Eco Friendly Baby Furniture...is it really better?

by Katy Green
shoptobegreen.com




Ubabub - Crib in Australia
http://www.ubabub.com/


The process of picking furniture for your bundle of joy can be laborious at best.

First you worry if the product is safe so you research Consumer Reports and all of the Mom Blogs to be sure. Then you agonize over style and theme and then somewhere in the midst of the baby furniture research craze you wonder should I choose eco-friendly decor for the baby room? Is it really better? Is it worth the expense?

YES to all three questions... because eco-friendly or "green furniture" is safer for your baby for several reasons:

• Most baby furniture is made of the same material as adult furniture - pressed-wood products made with resin and glue often have high levels of VOCs which should be avoided.

In case your wondering what is a VOC? Well, according to the EPA, VOC is Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Examples of products with VOC include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, craft materials including glues and much more which can be found on the EPA website.

• Plastic furniture is not the best choice for your babies room either because it takes forever to degrade from five years to 20+ years depending on the amount of resin. the size and type of plastic - so I don't need to tell you how long it takes for plastic furniture to degrade. In addition, plastic is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. Yikes.
• Eco Baby furniture is modern, sleek and natural. Be careful of the eco-baby furniture impostors because many pose as eco-friendly and are not so be sure to do your research.

Top Five Resources for Eco Baby Furniture:

1. Green Buying Guide to the Nursery - US Green Building Council
2. Inhabitots - online resource for all things eco-baby
3. Baby Eco Trends - online store dedicated to Eco Conscious Decor - a bit pricey but good investment.
4. Green Your Decor - check out this fabu site for all thing green and coupons to boot.
5. Baby Earth - very popular site  for your eco-friendly needs including cloth diapers, lotions, shampoos, diaper creams, crib bedding, blankets, clothes, mattresses, toys, cleaning products and furniture.  

Note:shoptobegreen does not benefit from any of these listings. We research and review all eco listings and we make every effort to share the best resources - all things green!