Creating a SAFE nursery for your baby
There are so many items you have to focus on but today I will focus on following:
Furniture, mattresses, paints, rugs.
* CRIB SAFETY
CPSC ( consumer products safety commission ) would like to remind parents not to use any crib with missing, broken, or loose parts. Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. Stay away from drop-side crib!.
The danger with dropdown cribs is that there are often parts that are broken, missing, or misassembled. For instance, the crib's drop-side could come off its tracks and create a "hazardous gap which can lead to infant entrapment and suffocation."
It is not the first time cribs have been recalled due to dropdown side dangers. Nearly 5 million cribs have been recalled over the past two years and the CPSC has discussed banning dropdown sides all together.
Do Not purchase an antique or used crib or bassinet. It may be missing hardware that prevents it from collapsing or failing in some other way. Some older cribs have cutouts in the headboard or footboard....read more:http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/resource-center/guide-to-childproofing-and-safety/crib-safety-tips/crib-safety-tips.htm
* Prioritize Natural materials (solid wood, certified organic cotton, wool, etc).
There are numerous examples of how natural materials perform better than synthetic materials and without the added chemical concerns. Wool, for one, can absorb 30% of its own weight in moisture (keeping your baby dryer), is excellent at fighting mildew and deterring dust mites and is inherently flame retardant.
Try to choose natural fibers over man made ones like nylon when you are buying rug. For a rug, a natural fiber could mean cotton, wool, jute, hemp, sisal, and more. When buying either, make sure you watch for glue used on the rug.
if you’re buying a skid pad for under the new rug, choose natural rubber over PVC. And don’t forget to take off your shoes before you enter the home, you don’t want to be tracking in outdoor gunk including pesticide residue :)
* Brominated flame retardants (BFRs):
Look for mattresses that are free of these chemicals. You don’t want or need them around your kids (more information on BFRs from the US EPAcan be found here). Vinyl (PVC), the worst of the worst plastics, is also used a lot. Look for mattresses that have eliminated BFRs & PVC.
* Buy Certified Organic
Conventional cotton remains the most polluting crop in the world (because of the large amounts of pesticides and herbicides used in growing), so organic is the best way to go. But the term is used loosely and some mattresses are marketed as organic yet still contain vinyl and nasty chemicals like brominated flame retardants (BFRs).
* VOC
is Volatile organic compound that has high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. Conventional paints are made from petrochemical-based solvents, which off-gas toxic indoor air pollutants called (VOC). VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Check with the manufacturer to make sure they use low or no VOC paint and formaldehyde free glue.
Focus on Water-based paints, stains & glues on furniture.
Very sad fact: “Under Proposition 65, California has determined that exposure to formaldehyde at 40 micrograms per day (equivalent to an indoor concentration of about 2 ppb) results in a 1 in 100,000 lifetime risk of cancer. Individually, the Child Craft Oak Crib, the Bridget 4-in-1 Crib, the Kayla II Changing Table, the Berkley Changing Table, the Country Style Changing Table, and the Rochester Cognac Crib each contain enough formaldehyde to contaminate an entire home with levels of formaldehyde greater than this threshold.”
Click here to read more about formaldehyde in children’s furniture here
Don’t use second hand or antique furniture for your child since they may contain high levels of VOC and formaldehyde glues.
Use sustainable wood and hardwood if possible.
If a company is using some sort of particleboard, you need to make sure it's formaldehyde free. And what does sustainable wood mean? It means trees should not be cut down faster than what is necessary to keep the earth safe and habitable for humans. ( bamboo, asian hardwood, maple, mango, cane,..) (Medium growth rate trees such as red oak, birch and red-bud have medium growth rates and should be okay when purchased from sustainable resources.)
As I always say DO NOT safe money on your child safety and well being. There are products out-there that are SAFE and Reasonably Priced, just do your research.
If you have any questions even about products that Summer For Kids doesn’t carry please do not hesitate to email us.
Summer For Kids is here with children’s safety in mind.
Non profit resources for more info:
- Environmental Working Group (EWG): http://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth
- Healthy Child, Healthy World (HCHW): http://healthychild.org/
- National Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Green Living guides: http://www.nrdc.org/greenliving
