Low Tox Nursery Reveal!

Our babies spend a lot of time in their bedrooms and babies in general because of their small size and fact they are still developing are more vulnerable to toxins. That is why when it came time to create a nursery for my baby girl I knew it was super important to keep it as low tox as possible

Lets dig in!
Wallpaper

The feel of the room is really created by the wallpaper. I always wanted wallpaper but was always concerned with the toxins that most wallpapers emit… most wallpapers are made with dyes that contain heavy metals, PVC and the adhesives can emit tons of VOCs including formaldehyde
After researching wallpapers I was thrilled to find Forest Home wallpaper. These wallpapers have water based inks, Oeko Tex standard 100 certified and also PFAS and flame retardant free. In spite of its certification and materials with which it is made I still decided to wait 2 months after installation before baby girl slept in the nursery. In those two months we opened windows after and used the air filter … just to be extra cautious of any potential voc being released in small ( oeko tex certification allowed levels) levels…

For the paste I purchased a paste called Auro that is just methylcellulose for paper-backed wallpaper,pure ( beech)methylcellulose and is mixed with water. I purchased it on a British website as I did not find it locally

Mattress :

If you can only choose one organic item for your nursery You should start with an organic mattress for your crib. Conventional mattresses Can still contain PFAS chemicals, flame retardant chemicals, PVC and polyurethane foam. I chose My Green Mattress’s Emily crib mattress. This crib mattress is GOTS and GOLS Organic certifies. It also has a great Price point ( get $20 off the Emily Crib Mattress here:)

Crib:

I knew I wanted a solid wood crib, since composite wood almost always will emit some level of formaldehyde - especially when new. I also knew, however, I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on the crib. I love the IKEA Sniglar crib that we chose- it is solid wood, has a. Simple modern design, and is incredibly affordable.

Changer.

Similar to the crib, I knew that for the changer I wanted something that was solid wood, again to minimize formaldehyde emissions. However finding a changer that is made out of solid wood pretty much was impossible. There was one option that I found that was handmade but it was also incredibly expensive and to be honest I really didn’t like the old fashion design. I am happy with this changer from Milk Street because the structure is solid wood and the only part that is made with composite wood are the base of the shelves and they are Greenguard Gold certified which meaning the formaldehyde emissions are pretty low.

For the changing pad I knew I definitely wanted to avoid polyurethane foam, PVC and flame retardants so I chose Design Dua’s changing basket and purchased their organic inserts that contains organic kapok fibers inside

Baskets & hamper
Because the changer has open shelving I wanted it to look organized … But it was important for me to not buy plastic bins, so I purchased these baskets and hamper made out of cotton from Amazon. I really like their neutral colors and found them to be at great price too

Rug

Unlike other pieces in the nursery the rug really is an investment piece. However it is also the one item that will Likely remain in the room as my baby grows into a little girl and even potentially into her teen years. The rug is made by Organic Weave and it is a GOTS certified wool rug. I was able to Work with Linda the owner who is very knowledgeable and helpful, to Customize the colors and design Of the rug. This rug has not only met, but exceeded, my expectations. it is just stunning in person and incredibly soft to the touch.

Organic Weave is offering my community a 10% discount with code: 3littleplums ( SHOP HERE)

Window Treatments
Window treatments often contain flame retardants, PFAS chemicals or are made from PVC. All things you want to avoid especially in a nursery. However when window treatments are almost always a necessity and blackouts definitely help. I decided to have mine custom-made since the measurements of my windows were not “standard“. The fabric was sourced at Two Sisters Eco textiles. This is a company that I have had a relationship with for years they were one of the first companies selling organic and Oeko tex certified fabrics. And their owners are super knowledgeable and just simply lovely.


Closet
When we moved into the house the closet in the nursery only had a pole to hang clothes from. I originally wanted to install some wood shelves but I quickly learned that most of these like the ones you would purchase a the container store or California closets are made out of composite wood and that means that they emit formaldehyde into the closet and the bedroom. I decided to go with metal shelves and drawers because metal was the least, most stable, material that I could find for the closet ( solid wood would be another option but much more pricey). We installed one from Ikea

Air filtration
Even though all the items in my nursery are quite low tox having an air filter is important because even the most low tox room will have some items that could leech or give out toxins. These can be construction materials flooring etc. one of the top- if not the best - air filters available is the Austin Air… it has a much higher carbon weight which means its better suited to remove odors, smoke, fumes and VOCs including formaldehyde.

Not pictured:
Rocker: our rocker is a hand me down from a friend who purchased it a couple of years ago from room and board. Before excepting it I called room and board and confirmed that the model had no added claim retarding chemicals and that the fabric used was not a performance fabric.

It is currently in my bedroom as our baby still sleeps in her basket in our bedroom.

Mattress protector
Is super important to protect your organic mattress however you want to make sure you avoid PVC which is so often used in mattress protectors. Instead, the best two options are something made out of organic cotton and a very thin GOTS certified approved PU layer or and wool protector. Organic wool can work very well however it won’t protect from the biggest bed wetting incidents. We use the mattress protector made by Avocado Mattress

Crib sheets
Again because of how close your baby will be to his or her crib sheets GOTS organic cotton sheets are the ideal pic. I like sheets from Willaby organic, Lewis is Home home, Under the Nile, Hart + Land but nowadays large retailers like pottery barn and west also sell GLTS certified crib sheets