Childs Room / Nursery

Expecting a new baby?

Boy or girl, twins or triplets, it does not matter. The excitement and anticipation of the arrival of a new person sets off a flurry of activity. Friends and family hold baby showers and every trip to town requires a visit to the infant section of a store. As items start to accumulate they need a place to live. The question becomes which room in the house or apartment is going to be the nursery? Once we determine where this room is located, we start to decide how to decorate and furnish this area. Our first steps may be clearing the room, washing and cleaning ceilings, walls and floors. During the cleaning process we are deciding what colors, curtains, furniture, blankets and other sundries are going to be needed. Maybe bright primary colors of red, yellow and blue, or perhaps, a scheme of pinks or blues shine back from the walls a few days later. A soft thick carpet may cover the floor; a new crib, mattress and curb bumper nestle into one corner. A chest of drawers and storage shelves snuggle under a set of windows covered with new curtains. Crib sheets, baby blankets and infant’s clothing begin to fill the drawers, soft, colorful toys begin to multiply on the shelves and the excitement of the birth day begins to build.
The nursery is complete, we step back, look around, and take a deep breath after all of our hard work. We smell the clean, sweet smell of newness. Then we close the door keeping this nursery clear of pets and dust, only showing it off to soon-to-be grandparents or close friends.

Nursery Percolation - What goes bump in the night?

Let's take a look at what we have created in the nursery as we moved through the process of crafting this space.
 

1Off gassing - evaporation or other process that allows chemical to be inhaled or absorbed into our systems.
2VOCs are organic chemicals that easily vaporize at room temperature.
3 Plastics and PVC's breakdown at a faster pace when subjected to heat.

The cumulative affect of all of these items off gassing in our new nursery environment results in an unhealthy, perhaps even toxic, environment for our baby. Is it any wonder that we get up to check several times a night to see if our new arrival is breathing?

Building a Healthy Nursery Environment - A step at a time

Building a Healthy Nursery Environment - Checklist

Site Preparation

• Remove furniture to another area or cover to protect from dust and debris
• Open windows and doors for increased ventilation
• Paint Removal
• Check for existing lead based paint on surfaces before sanding or scraping
• Sweep or vacuum and dispose of all debris
• Wipe down all surfaces with clean damp cloth
• Cleaning Products –  Read all labels carefully
• Do not mix and match different products you may end up producing a more toxic brew
• Lemon juice or baking soda are a natural addition to your bucket of water
• White vinegar is also a natural cleanser and can be used in this application as well as laundry

New Applications and Additions

• Wall and ceiling applications.
• Primer, paints and stains should be no or low VOC. 
• Remember if you can smell it, it includes VOCs.  Also, the darker the color  more VOC’s are needed to pigment the paint.
• Continue to keep good ventilation in the area when applying these products.

Floor Coverings

• Wood floors are the easiest to keep clean and do not hold dust or debris for posterity
• If carpeting is desired, look for natural woven fibers, recycled plastic carpet, or area rugs that can be taken away and cleaned.

Furniture

Crib, Chests, Drawers, Shelving and Mattresses

• New pieces should be solid wood products, not fiberboard, chipboard or particleboard.
• New pieces made of fiberboard or chipboard can be mitigated by ensuring that all exposed surfaces are encapsulated by a low VOC paint or sealer.  (remember the holes for pegs and adjustments, a minimum of 3 coats are necessary).
• Used pieces several years old, acquired at a consignment shop, shared by a friend or found at a garage sale, have typically already off gassed.

Linens and other fabrics

• Natural fiber linens and clothing not chemically treated for fire, wrinkle or stain resistance. (linen, hemp, silk wool, cotton)
• Federal law requires treatment of clothing for toddlers to be fire resistant.  This means chemical treatment.  To lessen the off gassing of these products, you should wash them before their first use.  It usually takes 4-5 washings with a non-phosphorus soap to break down these chemicals.
• Purchasing items from consignment or other similar shops, used and reused have already off gassed.

Toys and Trinkets                   

• The plastic toys having ‘softness’ and ‘flexibility’  contain phthalates.  Read labels.
• Alternatives to plastic would be toys stuffed with natural fibers, and wooden toys .
• Pacifiers, nipples, plastic bottles and bags, if used should not be heated over flame or in a microwave.  The plastic  will breakdown and  leach into the liquid being heated.  Liquids should be warmed before filling containers. 

Conclusion

Since World War II at least 75,000 new synthetic chemical compounds have been developed and released into the environment; fewer than half of these have been tested for the potential toxicity to humans, and still less have been assessed for their particular toxicity to children. (www.simplepureclean.com)

As parents our only desire is to provide a healthy, safe and secure environment for our children. We may not be able to provide a 100% chemical free environment, however, with a little care, a lot of reading labels and an awareness of what we are putting into children’s spaces, we can offer them a healthier future.

– Connie Menuey McCullah, Oden’s Hammer Construction, Berkeley, CA