Eco Pregnancy and Baby

Organic crib mattresses, chemical free baby sheets and bedding, are they worth all the fuss? Buying a crib mattress is one of the biggest decisions couples make when they begin planning a baby nursery. If you’re going green in general, no doubt you’re particularly interested in making the place where your new baby will sleep as pure and natural as possible.

Although synthetic crib mattresses are reportedly safe in general, they do contain chemicals eco-conscious parents might want to avoid, flame-retardant chemicals, for example, which sound like a good idea until you read the research and find out they contain PDBEs that can harm your child’s health.

One of the chemicals you definitely want to watch out for is PBDEs (polybrominated diphenylethers).

Several new animal studies suggest that a common flame retardant (deca-PBDE) used in carpets and upholstery can impair a baby’s developing central nervous system and brain. PBDEs can cross the placenta, transfer through breast milk and get absorbed from the gases that vaporize from household products. The effects depend on the amount of exposure over time.

Conventional cotton bedding most likely contain pesticides, since more pesticides are used to grow cotton than almost any other crop. To lessen the toxic load, consider buying an organic baby mattress and bedding. Many companies now sell beautiful organic products that are free of formaldehyde, dioxins, fire retardants, pesticides and synthetic petrochemicals. Each potential toxin you eliminate is a baby step toward better health.

The good news is more and more companies are selling products with an organic or eco-friendly label. But reading and comparing crib mattress labels can be confusing. So far there isn’t much regulation of label claims on mattresses either, so the claim you read on different mattresses may mean different things, depending on the manufacturer. Other toxins to avoid are the formaldehyde, dioxins often found in conventional bedding.

Here’s an example of a good organic crib mattresses to check out:

• Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic 150 Crib Mattress. U.S. grown organic cotton filling (NO polyurethane foam). No Vinyl/ PVC, phthalates, lead, or antimicrobial biocides. Exclusive non-toxic fire (NO brominated or chlorinated chemicals, PBDEs, antimony, modacrylic, PAN, boric acid, etc.). Also no latex, coir, wool or other potential high allergy materials.

Tags: eco nursery, green pregnancy, organic crib mattress, safe crib bedding

Trackback URI | Comments RSS