If there’s one room in the house that we want to be toxin free it’s the nursery. Whether baby has their own room or they will be sleeping with you, making your home a safe and natural haven is easier than you think!

And doing so starts with the products you buy and use everyday.

?First up, the furniture and crib mattress. For your baby’s furniture, using sustainably made items is ideal. However, recycling old dressers and rockers  is a wonderful eco friendly option. Ask family members or shop yard sales to find items you can repurpose for your nursery. If your baby will be sleeping in a crib, they will spend the majority of their time there. Standard crib mattresses are made of plastic products and synthetic materials that off gas and contain toxic chemicals. Luckily, there are many organic and natural options to choose from such as the Naturpedic mattress.  Naturepedic uses mattress filling made from sugar cane and organic cotton and their mattresses are GOTS certified. Unlike standard mattresses, Naturpedic uses natural flame retardant measures instead of  using chemicals. They are also soy free!

?Next is the bedding. Organic bedding has become more and more mainstream and is easy to find at almost any retailer. Pottery Barn has a beautiful selection of organic cotton bedding. Aden and Anais and Burt’s Bees Baby are also favorites (and GOTS certified). I’m also a fan of wool blankets for babies. Wool is temperature regulating, antibacterial, flame resistant, and breathable.

For those that co sleep or are looking for a baby nest/lounger, Snuggle Me Organic offers an organic option. Infants love to feel safe, secure, and snuggled. Baby nests create a womb like environment that promotes better sleep. They are especially great for babies who don’t like to be swaddled but still need to feel cozy. With my youngest, we swaddled and laid him in a nest. To this day, the cozier the better in his opinion!

?Baby clothing is quite possibly the cutest thing in the world. Why should you choose organic? Because your baby wears their clothing all day and all night and the chemicals contained in their clothing are able to leech into your baby’s skin and are also breathed in. Skin is the body’s largest organ and readily absorbs the chemicals it comes in contact with. Newborns are even more sensitive to our environmental toxins due to their size and therefore I always recommend organic clothing AND safe laundry products. If you purchase organic clothing, it only makes sense to keep them non toxic by using non toxic laundry soaps and softeners. For clothing, Burt’s Bees Baby is an affordable option. Hanna Andersson and Finn and Emma are other favorites.

For laundry washing, Young Living’s Thieves detergent is a top pick for an unscented option and Attitude Living’s Sweet Lullaby detergent and softener smell incredible and is the top pick for a scented option (and the scent really does last on clothing). They are both completely non toxic, gentle, effective, and safe for the whole family. I also recommend wool dryer balls to help speed up drying time and soften clothing.

?Diapering is also important to consider and it can sometimes be complicated and confusing but it doesn’t have to be! If you are choosing to use disposable diapers, choosing an environmentally friendly option is worth looking in to. Also consider diapers that are fragrance free and less toxic than competitors. Like clothing, your baby will wear a diaper all day and night and the area exposed to their diapers are some of their most sensitive parts. Even though more natural options cost more, it’s worth the investment. In our experience, these diapers also work much, much better than other options. Favorite disposables are Bamboo Nature, Honest, and Earths Best. Keep in mind that ALL disposable diapers have a negative environmental impact.

Now, let’s chat cloth! Cloth diapers are not what your grandmother used. They are modern, adorable, incredibly easy to use (and to wash), will save you a ton of money, and are much more healthy for your baby and also the planet. To make it easy, I recommend Bum Genius diapers for day time (free times or elementals) and Grovia ONE for night. Grab about twenty day time diapers and four to six night time diapers. You’ll also need a diaper pail, pail liner , and a diaper sprayer.

?Bath products are another source of toxins. If you haven’t downloaded the think dirty app, you should. Also, the ewg/skin deep app. If you can’t grab the apps (they are free), you can view all the information on the skin deep website as well. Basically these apps show you how toxic your household products are. They break it down by chemical and also let you know why they are toxic. I highly recommend looking up the products you currently use and seeing how they rate.

As for baby products, there are three brands I support and have proven to be gentle and safe. The Young Living Seedlings line, California Baby, and Mustela (their scent free line). My boys have severe allergies and eczema and these are the only three brands out of dozens that were gentle, non toxic, and caused no rash.

?There is a hot topic in the motherhood world that is centered around breast vs bottle. While it’s no secret that I breastfeed and that I’m a supporter of breastfeeding and extended breastfeeding, I am also a fan of a healthy mommy and a healthy baby. And sometimes, formula is necessary and needed. In that scenario, know that there are healthier options!

My favorite option and highest recommendation is Mt Capra’s homemade formula. It’s a goat milk based formula which is much more gentle on stomachs and new gi systems. Cow milk is the number one allergen for babies so goat milk formula is a wonderful alternative. Goat milk also closely mimics human milk and only needs a little tweaking to make a complete human milk substitute. If I needed to use formula for any reason, this is the option I would choose.

Option two is the Weston A Price foundation’s homemade formula recipe. I am a huge fan of WAP and this recipe is nutritionally sound. It is cow milk based however so keep that in consideration.

Option three is to buy a premade powdered formula that is a healthier option over mainstream powdered formulas. The problem with mainstream formulas is that they are filled with un methylated synthetic vitamins, soy and corn. They are not organic and contain gmo ingredients. There are a few organic formulas entering the market now and hopefully that trend will continue. Holle infant formula is my recommendation.

For first foods and what to feed babies that are 6 months old and older, I highly recommend the book super nutrition for babies. It walks you through what to feed, when to feed, and why to feed the foods it recommends. It is based on Weston A Price guidelines and is scientifically based and nutrient dense.

For water, make sure the water you use is filtered. Most public water sources have high levels of pharmaceuticals as well as many heavy metals and fluoride. Berkey water filters will remove ALL the toxins from your water. They are gravity filters and do not need electricity or to be installed.

?And last but not least, clean air! It has been shown that indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air. This is due to the toxins used within the home. Discontinue smoking, candles, plug ins, perfumes, and synthetic freshening sprays which are all toxic for your baby’s lungs (and yours). Choose instead sprays made with pure essential oils and water and switch your household cleaners over to non toxic options. Thieves household cleaner is a great option and can replace all of your cleaning supplies. Thieves cleaner works in the kitchen, on the floors,  in the bathrooms, and anywhere else you need it. I even use it in my steam cleaner on the carpets. You can also purchase an air purifier for the nursery to further improve the air quality in your home.

Its important to remember (especially if you are just starting to go green) than any steps you make, make a difference. Just taking small baby steps towards living toxic free will make a huge impact on your life and the environment. So don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed. Just switch out one product at a time!

*This post is not sponsored in any way nor was I compensated to write this post. I just happen to love these products and genuinely recommend them.