and skin irritation, damage to central nervous system
• Organic Alternatives:Eco-friendly brand names, such as Oeuf, DaVinci and Stokke who produce top quality Baby Cribs. Many manufacturers have adopted the eco-friendly concept of using wood harvested from sustainable managed forests. Low VOC paint and finishers are also normally used.

3. Crib Mattress: Even today many crib mattresses are treated with chemicals to comply with federal standards for flame retardants. Chemicals are also used for waterproofing and filling. With baby spending 10-14 hours directly on the mattress, an organic mattress should be the new standard!

• Toxins:Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane foam, antibacterial agents and waterproofing additives.
• Health Risks:Possible SIDs, cancer, asthma, blurred vision, early onset of puberty, premature birth, immune suppression, eye, skin and throat irritation, allergies and much more.
• Organic Alternatives:Brand names such as Naturepedic or wrap your current crib mattress with food-grade polyethylene plastic which do not contain phthalates or other unsafe additives.

4. Baby Bedding: Chemicals can be found in certain baby bedding to keep designs looking new and prolong shelf life. Find organic baby bedding that is made from 100% certified organic cotton. Believe me, crib bedding is the closest item to your child in the baby crib.

• Toxins:Pesticides, formaldehyde, harmful dyes and flame retardants.
• Health Risks:Cancer, asthma, eye, skin and throat irritation, allergies and more.
• Organic Alternatives:DwellStudio, Kidsline, and NotNeutral are just some brand names that produce a collection of high-quality baby bedding with 100% certified organic cotton and do not treat fabrics with chemicals. Some also participate in recyclable or reusable packaging. If you are using standard baby bedding, however, always wash in eco-friendly detergent before first use to help reduce any residue it may have been treated with.

5. BPA Not For Me: Bisphenol A is an organic chemical compound found in most plastics. Be sure to find baby products that are BPA-free. It won't be hard to find. BPA-free baby products are becoming a new standard.

• Toxins:Bisphenol A (BPA)
• Health Risks:Released hormone-like properties resulting in early onset puberty, Neurological issues, disruption of endocrine system, cancers, obesity, brain tumors and more.
• Organic Alternatives:Stainless steel, wood, paper, glass and any plastic that is BPA-free.

6. Plants: Instead of spending $300 on a good air purifier, why not get a natural purifier like a houseplant? It is nature's best organic filtration system. Plants help balance indoor humidity, release pure oxygen and absorb pollutants and harmful gases.

• Toxins:Benzene, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde
• Health Risks:Cancer, asthma, allergies.
• Organic Alternatives:Top air purifying plants are Spider plant, Boston Fern, English ivy, Areca Palm, Aloe Vera, Chinese Evergreen, Snake plant, Marginata, and Peace Lily.