When I was pregnant, I added item after item to my baby registry based on great Amazon reviews. If something was on the market, then it has certainly had to pass government-regulated safety tests — why would I question it? But now that I have a child, I question things I would never have given a second thought before.

Every parent wants the best for their child, that’s a given, and for each person that can look very different. Every parent has worries, too. Some worry about their baby’s eating or sleeping or development. Sometimes these worries change. Sometimes these worries keep us up at night. Sometimes it’s just a nagging feeling that persists for some time.

What am I worried about? Environmental toxins (wow that makes me sound a little crazy). Not quite on the whole global warming scale, but the environment in my home.

I have never considered myself especially environmentally conscious. I recycle because I’m from the Pacific Northwest, and that’s just what everyone does. I take for granted the convenience of curbside recycling that some environmental activists pushed for decades ago, but I realize that in other parts of the country, it’s near impossible to recycle an empty soda can whether you’re out and about in public or at home. In Seattle they make it so darn easy that cans, bottles, newspapers, and yogurt cups all go in the same box. However, that was about the extent of my love for the earth.

my husband and I have gas guzzling muscle cars

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F O O D

Despite my deep Pacific Northwest roots growing up camping and fishing in the summers, I would not consider myself “granola.” I never considered spending money on organic food until I became pregnant, and when I did, I decided to give it a shot. However, what I came home with from the local supermarket was less than impressive. The fruits and vegetables were still probably harvested when they were green and under ripe and they were covered in dirt. I had been expecting them to taste like something fresh out of the garden, but I was disappointed and vowed not to buy them again. You can imagine my surprise when my husband bought me a CSA organic biweekly delivery last Christmas, and the produce tasted like I just picked it out of my backyard.

GLASS

I’d like to think that I have a common sense approach to things I eat out of, and that it’s not borderline weird. I use glass pyrex containers to store and reheat my food instead of plastic Tupperware, I have opted for stainless steel pots and pans instead of teflon and silicon, and while I certainly use my fair share of ziploc baggies, I wouldn’t throw a ziploc or saran wrap in the microwave. So for my daughter, I bought glass bottles instead of plastic.

Every baby company proudly touts that their plastic feeding devices and toys alike are BPA free, and even phthalate free, but what have they replaced those with? Perhaps they’ll discover that the alternatives weren’t any better, but it will be another decade or so until something like that comes to light. I do pump and freeze breastmilk in plastic bags, and while I’d love to store them in glass bottles, I just don’t have the freezer space. If this is something you would consider, these Evenflo Glass bottles are a steal at $4.86 for 3.

FIRE RETARDANTS

I do cloth diaper, but I am far from a crunchy mama – I do it because they’re so darn cute, and it’s just a bonus that they won’t fill up the landfill for the next 500 years. I went shopping for flannel to make swaddles with, and along the edge of each and every bolt were the words “Not intended for infant sleepwear.” I asked the employee if that meant that the fabrics would self-combust or were particularly flammable, and she responded, “No, they just aren’t treated with all the cancer chemicals like store-bought pajamas.” What?!

In 1972, the CPSC mandated that all infant sleepwear 9 months and up must either be tight fitting (ie cotton pjs) or be flame resistant and be able to self-extinguish if it caught fire (ie fleece pjs). This age bracket reflects a belief that infants younger than 9 months are not sufficiently mobile to expose themselves to an open flame, and it covers all children’s sleepwear up to size 14.

In my day job I’m the first to tell customers to take what they read on the internet about their health with a grain of salt. Of course the more you read, the more you read that everything causes cancer, but as a mom of an infant, I’m beginning to second guess myself. My baby’s brain isn’t fully developed, so what may not be particularly harmful for me and you might be harmful for her. Sure, her fleece pajamas are derived from petroleum and plastic waste, but I’m not one of those hyper paranoid moms. Or am I?

Maybe I’m not so concerned with the synthetic origins of the fleece as I am about the flame retardants it is treated with. An internet search for “flame retardants” brings up cancer, developmental problems, reduced IQ and impaired fertility. In my line of work it is all about risk versus benefit. In applying the same principle as a mother, I would prefer to opt for the clothing with the big cautionary labels that say “Warning, keep away from open flame.” In the event that my baby is in a house fire, I believe her little sleeper is going to do very little to protect her, and I’m willing to forgo the chemicals.

