In the past couple of years I have made it my mission to keep our home as healthy as possible. Last year Matt and I went through a sugar detox to get rid of sugar from our system. The whole experience was incredible and our diet has never been the same. I then started looking into safer products for our home. It is a sad reality, but most products on the shelf are packed with chemicals. I have slowly switched most of our cleaning and beauty products to safer alternatives.

A few weeks ago, as I was experiencing the worst of my morning sickness, I decided to start my baby registry. It was a good reminder of why I was so sick. I spent hours researching the best baby products out there. I read blog after blog about why certain products were better than others. I didn’t even consider looking into non-toxic options, because to be honest, I didn’t think I needed to. It is baby products and gear we are talking about. Why would they put chemical stuff in there? Well, a couple of weeks ago I started looking for eco-friendly, non-toxic cribs, and just like that I feel like I opened Pandora’s box. It turns out chemicals are in everything. It is both so frustrating and so scary. I am not going to pretend to know everything there is, because I’m a photographer with a degree in therapy. Chemistry isn’t my thing. This is what I do know – there are some major things you should look to avoid when looking at baby products, some of them include BPA (Bisphenol A), fire retardants, phthalates, pesticides, PVC, VOC (volatile organic compound), etc. These chemicals are known carcinogenic, endocrine disruptors, and have been linked to other problems such as asthma, heart disease and autism. The thing about it is that no company divulges that their products are filled with these chemicals, so you basically have to become a private investigator and spend hours trying to not lose your mind while you research this stuff.

Some of the items I have been looking into include cribs, rocking/glider chairs, rugs, mattresses, sheets, changing pads, car seat, stroller, baby carriers, swings, bathing products, baby bottles, toys, etc. Is your brain hurting yet? Cause mine is.

Here are some great websites that I’ve found to be helpful:

The Mindful Home – they have a complete guide to many non-toxic, eco friendly baby gear.

I read labels for you – she has many product reviews and healthier options.

Giggle – They have items from many different companies, and you can actually open a baby registry through them (we just did!). I also just found out they have a store in Pasadena, which is both incredible yet dangerous for my wallet. You can choose different criteria for each category, and one of them is healthy products, free from chemicals.

Healthy Choices Happy Tots – This website will give you a little more information on some healthy options that helps you avoid fire retardants in rocking and glider chairs.

Center for Environmental Healthy – a guide to flame retardants in baby products.

Women’s Voices for the Earth – a guide full of recommendations for different baby gear/products.

The Soft Landing – a list of safe bath toys.

Contaminating our Bodies With Everyday Products – an interesting and eye-opening article about chemicals in everyday products.

The Human Experiment – if you haven’t yet, you should check out this documentary about chemicals. It is on Netflix and definitely worth your time.

If you’re curious to know what items we have chosen, here is our registry so far! It is still a work in progress.

Do you have any great resources? Please make sure to share them with us in the comments section!

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