May

Creating a Non-toxic Nursery For Your Baby

By Stefanie May 13, 2008
Posted in Baby & Child, Family, Home & Garden

Newborns spend a large portion of their early life in their nursery, so keeping it as healthy as possible is an important task. Creating a non-toxic environment for your baby can help to reduce their exposure to chemicals.

Furniture: Over 90% of new bedroom furniture is made from MDF, which slowly releases toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde for years. Choose toxin free furniture that is unfinished or low and no VOC paints and stains. If you are not able to do this, allow the furniture to air outside or keep the nursery windows open for at least a month before bringing baby home. Used furniture at least 5 years old has likely released most of its harmful chemicals, but make sure these items meet safety standards.
Bedding: Mattresses with wool or latex can cause allergies. Try to purchase an organic mattress, or, if you cannot afford one, allow a conventional mattress to air out at least a month before use. Try to purchase sheets and blankets made of organic cotton, or wash non-organic bedding several times before use.
Toys: For stuffed toys, be sure that they are washable. Organic stuffed toys are a good idea, as they won't expose your baby to chemicals or pesticides that may be in conventional toys. For painted toys, be sure the paint is lead-free, and avoid plastic.
Paint: Choose low VOC or no VOC paint for your child's nursery, and remember not to paint if you are pregnant! Allow the nursery to air out for two months before your baby arrives.
Flooring: Try to avoid putting in new flooring, which can release chemicals in the air or irritate allergies. If necessary, use natural rugs to lessen allergies. Keep carpets clean using a HEPA filter vacuum. We have a Dyson, which is expensive, but works wonders.
Cleaning: When cleaning your non-toxic nursery, consider using non-toxic cleaning products, which most homes already have. If the nursery has carpets, vacuum frequently to avoid dust build up. Use unscented laundry detergent, and 1/4 cup of lemon juice or white vinegar in the wash can help bright up clothes.

Creating a non-toxic nursery is good way to start protecting your children from harmful substances. We can't protect them from everything, but we can certainly try our best!

37 Responses

Everything Family Issue 3

July 1st, 2008 at 2:25 am

[...] S. presents Creating a Non-toxic Nursery For Your Baby posted at Focus [...]

gafas

August 29th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

I never had thought in this sort of thing! but obviously the paint and other products are really bad for the babies, I will speak with my sister, because, she is pregnant and I will tell her about this page, thanks !
the page is very interesting!

Stefanie

September 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 am

gafas, it's crazy, isn't it? Babies spend so much time in their nursery it's important to do everything you can to keep it a healthy environment. Congratulations to your sister!

Jay

September 16th, 2008 at 2:37 am

These tips are so important and people are only now starting to become aware. Thanks for a great post.

Simon Slade

September 16th, 2008 at 8:52 pm

Excellent advice! A lot of soon-to-be parents will find this post invaluable. Great tip for whitening up clothes as well! I sure will be trying that!

Thanks

September 19th, 2008 at 8:51 pm

Jay, it took people awhile, and some are still coming around, but it's getting better.

Simon, I always enjoy helping people!

GreenKitchenDesign

October 22nd, 2008 at 12:37 pm

If you really want a healthy floor for babies room, you should check out Marmoleum. It's made from all natural materials and is sustainable and biodegradable. No toxins are in it so no toxic gasses will be emiteed plus it can be installed with solven free adhesive so you don't have to worry about VOC's.

Plus, it super easy to clean, is dust free and actually has bactericidal properties so bacteria won't grow and multiply on the surface. Plus it is warm and comfortable for your baby to play on.

evercleanse

October 27th, 2008 at 12:05 am

Toxins can be really harmful for newborns and I'm glad you shown the importance of that. For me I feel that detoxing helps keep me healthy and fit.

October 27th, 2008 at 10:40 pm

GreenKitchenDesign, marmoleum sounds like a great product, I will have to look into it more.

Chicago Mattress

November 18th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

Keeping your sheets and mattresses clean and new can help lessen the risk that your baby could get sick off of germs and fungi. Remember you baby is not concerned with being clean, you need to take that responsibility for them.

Baby Gear

November 20th, 2008 at 10:36 pm

This information is excellent for new mothers today! There's so much I didn't know when my children were babies and still don't know. We need to keep our babies safe and healthy!

