Eco-friendly decorating for healthy babies and nurseries

Expectant mothers eat nutritious foods, take prenatal vitamins, stop drinking or smoking and in general do whatever it takes to have a healthy baby.

But when it's time to decorate the nursery, new parents frequently go for style over substance.

"They paint the walls, bring in a new changing table, rocking chair, crib, mattress, bedding, toys, rug, mobile, clothes, diapers and a slew of other things," said Sara Snow, author of "Sara Snow's Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home" (Bantam; $16).

"Many of these items begin to release potentially toxic gases into the air the moment they come inside, and as they all gather together in the nursery, they turn the air in that room into a chemical soup.

"Then Mommy and Daddy bring home their bundle of joy and lay him or her down to sleep for hours upon hours in that chemical-soup environment."

The key, Snow said in a phone interview, is to avoid going overboard with new materials.

"If you have carpet, keep it and just get it cleaned first," she said. "If you have hardwood floors, lay down a simple rug and call it a day. If your walls are already painted a neutral tone, let them be and bring in pops of pinks or blues through accessories and bedding."

A free, healthy way to green the nursery is simply through the timing of the decorating. By dressing the space early, you're allowing the air to clear before you bring the baby home.

Snow says decorating with used pieces is another green strategy.

"The VOCs [volatile organic com pounds] that off-gas from paints and stains off-gas to a lesser degree over time, so putting a twoor five-year old chair or changing table in a room can be much healthier than a brand new one," she said.

Recycling, however, isn't a good idea when it comes to cribs. Older cribs may be coated with toxic lead paint. Crib slats also might not meet the current standard of no more than 2 3/8inches apart.

Snow also advises staying away from used mattresses and car seats.

Following are other ideas for assembling an eco-friendly nursery:

• Buy a mattress made of natural materials such as wool (naturally flame-retardant and dust-mite repellant), organic cotton and latex. Avoid mattresses containing flame retardants (PBDEs and other chemicals), polyurethane foams and polyvinyl chloride covers. If you can't afford the pricier green ones, cover the mattress with cotton "pee pads" and organic or hypoallergenic bedding made of wool, which naturally wicks away moisture. Launder bedding in phosphate-biodegradable detergents.

• Lowor no-VOC paint is more expensive than regular paint, but will make for a healthier room. If you can't afford eco-friendly paints, go with a lighter shade. Darker paint has greater VOC concentration.

• Lose the carpet. Carpeting gives off fumes, harbors dust and allergens and retains chemicals tracked in from outdoors, according to "Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home" by Christopher Gavigan (Penguin; $16). Wood, bamboo, cork or natural linoleum floors and scatter rugs that can be easily laundered will help keep allergens at bay.

• Avoid traditional wallpaper that may contain PVCs and toxic glue. Instead, Babytalk magazine suggests vinyl-free wallpaper that uses water-based ink or a few reusable vinyl wall stickers.

• Instead of a fancy plastic diaper system and chemical-laced bags, Gavigan recommends keeping a tightly-lidded metal can near the changing table. Clean it out daily, emptying any solid contents into the toilet before throwing diapers away.

• If you can't bear the thought of laundering the approximately 5,000 to 8,000 cloth diapers your baby will go through and you feel guilty about using conventional disposables, try new nonchlorinated, more biodegradable disposable brands or gDiapers -- eco-safe disposable diaper liners in reusable pants (www.gdiapers.com).

• Use safer cleaning products. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends products that are free of chemicals, solvents, fragrances and dyes. Look for products labeled biodegradable, nontoxic and chlorineand phosphate-free. Make your own products -- club soda to clean windows, lemon juice on white cloth to remove stains and olive oil on a cloth to polish furniture.

Remember that "green" also refers to buying local products, conserving natural resources, shopping for durable goods and choosing items that contain recycled content.

Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or jyoung@timesdispatch.com.