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What Are Easy Ways To Make Your Nursery Safer? (Giveaway!)
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
by Janelle Sorensen, Chief Communications Officer, Healthy Child Healthy World
When my first daughter was born, we were on an extremely tight budget. Much as I would have loved an organic crib mattress, sustainable hardwood flooring, and walls painted with no-VOC paint - such was not the case. Far from it.
I know there are many moms out there in the exact same position and first of all, I want to tell you it’s okay. You do the best you can. You shouldn’t feel guilty for what you can’t do. Focus on what you can do.
Here are three easy and free things that will quickly make your baby’s nursery a healthier environment.
Open a window. Even if it’s chilly outside, you should open a window for even five minutes a day to significantly decrease the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home. Most home heating and cooling systems, including forced air heating systems, do not mechanically bring fresh air into the house. So, open a window and start breathing cleaner air.
Bust dust. Common house dust is loaded with chemicalsthat have been linked to a variety of health and development issues. Babies are exposed to these chemicals by inhaling dust and through “dust to hand to mouth” activity. Regularly wash bedding, vacuum with a machine that has a HEPA filter, and wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth.
Cut clutter. Keeping the nursery simple not only makes it much easier to tackle the aforementioned dusting, it also means there are less items potentially off-gassing or creating additional toxic dust.
No one can do everything. Everyone can do something. Be proud of every small step you take to create a healthy environment.
What are your tips for creating a healthier nursery?
GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)
Leave a comment by Monday, December 19, 2011 at 11:59pm PST to win the BABYBJÖRN® Travel Crib Light 2. Valued at $297.75 and weighing less than 11 pounds including the case, the Travel Crib Light 2 is easy to set up and lightweight to make traveling hassle-free for parents. It features a plush, cozy mattress and a sturdy base with a water-resistant mattress cover. All fabrics that come in contact with baby are Oeko-Tex certified, guaranteed to contain no harmful substances.
For an extra chance to win, sign up for the Healthy Child newsletter and leave a comment saying you did so! We will pick a winner and announce it here on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.
Eligibility Statement: Contest open to U.S. residents. Employees of BABYBJÖRN and Healthy Child Healthy World and their families are not eligible. Entry into the contest is premised on the leaving of a comment and eligibility is not conditioned on the payment of consideration.
Legal Disclaimer: BABYBJÖRN is a Trusted Partner of Healthy Child Healthy World, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring a movement to protect children from harmful chemicals. Trusted Partners are companies that offer superior products that meet Healthy Child Healthy World's high Quality Standards, demonstrate a long-term commitment to their mission by joining their Trusted Partnership program, and contribute financially to the organization.
Photo credit avhell / CC BY 2.0
Posted by Layla on 12/20/2011 at 07:11 AM
Hi mama’s, wanted to tell you that we use Charlie’s Soap too! It’s wonderfully clean and non-toxic, I usually buy it on Amazon, here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018B15FE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yowema-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0018B15FE They do have a website though where you can read about it here: charliesoap.com
Posted by Melissa Sanchez on 12/19/2011 at 09:09 PM
here’s a simple one, don’t have so much stuffed animals! dust cling to them!!
Posted by Stacey Russell on 12/19/2011 at 07:57 PM
We removed the (albit adorable!) crib bumper from our crib set to allow freedom of airflow in the crib and clean our nursery with only organic, baby safe cleaning products. We also added a baby safe houseplant to the mix for color.
Posted by kia on 12/19/2011 at 06:23 PM
I already get the newsletter
Posted by kia on 12/19/2011 at 06:23 PM
If you are getting anything new that is toxic try to let it off-gas for a while before putting a kiddo in it. This is one of the beauties of gently used items - they have been doing that for a while.
Posted by Jeannie Shaver on 12/19/2011 at 06:01 PM
Add a houseplant like a spider plant. NASA study shows all kinds of nasty chemicals are cleaned from the air by plants:)
Posted by Shannon on 12/19/2011 at 04:46 PM
After having my son I took and continue to take a hard look at what I can do to keep my house clean naturally. In the past 18 months I have switched to all natural cleaning products. Often making them myself at home. I started with using organic baby products, and that has progressed and now my Hubby and I use the adult versions of these products on ourselves too.