Rika Susan's Flooring Info

November 22nd, 2008 at 5:06 am

This is an excellent post about such a crucial topic, Stefanie. Thanks for highlighting it. Many folks are not aware that something like a new floor can be hazardous. By checking with your supplier, you can be sure that your baby won't be exposed to dangerous chemicals. This needs to be done for everything that goes into the nursery. And, as you say, it may be better not to put in a new floor just before that precious bundle arrives.

November 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 pm

Very true Chicago. The best idea would probably be to not wear shoes into the nursery, if you can avoid it. That way you aren't dragging in any extra unnecessary dirt.

Baby Gear, it's definitely a learning experience! I don't think anyone would be able to go through raising a child without learning something they would have wished they could go back and do differently!

Rika, the same goes for all areas of the house. Some people may put so much effort into making the nursery safe that they forget the rest of the house!

BabyIQPlus

November 24th, 2008 at 11:13 pm

Thank you for a great post. This is an extremely important topic. I read some recent reports on the formaldehyde released from carpet. I was shocked. Thanks for bringing these other element to my attention also.

December 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm

BabyIQ, I agree that it's shocking. Unfortunately, not many people realize that new carpet (and many other products) off-gases a lot of chemicals.

Chicago Mattress Store

March 6th, 2009 at 10:19 am

Very informative article, I wish more people knew about this. I certainly never really thought about how much time babies spend in the nursery and how important it is to make sure everything there is non-toxic. I just thought it would be sufficient to keep everything clean, but it looks like I need to look deeper. I wonder how I can go about finding MDF-free furniture?
-Jeff

Eric Dyer

March 10th, 2009 at 7:43 pm

Hello Stefanie,

Another great option for a baby's room floor in a semi new trend in flooring-Cork. Cork is naturally anti allergenic and most Cork floors have a property that makes them pretty fire resistant. Cork is also pretty resistant to water damage and spills! Thanks for the post Stefanie!
Flooring Information

March 11th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

Jeff, Google is your friend when it comes to finding... well, pretty much anything

Eric, thanks for the heads up on cork! I've seen a few cork flooring options, it's very interesting and definitely something to look into!

Cancer Specialist FL

March 19th, 2009 at 1:16 am

Great informative post. Toxic is really harmful and organic stuffed toys are really good for baby. Thanks for sharing good information.

Lemonade

March 26th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

MDF! Really? Ikea must be a very slow Chernobyl.

Non Toxic toys

March 28th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

Safety should be always a priority for children. They are so delicate that we should be very responsible in providing them a really safe environment. Great guide you have here and parents out there should consider this tips before creating their nursery.

Green Clothes for Your Babies! | Green Clothes

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 am

[...] Creating a Non-toxic Nursery For Your Baby | Focus Organic.com - Newborns spend a large portion of their early life in their nursery, so keeping it as healthy as possible is an important task. Creating a non-toxic environment for your baby can help to reduce their exposure to chemicals. … [...]

April 7th, 2009 at 8:52 pm

Lemonade said:

Made me giggle. Funny, but sad!

Aliyya Baby Blog

April 16th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

"...but we can certainly try our best!"

yes, babies are everything, give as best as we can do

Carpet Flooring Bradenton

April 20th, 2009 at 7:48 am

Yes baby needed most care, most thing to avoid is new flooring as mentioned because of chemicals in the air or irritate allergies and flooring need to keep clear.

Mold Removal Tampa

April 23rd, 2009 at 3:15 am

Cleaning is most important in home where baby born, and specially baby starts walking floor and home cleaning become most important element to taken care for baby health. thx for such useful post.

Carpet

May 18th, 2009 at 2:17 am

If you have young children or a new born carpet flooring may be the way to go. If they fall they will not hurt themselves as much as if they fell on hardwood or tile, just be sure to keep your carpets clean!

Green Store

May 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

Very interesting post! I think starting off green is surely the way to go and will preserve your child's health for the years to come.

Bethany Bien

May 21st, 2009 at 3:28 pm

GOing green / non-toxic is important today, glad to see others apprecate it, too! Thanks for sharing!

Gafas

June 15th, 2009 at 4:03 am

Thanks for the insight, Stefanie. I will think in those things now.

Neuromarketing

June 15th, 2009 at 4:08 am

What about a visually friendly enviroment? Substances are not the only source of toxicity. Some visually unfriendly enviroments could be "toxic" too.