Designing an Eco-Friendly Nursery
Start your baby life in the best possible environment with a green nursery
The issue of living green is now a major factor for many people in their daily lives, from simple tasks of recycling to changing the way they live to make minimal impact on the Earth. As a result, the green initiative has well and truly moved into the decorating industry with there now being multiple ways that you can make a room as green as possible.
Having a greener lifestyle, and in this case, having a greener nursery, is excellent for your baby's health and wellbeing while also being good to the environment. As an added bonus, you will also be teaching your children to be aware of the environment and how they can live in a sustainable way.
Start with the walls - if you are starting your nursery from the very beginning, then start by choosing to paint the walls using Low or No VOC Paint. VOC is Volatile Organic Compounds which are toxic chemicals that give off that 'new paint' smell, but are actually highly toxic and can be found in paints and varnishes. Therefore, whenever you are painting a new room you should opt for a Low or No VOC paint to minimise the potential health dangers including asthma and neurological defects.
Even better than using Low VOC paints are natural paints with natural ingredients such as plant dyes, milk extracts and essential oils. You can just go to your local paint retailer and ask for their Zero VOC and natural paints selection and you should find a range of colours.
Floors - when it comes to the health aspect of decorating a nursery, you should go for hardwood floors over any carpeting or fabric that will hold onto to dust and mildew. If hardwood is not an option or too expensive, then consider wool carpets, bamboo or natural sisal for the flooring.
Bedding - a baby's crib and bedding should be a primary concern when purchasing as it is this material that it will be exposed to most of the time, so for a green nursery you may want to stick to natural fibres such as cotton. Additionally you should want to consider non-toxic furniture that is made from sustainable materials. Yet when it comes to the mattress you should choose a natural mattress, even if they are more expensive, as it will have no offgas emitted which can affect a babys health.
Care products - having a green nursery is far more than simply having sustainable furniture however, it can be about how you and your baby live day-to-day. What this means is choosing green products for your baby's care, such as natural moisturisers like beeswax, aloe vera and cocoa butter along with other products such as olive oil, jojoba oil and witch hazel an avoid products that contain artificial chemicals. This can also extend to how you clean the nursery itself, by using vinegar and lemon to keep the nursery in a beautiful clean state while also posing no risk to your baby.
Organic Toys and Clothing - this is more of a choice between potentially toxic and non-toxic toys along with small ingestible parts. Although to extend the 'greenness' of your nursery choices, maybe opt for toys that are not mass produced in countries where working conditions are not ideal or safe. This is especially true if the parent company is involved in non-green activities you do not agree with. Now while we have been advocating the use of cotton clothing and blankets for your baby's nursery, you need to be aware that some brands of cotton can be heavily treated with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides which can impact on the sensitive skin of a baby.
Starting your baby's life in the greenest possible way will mean that your child will grow up aware of the sustainable choices they can make as they grow and encourage them to adopt a green lifestyle.
