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10 Things You Can Do to Green Your Baby's Nursery
By Danielle Thegreenerme
How to Green Your Baby's Nursery - an Eco Friendly Choice for the Environment, and a Healthy Choice for Your Baby Going green is a broad term, and it's often manipulated, mistaken, and misunderstood. The true concept of "going green" benefits the environment and people equally. Help the environment, therefore, help yourself. With your baby, going green isn't just about buying green stuff to rid yourself of eco guilt, it's about keeping your baby healthier. This includes buying organic, non toxic, and pesticide free. Your baby will spend most of their time in their bedroom or nursery, so this is where the majority of the toxins they could potentially be exposed to will be found. On this page, I've compiled ten ideas on how to go green in your baby's nursery, which will benefit the planet first, then their health. 1. Get air circulation within the bedroom. The nursery should be properly ventilated and have fresh air intake, even in the winter. When the baby isn't in the room, crack a window to circulate out dust mites and particles. This will also help offset gases found in furniture, carpets and toys. 2. Purchase a biodegradable, non toxic carpet. It sounds hard, and it is. However, carpet is one the hardest things to break down in the environment. There are biodegradable options out there. If you have old carpet that you are disposing of, consider donating it to a local animal shelter, or place an ad on Craigslist to see who might be able to reuse it. 3. Buy Organic Toys and Teethers. While it's nearly impossible to buy everything organic for your baby, what might work best is to think about what they'll be in direct contact with the most. For example, an organic teether might be a good investment, however, an organic "It's my first birthday" onesie won't be used very often. 4. Choose Organic Sheets and Bedding. If you have your doubts about going organic with the crib mattress, read up on some of the best reviewed organic crib mattresses here and see if this changes your mind. You should also consider organic bed sheets, which your infant will be in direct contact with. 5. Use CFL Light Bulbs in the Nursery. The average savings of a compact fluorescent light bulb is $47 per bulb, compared to incandescent lights. This will use far less energy, bring down your energy bill, and prevent more electricity from being used. 6. Paint the Nursery with zero VOC paints. Traditional paints contain airborne volatile organic compounds called VOCs, which can cause irritation, rashes, and other potential health implications. Exposing an infant to a fresh coat of paint is a never a good idea. Paint your nursery well before the baby comes, and ventilate it well. Using a zero voc paint can eliminate much of that odor and the VOCs. 7. Go Organic with Your Baby's Skin Care Products. Baby lotions and shampoos have been shown to contain phthalates, a chemical that is used to make plastic more flexible. While the state of California has limited the use of phthalates in products, the Federal government has not. Using an all natural diaper cream, skin cream, and avoiding other products (especially ones that you don't know what the ingredients are in the product) can help to avoid some of the phthalate exposure. Phthalates are thought to cause reproductive birth defects. Keep in mind products are not forced to disclose if phthalates are included in the product, so look for a product that says "phthalate free." 8. Buy a crib that's made of sustainable wood. A more environmentally friendly approach to logging is to replace the wood that is chopped down, making the forest a sustainable one. Another important factor in your decision for buying a crib is the finish. The finish should be non toxic, and the crib itself should meet up to JPMA certification. 9. Buy as many organic swaddles, onesies, and clothing as possible. Check the product to be sure it is certified organic. While buying organic clothing is often more expensive, it is in frequent contact with your newborn's skin, and cotton is one of the most heavily treated crops with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. 10. Use an all natural cleaner in the nursery. Asthma symptoms and allergies have been on the rise in the past century. Chemicals found in household cleaners could be partially to blame. All natural cleaning solutions like baking soda and vinegar, or an all natural household cleaner, are much safer around your baby. How else can you go green with your baby, and expose them to less chemicals? The article below will give you many more ideas for a greener baby and environment, from the floor to the ceiling. |
Photo by chimothy27 on flickr, licensed under creative commons 2.0 : http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimothy27/2707503287/
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Great information for parents and grandparents, Danielle.
Thank for sharing this fine intel.
Frederick
Great info; we're waiting for grandbaby #4 to arrive! :)
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