How an eco-friendly home affects your baby’s sensory world

The preparation list for a new baby seems endless. Add to this the fact that expectant mothers are renowned for last minute ‘nesting’, during which, if they’re not literally moving house, they’re hauling out the odd paint brush and are generally bitten by a redesign bug.

In all of this preparation frenzy, there needs to be a moment of reflection on your baby’s sensory world and how a barrage of different chemicals can directly affect the way your baby sleeps, eats and breathes.

Your baby needs very little – a secure place to sleep, a safe car seat and a way to be trundled around. Millions of children around the world are now being diagnosed with chronic conditions like asthma, autism, cancer, learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD. There is some scientific evidence that appears to indicate that environmental hazards and household chemicals may contribute to many of these.

Looking more closely at the average home it becomes apparent just how making your baby’s environment eco-friendly plays such an important role in their sensory world:

paint
Regular paints contain petrochemical by-products and can contain lead. All of these are potentially dangerous to your baby, particularly lead, and even though most paint manufacturers stopped using lead in the 1970s, there is still evidence of lead in paint as recently as 2002. [SA medical research council research ]
Wherever possible use eco-friendly and low odour paints - or the smell alone will be enough to tip your baby over the sensory load limit. Natural paints are non-toxic and are usually plant based, made from renewable raw materials with a low impact on the environment.

furniture
Very often cots, cribs and other ‘temporary’ furniture for babies are made from soft vinyl and particleboard, which can release chemicals into the air. Some wooden furniture gives off formaldehyde, which causes skin irritation. If you’re going to buy new make sure they’re high quality, durable pieces of sustainable, low-toxicity materials. Anything synthetic gives off chemicals.
Look for furniture that is untreated like natural wood finishes, or treated with natural substances like naturally tanned leather. Organic cotton is less likely to be treated with toxic substances, so look for natural fibre organic mattresses and blankets. Buying second-hand is also a good way to avoid toxic chemicals – the article has already ‘given off’ most noxious gases. Avoid painted furniture and anything that smells suspect.

carpets
Avoid laying new synthetic carpeting before a baby is born. Carpets are most likely to give off toxic chemicals, such as styrene, for up to a year after they’re manufactured. There is the option of going natural – there is plenty to choose from on the market in jute, hemp, sisal, seagrass and coir.

laundry and washing
Over-cleaned homes that have taken up the war on germs are possibly making things worse. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between zealous cleaning and allergies, asthma or eczema. If you want to lessen the aggravation on your baby’s senses then use chemical-free cleaning products. Wash nappies (diapers), if you’re going the cotton nappy (diaper) route, in chemical-free soap and water. Throw away your current cleaners, which are petroleum-based, and stick to timeless recipes like vinegar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) – believe it or not, they work!

toys
Babies put things in their mouths and because of this we need to go as natural as possible – homemade teddies, wooden toys and as little plastic as possible, particularly in the first year of your baby’s life. The EU has recently banned the use of PVC in children’s toys because of health issues. Common culprits are teething rings, dummies, bath toys and balls.
The same holds for painted toys – some of these can come with a high lead content. Always make sure they are labelled as non-toxic!

wipes and liners
Nappy (Diaper) wipes and liners often include propylene glycol (if you’re not sure what this is, it’s more commonly found in antifreeze), parabens and perfume. In the early days, use natural cotton wool and water to clean your baby’s bottom instead, and for rashes add a teabag of camomile or rooibos tea. You can buy biodegradable nappy (diaper) liners that are a vast improvement on the more commercial kind.
All of these smells and chemicals act upon your baby’s sensory world in ways we cannot imagine as we tend to build up immunity over time. If you’ve ever walked down the cleaning products aisle in a supermarket and stopped to take a deep breath, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Creating a healthy environment that soothes, rather than assaults, your baby during the first few years when you want to eliminate any possible sensory overload means making a few changes to the way you live your life, but the long term benefits can only add to the journey you are about to take with your baby.


note:
urban sprout is a blog-style green website, that is passionate about the environment, sustainability and buying organic. With daily green news and opinions, a directory that lists organic and eco-friendly products, and a focus on green issues: organic food, global warming, sustainable lifestyles and environmental justice – it is a site for ethical consumers.