If you have a baby on the way or already have a new arrival and want to ensure you have a tiptop, green friendly, non-toxic nursery—read on! In these days of environmental awareness, for us to keep our children’s world as safe as we can, we need to begin at home and what better place than your baby’s first environment?
First, start with your walls and floors and use non-toxic paint that doesn’t contain volatile organic compounds VOCs. Paints loaded with VOC’s can still produce toxins in the air years after they have dried. Milk paint is another great paint that you can mix with water for a warm eggshell feel. Many variations of natural wall coverings are also available to brighten your baby’s room.
If the nursery has wall-to-wall carpet, you’re better off tearing that up with all the molds and other elements it can hold and stick with a natural wood or bamboo floors. Accent your floor with area rugs that are made from organic cottons and wools.
When it comes to the crib or bassinette, make sure these are both made of natural wood and cover them with organic fabrics. Kee-Ka is my personal favorite for organic bedding. Organic fabrics do come in varied natural pigment colors to give splashes of color to your nursery. In fact, even the rocking chair or changing station should be all wooden, stay away from plastics because someday, if you can’t recycle that plastic changing station—we all know where that will end up—in a landfill for centuries.
Be careful of the mattress you use in your crib or bassinettes and find mattresses that are stuffed with organic and natural materials that won’t release carcinogenic into the air. These days, you can create a totally non-toxic nursery by buying organic baby clothing, first cloth baby read books, and natural organic oils and creams for your baby’s skin. Earth Mama Angel Baby is a good place to look.
Keep plenty of fresh cloth diapers on hand as well as glass bottles. Stay away from plastic diapers and plastic bottles that can’t be recycled. Items for baby such as non-toxic teething rings, and teething tablets are at stores everywhere in these days of a toxin free environment.
Stuff your new baby’s drawers with toxin free organic bathing products, clothes, soaps, and shampoos that won’t irritate their precious skin or contain preservatives or toxins that your baby can breathe in. If you can, allow for a window in your baby’s room as many toxins can develop without a fresh breeze of air.
When it’s time to clean the baby’s nursery, only use green cleaning products and make sure your vacuum cleaner has bags that trap allergens from the floor and air. Use natural cotton dusting cloths not only for the care of your furniture but to stop the release of toxins found in some fabrics that have been processed or sprayed before made into cloth.
When laundering baby’s clothes avoid using products that have fragrances, fabric softeners, dyes, or optical brighteners. Soap nuts is a good alternative.
If you follow these easy steps, you’ll be assured to have a fully functional, safe and non-toxic nursery that you can pass along or use for babies two and three!
