Hidden Dangers in Baby's Nursery Infographic by HCHW

Last month I wrote about Healthy Child Healthy World's free eBook Easy Steps for a Healthy & Safe Nursery last month. Now they've released this informative infographic called Hidden Dangers in Your Baby's Nursery.

Via Column Five for Healthy Child

Share, tweet, and pin! Spread the word to help parents protect children from harmful chemicals during this vulnerable stage of development.

Related posts

• Eco-novice's Top Five Tips for a Healthy Nursery
• Easy Steps for a Healthy & Safe Nursery: a Fantastic Free Resource from HCHW
• Avoiding Toxins in Baby Products
• What Does a Baby Need?
• Non-toxic Crib Mattresses
• In Search of the Affordable Natural Bed
• The Best Time to Try Cloth Diapers

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Eco-novice's Top Five Tips for a Healthy Nursery

Here are some simple suggestions for keeping your baby's nursery healthy and toxin-free.

Use less. I have three children. My youngest is one year old. The more babies I've had, the less baby stuff I've wanted. Even without switching to greener products, you can expose your baby to fewer toxins just by buying and using less. Buy less furniture and decor, use less baby gear, slather the baby with fewer bath and body products.

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Avoiding Toxins in Baby Products

Research on Toxic Chemicals in Baby Products

It seems like every few months I read a new report about the toxic chemicals in baby products. Developing fetuses, babies, and young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals.

Formaldehyde in furniture. In the report Toxic Baby Furniture: The Latest Case for Making Products Safe from the Start (2008), Environment America reported that "baby nursery cribs, changing tables, and dressers can emit formaldehyde at levels linked with increased risk of childhood allergies and asthma." Formaldehyde is also a carcinogen.

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What Does a Baby Need?

Snoozing in an Ergo baby carrier.

I have three children. My youngest is 3 months old. The more babies I've had, the less baby stuff I've wanted.  Here is a sampling of baby gear I used to own that I have gotten rid of:

• Pack 'n' play (barely used it)
• Exersaucer (took up too much space for the limited amount of time it was actually useful)
• Swing (my kids never took to it)
• Infant car seat (now we use a convertible car seat that lasts until the booster seat)
• Play mat (not safe to use with a toddler around)
• Changing table (now I use a towel on top of my bed)

Babies do need to sleep, eat, pee and poop, move and play. But after three babies, I know that there is very little stuff that a baby actually needs to do these things. Since babies are extremely vulnerable to endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals, this is the time to be super-conscientious about materials and ingredients. Here are five items that have turned out to be essentials for my babies.

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Non-toxic Crib Mattresses

[This post is frequently updated as new non-toxic crib mattress options become available.]

Every few months someone asks me about crib mattresses. With good reason. Babies spend a lot of time sleeping! I think greening the bed should be a pretty high priority for anyone trying to expose their family to fewer toxic chemicals.

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Warm Fuzzy PJs without the Flame Retardants

By rolling the cuffs at the ankles and wrists,
this 3T Snug Organics sleeper fits my 2-year-old just fine.

Do you like to dress your children in fuzzy polyester fleece pajamas during the colder months, but have serious misgivings about the synthetic flame retardant chemicals in those pajamas? (ALL synthetic fleece pajamas for children above 9 months until size 14 contain chemical flame retardants.) Perhaps you've even tried to remove the flame retardant treatment from your fleece PJs by washing with soap or vinegar? Well, then, this post is for you.

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In Search of the Affordable Natural Bed

The Pièce de résistance.

I truly believe that if you are going to green one thing, you should green your beds, because people (babies and children especially) spend so much time sleeping.  About a year ago, we bought a full size bed for our 2 small children to sleep in together.  I couldn't afford my ideal bed (all natural materials, no plastic, no toxic chemicals), but I ended up with a decent compromise. Below you'll find information about my ideal bed, very affordable eco-friendlier options, and what I actually bought.

But what if you aren't in the market for a new mattress right now?  Hopefully, you'll find the information below on bedding, pillows and mattress protectors useful.  Honestly, I chose not to research the mattress issue until I was ready to buy a new bed to avoid unduly stressing myself out.  I will say that if I had a new baby sleeping in a crib it would be my number one shopping priority to buy a 100% natural crib mattress (probably made of organic cotton and wool) with zero added flame retardants and a wool puddle pad for protection.

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Plastic Alternative: Wool

Wool is truly wonderful.  Wool is

• antibacterial
• anti-fungal
• flame retardant
• cool when it's hot
• warm when it's cold
• absorbent
• warm instead of cold and clammy when wet
• nearly waterproof

10 Ways to Replace Plastic with Wool:

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How to Buy a Natural Bed when You Have No Income

Note to readers: click HERE to read an updated version of this post.


I truly believe that if you are going to green one thing, you should green your beds, because people (babies and children especially) spend so much time sleeping.  About a year ago, we bought a full size bed for our 2 small children to sleep in together.  I couldn't afford my ideal bed (all natural materials, no plastic, no toxic chemicals), but I ended up with a decent compromise. Below you'll find information about my ideal bed, very affordable eco-friendlier options, and what I actually bought.

The Pièce de résistance.

But what if you aren't in the market for a new mattress right now?  Hopefully, you'll find the information below on bedding, pillows and mattress protectors useful.  Honestly, I chose not to research the mattress issue until I was ready to buy a new bed to avoid unduly stressing myself out.  I will say that if I had a new baby sleeping in a crib it would be my number one shopping priority to buy a 100% natural crib mattress (probably made of organic cotton and wool) with zero added flame retardants and a wool puddle pad for protection.

Read More