I am an architect and a professor of sustainability so when I found out my husband and I were expecting our first child several years ago, I immediately started thinking about how to make the baby’s environment as healthy as possible.  Now, I have to point out that I am not the “Earth Mother” type.  I have never cooked a batch of baby food and when it came down to it, I bought disposable diapers.  I wanted simple, cost effective ways to improve his space and offer him the best start I could.  I hope some of my research will help bring to light some issues you may not have thought of for your own child or family and friends expecting a new member.

The room

The room itself was fairly simple.  VOC free paint and hard wood floors provided a relatively contaminant free back drop and the lack of carpet would be good for heading off potential allergens as well as an air purifier, but where do you go from there?

The crib

I decided to put my money where the baby was…in the crib.  Your child will sleep more than not for the first 2 -3 years so that seemed like a good choice to me.  I went from designing my own crib to actually purchasing one from Pacific Rim (www.pacificrimwoodworking.com) that I have been extremely happy with for about $700.  It’s made from natural maple with mortise and tenon joints.  It also had a clean design which is surprising hard to find when it comes to baby furniture.  There are many more expensive options out there from www.anaturalhome.com and www.downbound.com, but as I said, I was on a budget.  I was looking to avoid veneers, paints and adhesives…and ornate design.

The bedding

No one sees the mattress, so it may be a bit harder to justify the cost of a good mattress, but just think of the use it will get, how much time your baby will be in contact with it and most importantly, what’s not in it – namely polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) flame retardants, it is easy to see how it becomes one of the most important choices you make.    Europe has already banned PBDEs and many states here are considering similar action.  My main focus became making sure these chemicals did not come into contact with my child.  I found that this was nearly an impossible task as it is sprayed on everything from mattresses to children’s pajamas, but as the EPA cites these chemicals as neurodevelopmental toxins, disruptors of thyroid functions, and liver toxins, $250 on a safe mattress seemed a small price to pay. There are plenty of those plastic covered versions available in the $60 range, but non-organic crib mattresses and non-natural crib mattresses contain polyurethane foam as well as phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony compounds as preservatives.  And don’t buy the good one and put a plastic puddle pad on it.  You are protecting the child, not the bedding.

A word about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  There are many websites citing a correlation between mattress off-gassing and SIDS.  There is some interesting material regarding a program in New Zealand of mattress wrapping which has significantly reduced the number of SIDS deaths.  The book The Cot Death Cover Up by Jim Sprott provides an account of this situation and offers risk factors and clear solutions.  As with most things on the internet, do your own research.  I do not need to read anything to confirm what I consider common sense…infants should not sleep in chemicals.

Wool is surprisingly useful in the crib.  It is an important fire retardant layer in the mattress, the perfect filling for bumper pads and a great water resistant barrier for the puddle pad. I have the organic cotton and wool quilted mattress, organic bedding and wool puddle pads (you NEED at least 2 puddle pads) from www.purebeginnings.com.

There are many more options available now for these safe bedding options, especially if you are happy with the monochrome organic cotton beige look.  If you are looking for some color in the nursery, I highly recommend a local Dallas company www.cottonmonkey.com.  The bedding products are, first and foremost, safe.  It is incredibly difficult to find safe dyes; the predominant reason why most of what’s available is the standard beige.  Cotton Monkey has done an excellent job in pulling together a collection of unique, colorful options of exceptionally high quality made here in the US.

I have many friends who are excellent, loving mothers who have spent $1,000 and up on custom nursery linens.  They head out to the fabric store and their visions of the perfect nursery come to life.  I certainly do not tell them that all of that fabric is really cute, but impregnated with poison.  As I said, they are my friends and I’d like to keep them.  I smile and compliment the color scheme.

The PJs

Now that you have created a safe and welcoming place for your child to sleep, do not ignore what they sleep in.  Since 1971 most children’s pajamas are treated with fire retardants.  The exception to the rule is if the garments are snug fitting.  You can find non-treated options with just a bit of effort.  Look for the following:

• No formaldehyde finishes

• No pesticide residue

• No toxic flame-retardants

• No dioxins from bleaching

The first few months, I preferred the infant dressing gown for changing convenience and the umbilical cord stump which typically dries and falls off sometime during the first five weeks. www.naturallygood.net and www.sagecreeknaturals.com have some nice choices.  Look for the fold over mittens to protect their faces from sharp little nails.  I had some of the infant kimonos from Pure Beginnings, but they were too big for an 8 pound baby and didn’t work as well as the gowns.

Crib toys

As a new parent, you’ll receive so many gifts once your sweet baby arrives.  Conventional wisdom is that you do not put anything in the crib of a newborn, but it’s almost impossible to resist the urge to put one of those cute stuffed bears or rabbits way over in the corner.  After all, the baby can’t move across the crib yet.  Just make sure you continue thinking about all of the same issues when it comes to these toys.  My son has had the stuffed teething rabbit from Pure Beginnings since day one and he still sleeps with it clutched in his hand every night.

The baby shower

When it comes to registering for your shower or purchasing gifts for someone else, there are myriad choices.  There are a million gadgets and things you will never use.  Be selective as to quality rather than quantity.  The recent rash of lead tainted Chinese toys has brought some awareness to the potential dangers inherent in our uninformed choices, but it is up to parents to do the research and not assume that just because it’s available, that it’s good.  A great local place to shop and register is Green Living in Lakewood ; www.green-living.com.  You can be assured that the products you purchase here are good for you, your baby and the earth.

The most sustainable purchase is one not made.  Barring that, consider holding a shower in which the gifts are brought unwrapped and displayed for guests to view at their leisure.  The mother-to-be does not have to sit through the awkward gift opening hour, the guests do not have to politely ooh and ahh and there is not the large waste of gift wrap.  My shower hostesses generously chipped in for my son’s mattress and my family purchased my son’s bedding.  Those are big ticket items, but I believe they are truly important components of the foundation of a healthy life and 2 ½ years later they are still getting 12 hours a day of use.  Money well spent!