by
Jane Ahrens, AIA, LEED AP
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:
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!
Jane
Ahrens, AIA, LEED AP, is a licensed Architect with Gresham Smith
& Partners, in addition to serving as a Director for the USGBC
North Texas Chapter. Jane is also a Green Advantage faculty
member, and is responsible for training over 200 contractors on
sustainable design in the North Texas area. For additional
information regarding this article, please contact Jane at jane_ahrens@gspnet.com.
All comments are the sole responsibility of the writer.
This article was originally posted 10/2/07.
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