Your Guide To Green

An unknown author once quipped, "The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed."

And so it goes... we just keep trying to learn along the way.

With the world moving in a more "natural" direction parents are asking: What are the most natural and healthy choices for my child's environment? What are the best and most cost-effective natural furniture options? What choices do I have for chemical-free carpeting, paint, bedding and clothing? What are some practical changes I can actually make?

Happily, parents today have many more options available to provide a healthy environment for their children while simultaneously lightening their overall footprint on the earth.

Your Guide to Green co-creator, Amy Edelen, who has a ten-year-old son and a newborn, is encouraged by the major increase she has seen in environmental awareness and natural product options during the past decade. She says, "No one has to feel pressured to change their whole world, but a lot of easy, little changes add up for our children, the environment and our wallets."

Used Items

As a simple example, Edelen purchased gently used maternity clothes instead of buying new ones. In addition, she looked for used items such as infant tubs, carriers, and furniture. Natural cleaning products can make such "Re-use" efforts safe and environmentally sound.

Crib Mattresses

As for new items, Edelen says, "One of our best new purchases was an organic crib mattress. Babies spend so much time in bed and their developing immune systems can't process things the way adults can, so it is important to keep that area as chemically free as possible."

Edelen's sentiments are reflected in an article in the pregnancy & baby division of the She Knows website which states that in a study of six brands of crib-size waterproof mattress covers conducted by Anderson Laboratories, all were found to emit toxic fumes in various degrees, and some caused acute toxicity to the respiratory tract of male mice. Crib and bassinet mattresses made of organic, natural materials are now widely available online, through catalogs, or in natural product stores. If buying an organic mattress isn't feasible, consider enclosing a standard crib mattress with an organic cotton crib mattress pad or cotton barrier cloth. Avoid plastic or polyurethane encasements. Instead, you can use wool puddle pads or organic waterproof mattress covers to prevent moisture from seeping onto the mattress from leaking diapers. These pads are designed to be inserted between the sheet and mattress.

Furnishing Options

Edelen strongly encourages parents to use non-toxic, natural materials in the nursery. Here again, the experts suggest choosing untreated hardwood floors or untreated carpet with natural latex or jute backing. In addition, real-wood furniture is recommended because the glues used in pressed-wood products off-gas (the emission of toxins into your environment) formaldehyde and plastic products can emit VOC's (volatile organic compounds).

When going 100 percent natural is not possible, Edelen recommends airing out the nursery for as long as possible ahead of time so that the formaldehyde and VOC's from any carpet, paint, furniture, bedding, car seat cover, etc. have a chance to dissipate. She also suggests looking into SafeCoat - a product that has been developed with a unique molecular formulation designed to seal surfaces (from wood to metal to concrete, carpets, and much more), thus reducing off-gassing.

These are just a few of many nursery-related considerations and we encourage you - our Your Guide to Green readers - to share your experience and ideas by emailing Green@yg2g.com.

As for our unknown author, any parent knows we never really feel unemployed - our job description just keeps evolving.

Click here to browse our full selection of green baby products.