I have a plant in every main room in my house, and LOVE to air out the place with fresh air. All these things my Mom always did, and I never (and she probably didn’t either) knew why.
I take pride in the fact that my house and my family smell good naturally. I am loving reading all the comments and new tips. There are never enough!
Thank You!
Posted by Emmy on 12/19/2011 at 02:16 PM
I would LOVE this<3!! THANK YOU:)!!!
Posted by Joan on 12/19/2011 at 02:11 PM
We painted and installed hardwood floors before the baby arrived to cut down on dust and VOCs. We did splurge for the organic mattress, but did not buy any new furniture. My childhood dressers are still in great condition and have had 30+ years to offgas. We just bought a twin bed frame for the older child and went with Amish made with the hopes that our grandchildren will sleep on the bed.
Will be opening a window everyday for now on. Thanks for the tips.
Posted by Tapanga on 12/19/2011 at 12:46 PM
We were lucky in finding out about a lot of the little organic things that could do and family respected the request to do as much organic as possible. We did use the non-VOC paint but it comes off too easily and we’ll have to repaint very soon. The organic sheets were actually cheaper than the others and have held up 2x as long - will definitely do the same with the next one.
Posted by celine perreard-allen on 12/19/2011 at 12:01 PM
Eco-friendly detergent, organic sheets, airing out the room daily, a plant… we also put an organic cotton and waterproof mattress pad to limit off gassing of the mattress is not as green as we would like but we could not afford a 500$ one…
of course… this newsletter gives a lot of information and empowers me for all these healthy changes!
Posted by Jess on 12/19/2011 at 11:08 AM
We did not repaint the nursery. To decorate we used a product called Tatouage, which are transfers rather than decal which could contain glues. We purchased an organic mattress, mattress pad and bedding and a crib that was stained. The crib we purchased was from a company that uses 100% hardwood harvested from eco-friendly sustainable forests and that tests its products for compliance to Federal Regulation 16 CFR 1303 for lead content as well as being certified by JPMA and CPSC.
Posted by mamak on 12/19/2011 at 10:09 AM
Keeping an eye on textiles and laundry detergent are two simple things I try to do. No flame-resistant fabrics and everything is pre-washed in a gentle, eco-friendly detergent.
Posted by Patricia on 12/19/2011 at 09:50 AM
Less is more. The less chemicals you use the better. The less in your babies room and crib the better. Babies don’t need all the extra stuff. Just LOVE your baby and be there for him or her.
Posted by Shawna N. on 12/19/2011 at 09:40 AM
These are some simple and great ideas. We are just starting to set up our nursery so I love the information received from this website!
Posted by Kasey on 12/19/2011 at 09:30 AM
I already receive the newsletter, so count me signed up! Thanks!
Posted by Kasey on 12/19/2011 at 09:29 AM
Natural laundry soap and dryer sheets. Even if you can’t buy all organic materials this helps get rid of a lot of the bad stuff!
Posted by Jennifer on 12/19/2011 at 09:26 AM
I have tried to buy used baby gear in my green thinking. We have also cut down on clutter. Babies do not need all of the things that people think they do. I propose more time spent with babies and less batteries being used to make lights and noise and movement.
Posted by Virginia on 12/19/2011 at 09:25 AM
We have no carpeting in the girls’ room to control dust, etc… I love being able to open the windows to “air out” the house and bedrooms. We try to buy organic when we can.
Posted by Jessica on 12/19/2011 at 09:22 AM
Thanks for the info!
Posted by christina on 12/19/2011 at 09:13 AM
I signed up for the newsletter :)
Posted by Shannonn Burke on 12/19/2011 at 09:12 AM
We used no-VOC paints in the house. We would use milk paint if it weren’t so pricey!
Posted by christina on 12/19/2011 at 09:11 AM
Thanks for the info….hadn’t thought to open the window every day!
Posted by Miriam on 12/19/2011 at 08:28 AM
Wow. I’m going to buy a houseplant today!
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Posted by Judy on 12/22/2011 at 11:17 AM
Use a natural soap and water to clean instead of chemical cleaners.