A Greener Place to Play & Grow! greening your nursery & playroom
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hildren are natural explorers; they use their senses to experience the world, putting things in their mouth, and touching everything. From birth, children spend hours playing on the ground, often in their nursery or playroom.
Pound for pound, children eat more food, consume more liquid, and breathe more air than adults. Their organs and respiratory, immune, and neurological systems are still developing, making children more susceptible to the negative efects of poor indoor air quality and chemical exposure. Good Morning America and the Greenguard
Environmental Institute conducted an experiment to investigate the number of toxins in the air of a newly set-up baby’s nursery, and over 300 chemicals were detected. The numbers are alarming, but as parents we have the power to change the math. Toxic exposure occurs in the following three ways: Dermal: What we touch. Think: What might touch your baby’s skin? Ingestion: What we consume or put in our mouths. Think: What might ind its way into your baby’s mouth? Inhalation: What airborne chemicals we breathe. Think: What will afect your baby’s air quality?
By Sara Vartanian Take simple steps: You may not be able to do everything at once, but you can do something. When choosing items for your child’s space, consider where they will be spending the most time, and what they will be spending the most time doing. Make it a priority to choose greener products for items that are used on a daily basis. Try to make the best choices that you reasonably can with products that you use less frequently, and limit your child’s exposure to more toxic items. Remember that sometimes our budget needs to fall in line with our ideals.
Furniture
Mattresses and Bedding
Lo o k fo r so lid w o o d fu rn itu re instead of wood composites, many of which contain formaldehyde; a nasty chemical that is a known carcinogen.
Lo o k fo r a n o rg a n ic m a ttre ss or one that is GREENGUARD certiied. Children spend a large percentage of their little lives sleeping, so the surface on which you choose to place them must be considered carefully. Most mattresses contain several chemicals like formaldehyde and anti-bacterial agents.
Lo o k fo r th e GREENGUARD se a l o f a p p ro va l. This symbol indicates that the product will have low, or no, chemical emissions. Be su re to o f -g a s a n y n e w fu rn itu re or large purchases you bring into your home. The smell of “new” is the scent of chemicals and you want to avoid bringing this into your home. Second hand furniture that is in good condition can be a budget friendly and healthy choice, as it has had the chance to of-gas.
EcoParent Tips: We love lea market inds, like our antique solid wood rocker (#1 in picture), made in Ontario. Mother Hubbard’s furniture is eco-conscious, has lots of great choices, and is Canadianmade too.
Co ve r a co n ve n tio n a l m a ttre ss w ith a n o n -PVC co ve r. Be sure to give it time to of-gas before covering it, preferably outside of your home, and deinitely not in baby’s room. Ch o o se 10 0 p e rce n t o rg a n ic b e d d in g to keep your child’s slumber non-toxic. If you’re concerned about issues of sustainability and ethical manufacturing - which I think you probably are - look for bedding labeled with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) organic certiication or Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 certiication.
EcoParent Tips: Kushies has a great organic line of bedding (#2) & actually does most of their manufacturing here in Canada ! Soma Mattresses has a wide selection of eco-friendly options and you can shop online. We also love Dream Child organic bedding – beautiful product and an ethical mompreneurial business too! Of course, nothing compares to a quilt handmade , with love (#3). Sam’s aunt Nancy Dubblestyne made ours.
Flooring Since children spend years of their lives on the loor, what they are playing on rightfully demands some investigation. If ch o se n w ise ly, b a re lo o rs a re b e st fo r m in im izin g to xicitie s. Consider reclaimed Canadian wood or FSC certiied wood. Cork is another great option but avoid anything treated with Microban that contains toxic triclosan. Avo id th o se b rig h tly co lo u re d fo a m tile s marketed for kids; they are non-biodegradable and often treated with Microban. Try re cycle d ca rp e t tile s, which can be washed and replaced when worn through. These are a sustainable and low-VOC choice.
EcoParent Tips: Flor modular carpet tiles (#4) are such a fun eco-choice! Low VOC and recyclable, many styles are made of primarily recycled content. They’re a way better nursery choice than foam tiles, but just as convenient. SO stylish… we honestly can’t get enough of these.