There are four things that every born child/baby needs, one is unconditional care/love, two-good nutrition (breastfeeding), healthy & abuse free environment, shelter and safety.You may be doing all of the above and your very best to keep your baby healthy and safe; and baby still could be harmed by harmful toxins that may cause your baby to become sick more often than expected from a growing child although you were not meaning to cause any harm.
Are you preparing for your baby? Do you know about the toxic chemicals in baby toys, crib and bedding, feeding bottles and nipples, breast feeding, Bubble bath and body sponge, clothing, diapers, diaper wipes, nose and fluid wipes, hygiene cleaning and disinfectant products, skin moisturizer-oil, powder, shampoo and soap, baby food and food containers, highly toxic environment equipped with vinyl and VOCs emitting furniture.Teether made with yellow toxic plastic.
A baby's immune and nervous system is still at a developing stage and is not as strong as an adult's, which means their bodies are generally less capable of eliminating toxins. A babies skin is double the skin surface of adults per unit of body weight, so a child can absorb proportionally more chemicals. Babies and children breathe more air per body weight than adults do, thereby making them more susceptible to breathing in toxins if their environment emit toxic fumes.Try to limit a baby's exposure to harmful chemicals beginning from when they are still in your womb- this could reduce your baby's risk of allergies and chemical sensitivities, risk of cancers and other illnesses.
Babies spend 99% of their time in their crib/bed, clothing, room and toy therefore as a caregiver/mother you must ensure your baby is protected. If you want a beautiful and safe environment for your child, it's time to consider nontoxic ideas and products to help keep your baby healthy and safe.To ensure that your child is protected from toxin you will need to know what they are and how to avoid them.
Toxic baby products list:
- Baby mattress and waterproof mattresses pads
- Lead contaminated wooden toys
- Soft plastic Teether
- BPA-contaminated Bottles
- BPA- contaminated sippy cups
- Toxic baby hygiene and bath products
- Baby moisturizer containing toxic chemicals
- Toxic Diaper creams
- Pesticides in baby foods
- Disposable diapers
- Flame retardant (PBDEs) on baby clothing and material
- Smoke environment especially cigarettes
- Fabric softeners
- Toxic air fresheners
- Commercial disinfectants and anti-bacterial cleaners
- Vinyl wall paper, window treat treatment, pesticide treated wool carpeting, foam carpet padding, upholstery items with polyurethane foam. Last but not the least will be mothers who are capable of breasting but refuse to do so for reasons that are not health related.
Baby mattress and waterproof mattresses pads
Babies and toddlers spend 10-14 hours a day sleeping and inhaling toxic chemicals on their bed and bedding. Most commercial bedding products are designed with polyester, cotton blend polyester and PVC material to provide waterproof protection against diaper leaks or accidents. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, also called vinyl(you can identify the smell by going into a brand new car with a plastic seat). Some of our conventional home products are made of polyvinyl chloride material, so there's a possibility that you may have a higher exposure to the toxic fumes it emits as a result.
PVC is a health and environmental risk. It releases mercury, dioxins and pthalates into the environment that can disrupt hormones and cause damage to liver, lungs, kidney and reproductive system in animals. According to a study published in volume 112, issue 14 of the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, it was found that pthalates caused allergic symptoms in children.
Some natural fiber fabric may be treated with harmful chemicals before reaching the consumer.Wrinkle resistant or no ironing required bedding or fabrics are treated with chemicals that contain formaldehyde to lengthen the life of material (formaldehyde which is a carcinogen and a sensitizers) and usually you cannot get rid of the chemical traces just be washing.Wool blankets may be treated with moth proofing chemicals which are also designed to last a lifetime.These synthetic materials emit low levels of chemicals for a long time. "Greenpeace carried out a testing on Gerber, Graco, Armstrong & Mannington, Carter's brands in the U.S and Germany; results shows that Fifty-four products from 20 countries contained mostly phthalates and organotins; some of the analyzed products also contained Lead Cadmium and bisphenol A".
A better choice- toxic free option :
- Bedding made of 100% cotton, hemp, linen or wool.
- A dense wool or cotton puddle pad that can provide waterproof protection, without the poisonous fumes; to protect a baby's mattress from urine, you can buy aluminum foil paper from a hardware store but make sure you don't use it direct, try to use a softer cotton material on top of it. Avoid using plastics items on your baby's bed.
- Use Organic mattresses made with materials like cotton, wool and natural rubber.
- Use crib futons with unbleached cotton covers without fire retardant PBDEs.
- Buying cotton flannel or unbleached cottons at a fabric store to make your own baby bedding. These are usually not treated with toxic chemicals.
- To reduce exposure to dust and dust mites, plastic smell in a mattress, you can wrap the mattress in cotton barrier cloth with high thread counts of 250 or more.
- You can get wool blankets without mothproofing from Lismore Sheep Farm Store McCauslin's Mill, PEI, and Lismore Sheep Farm Store, River John, N.S. Avoid wool material if you're allergic to wool.
Note: organotins cause immune and reproductive damage in animals. Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical that is known to disrupts hormones and cause cancer in animals.
Check for products that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission due to lead or other hazards.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/child.html
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html
More information & resources:
TOXIC FREE WOODEN BABY BOTTLEhttp://www.babyearth.com/
http://www.nontoxic.com/
http://www.organic-baby-resource.com/natural-baby-bedding.html
http://www.organic-babydirectory.com/
http://www.theorganicmattress.com/
http://www.mygreenmattress.com/
