Monday, February 5, 2007

Chemical free baby and momma

Food isn't the only thing to worry about when you are pregnant. When a friend of mine asked if i registered for baby loot yet, I admitted that I hadn't and got right to work that night. I cannot tell you how long it took me to figure out the right bottles, burping cloths, sheets, breast pump, onesies, car seat, and high chair...I could go on. I am very focused on quality versus quantity when it comes to items for my baby. My style is very modern and simple, which usually means higher cost! I thought I would share with you moms hoping to create a clean, environmentally responsible, vegan and safe nursery for your baby, the items that I researched and eventually picked out after four hours on the computer!

Cribs can run you anywhere from $200 up to $4000! If you search for modern designs, you will notice that most are in the $1500 range. Most are chemical free, so you don't necessarily have to worry about that. I luckily found a crib I wanted on the Home and Living site. The Emily Crib is apparently high quality, gets high ratings from customers and comes in about 8 colors. I loved the black. The Da Vinci line of cribs does not use harmful finishes. Home and Living is offering free shipping for most of the cribs offered on their site. I bought the matching changing table in addition to the crib, plus the additional pieces that turn the crib into a bed your child can grow into for $550. The crib I had my eye on originally is $1200 plus shipping! Yikes.
I found an organic crib mattress at the Natural Sleep Store. Choose the package and you get a organic cotton fitted sheet, organic mattress pad and mattress for around $350. This seemed to be the best deal of all sites I searched.
Crib sheet sets are pricey as HECK! A set with a bumper, fitted sheet, and if you are lucky a blanket will set you back $300. The George Collection is available on most organic baby websites.

It is bright white with either a stitching of a lion or deer or bunnies. The whole set is expensive, but if you just order the bumper cover and a plain fitted sheet plus a pillow cover, the price should stay a lot lower than $350!
Target surprisingly carries a number of organic cotton towels for the bath, organic receiving blankets and onesies. California Baby bath and grooming products contain sustainable and organic ingredients.

You can find a Newborn Gift Set on the Target website too. Yay Target!
Now, I thought that the bottles I picked out for breast milk were free of PVC's but I am getting some conflicting information on this. Glass bottles or opaque plastic bottles seem to be safer choices. Big surprise, PVC's are BANNED in Europe but still legal in the U.S. Annoying. The Childrens Health Environmental Coalition rates PVC's as something to avoid. They list some brand names to avoid and others to consider as alternatives.
Seventh Generation seems to be the best of environmentally responsible disposable diapers. Amazon.com even sells them!
Good luck with your registry. I found it tough to choose the best or safest products because most stores do not willingly give up information about chemically laden products! Egiggle.com gives criterion for every item. Look for the R. It stands for responsible. This includes "environmentally" responsible. Target.com carries some organic items. Ourgreenhouse.com is where I picked out my sheets and other basics because all items are organic and chemical free. This registry experience is just one step to prepare me for demands of motherhood!

3 comments:

Vanessa said...

You may also want to consider using glass baby bottles. It has been found that plastic bottles can leach a harmful chemical known as Bisphenol A. It is a hormone that can allegedly cause developmental problems and even cancer.

Anonymous said...

For new mom's, rather than putting chemical sun block on infant, the Solaroo SunSheet is a drape that ties to a stroller, infant carrier, or front carrier to protect against the sun with the same UV factor as sun block that is 98% UV blocking, only not applied to skin. http://www.sunfriendlyproducts.com/cgi-bin/cart/detail.cgi?detail=218

hruth said...

Have you found a safe travel crib that doesn't have chemicals, BPA, etc.?