With a number of friends who will be having babies in the coming year I thought I should talk a bit about the options out there for non-toxic baby furniture.

Nursery design is one of my most favourite design projects to take on because it is always a blank canvas. This new little person isn’t coming into this world with a packed suitcase and a u-haul full of old furniture. Everything is squeaky clean and new. It is a chance to get very creative!

With all of the excitement of designing a brand new nursery, parents might forget that all of the things they think are adorable and sweet could actually be very dangerous for their new baby.

The majority of children’s furniture is loaded with formaldehyde, flame retardants and VOC’s.
Thankfully there are a number of companies that see the problem with this and have produced furniture that has zero emissions. There are also certifications that have come out such as “Greenguard” which means that furniture has to pass a low emissions test.

In some cases the zero emission options don’t have the most attractive designs. Eventhough I am a deisgner, I simply don’t care! I would much rather put my baby (and my clients’ babies!) in a crib that has ZERO formaldehyde and ZERO VOC’s than some formaldehyde and some VOC’s.

Formaldehyde and VOC’s can inhibit neurological development at an alarming rate. The problem is that this scary fact is just not advertised. Parents really have to do their own research.

I have included a number of companies where you can find baby furniture that has zero emissions, zero VOC’s, zero formaldehyde and are also good for the environment!

I hope this makes your hunt for toxic free nursery decor and furniture a bit less overwhelming!

Honest Company
The Honest Company in collaboration with Babyletto has developed in my opinion a very sweet little crib that is super functional with a conversion kit to change it into 4 different types of beds as your child grows. I love the colour of weathered grey as it is great for boys and girls so you can use it for your second and third children as well!
It is insanely well priced at $399 US but my favourite feature is that it has ZERO VOC’s, free of formaldehyde, phtalates, heavy metals AND made from sustainable wood.
I will be ordering this crib as SOON as I hit my second trimester.

Honest Company Crib

Romina Furniture
I love a number of Romina Furniture’s designs. They are beautiful and more intricate than The Honest Company’s design. They are also made of 100% solid wood with no chemical treatments and therefore are free of formaldehyde. All of their finishes are VOC, Lead and Phthalate FREE. They even went the extra mile with glue! They only use tree sap based organic glue when adhesive is required. The only downside is that they are on the pricier side between $800-$1200

Romina “Imperio” Crib

Oeuf NYC
This company has some cool designs and range in price from $600-$1000 US.
The only problem is it is not certain that they are free of EVERY toxin.
Their designs are VOC Free, but are made from FSC wood AND eco-MDF. I have done exhaustive research trying to figure out exactly what eco-MDF means with little success. From what little I have gleaned it means that it either is made with a lot less formaldehyde than normal MDF or no formaldehyde but I can’t seem to find out for certain. The other positive however is that it is made in Europe and so must adhere to the much stricter European health regulations (North America really needs to get with the program and catch up to Europe in this regard). So you will have to decide for yourself if this is OK with you

Oeuf “Classic” Crib

Simply Green Baby
This store carries the Bam Bam furniture line. However while formaldehyde free it is only LOW VOC not ZERO. Again, something you will have to decide for yourself what you are willing to accept.

Bam Bam Crib

As you can see it IS possible to decorate your baby’s nursery in a healthy, proactive way. It takes a bit more research, but is SO VERY worth it!