My daughter lived in sleep and plays and was constantly chewing on her sleeves. In the end, I decided not to use my beloved sleep and plays anymore despite their convenience. I might take a go at sewing up my own pajamas with cotton fleece instead.

FURNITURE

Perhaps a little more pervasive in our homes than infant sleepwear is our furniture. Since 1975, California has required the foam cushions in upholstered furniture to withstand an open flame for 12 seconds, a standard manufacturers met nationwide by adding flame retardants. Take a look at the tag on your diaper changing mats, baby’s mattress, your car seat, your stroller. Chances are, they are all filled with polyurethane foam, which is highly flammable, and each item will also have a tag that says it complies with California’s standards for fire safety – “This article meets the flammability requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 117.” Our furniture and these products not only “off-gas” chemicals into the air, but they deposit dust laden with these chemicals on our floors as well. Once our babies get to crawling, the dust gets onto their hands and then into their mouths.

Does this mean I’m throwing out all  the couches and mattresses in my house? No, but when it comes time to replace them, I will buy healthier alternatives. In the meantime, I will be more vigilant about cleaning the floors. The good news is in the last few weeks, California opted to replace the old rule with a new one, wherein furniture upholstery must resist a smoldering cigarette instead of the foam withstanding 12 seconds of open flame. This won’t necessarily stop companies from producing furniture without flame retardants altogether, but it will give much more opportunity for safer furniture to come to the marketplace.

MATTRESSES

One particular mattress company has a whole page devoted to debunking fancy logos that would seem to suggest a product is “environmentally-friendly” when it may not truly be. “Green-washing” is when a company tries to boost sales by using inaccurate or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of their product. Logos boast certifications with images of plants and leaves, but is it a first party certification, conducted by the company themselves, or a third party certification? Is just one small component of the product that is organic, or the entire product? Is the company making exaggerated claims?

The tags affixed to mattresses do not disclose what chemicals they have been treated with. A group in New York took the time to put together a great article, The Mattress Matters: Protecting Babies from Toxic Chemicals While They Sleep. They did the groundwork in contacting almost 30 different companies about the mattresses they produce. Some fully disclosed their materials and manufacturing processes, some refused altogether. Here is summary of their findings below.

Did you find your mattress on there? I have a Simmons Kids mattresses, and while it is one of only four companies with the third party Greenguard certification, it’s also on the chart in a scary red color. The same goes for my pack and play mattress, and according to their article, the company refused to disclose anything period.

The article goes on to discuss the different components and their potential hazards. I don’t know how to interpret some of the wording though. Is vinyl itself itself truly as terrible as they make it out to be if the input chemicals “can cause cancer?” It also talks about chemicals released when it is incinerated, but does my 100% vinyl waterproof mattress cover pose a risk below a fitted crib sheet? Are these chemicals used in production inert in the final product?

EVALUATING THE INFORMATION

What should I take to heart, and what is over the top? Sure, everyone is pretty aware of the dangers of lead. But do a google search for any of the following words and it will make you want to throw out everything in your house from ipod ear buds to every piece of furniture: PBDEs, phthalates, flame retardants, PVC, vinyl, polyurethane foam, the list goes on.

Flame retardants have many more uses than just in textiles and furniture, from computer components, to building materials. Perhaps because they are so widespread, flame retardants have been found in human breastmilk and even deep sea whales, and our children seem to test with much higher levels than children in other nations. Europe has banned compounds that are found in many of our furniture and toys.

CHOOSING SAFER ITEMS FOR OUR CHILDREN

I think the Washington Toxics Coalition has a great section on choosing safe items for your child.  I’m not there quite yet, but I’m glad to see they list arts and craft supplies. In addition they also provide a good lowdown of available plastics, and have some great tips about creating your nursery.

In the end, it’s really not about me trying convince everyone I know to throw out all their furniture and live in glass (not plastic!) bubbles, but it’s about what my gut is telling me is best for me and my family. Just because practices and products are commonplace in the US does not necessarily mean they are the safest options in all respects. Sure there are a lot of vocal activists out there, both parents and environmentalists. But I should pore over the studies and journal articles, and evaluate for myself which are misleading or biased. As a mom, I think I’m just going to go with my gut. I’ll phone what companies I can and determine which products I have may in fact be safe.

Do you worry more about what you bring in your home after having kids?