Mindful Mum » Baby WASH

When is it safe to decorate the nursery?

Mindful Mum — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:01:07 +0000

Question: When is the best time to paint the nursery? My sister says the fumes could harm the baby if I strip paint in my first trimester?

Answer

Pregnant women should be banned from the decorating. Many parents want to make their baby’s room safe and beautiful, they rush around in the last weeks stripping wall paper, sanding and painting. However, mums-to-be should stay away during decorating because pregnant women and their fetuses are vulnerable to toxins from plaster, old paint (which may contain lead) as well as VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) fumes from new paint.

Safe Decorating Nursery Tips

Ban pregnant women from the decorating site and close off rooms if possible.
Decorate the nursery at least 2 months before your due date, as fumes, dust and general mess can take weeks to disperse. However, your baby is most vulnerable during your first trimester (weeks 0–13) because your baby’s organs start to develop. Harmful fumes or chemicals at this stage could affect your baby more severely, so the window for decorating is between 14 and 30 weeks.
Choose safer paint for the nursery that is low or free from VOCs because they emit less fumes and chemicals. Water-based paints are less hazardous than solvent-based ones, but even they might contain metal-based pigments.
Check that the paint to be stripped and sanded from old door frames and windows does not contain lead. Lead in paint was banned in Australia in 1906 and the US in 1978, however lead paint was sold and used in the UK until 1992. If your house is older get someone to do paint stripping and sanding for you. If you are unsure get a lead testing kit from you DIY store.
Use your instincts and if it smells too strong stay away. This goes for all baby furnishing too; cot mattresses, carpets, sheets, paint.
Make sure any room that is being painted is well ventilated, by opening any windows.
Hardwood floors with natural rugs are a good alternative to newly installed carpets which tend to emit chemicals from fibers, dyes and backing material.

(17/02/10)

References
NHS Choices, Can paint fumes affect my baby?
Volatile organic compounds in the home, Cranfield University, www.cranfield.ac.uk
Stripping Lead Paint, Daily Telegraph, 2009

Top 10 Baby Toiletries

Mindful Mum — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:40:15 +0000

Worried about the harmful side effects of chemicals in your baby’s toiletry products? If your baby suffers from eczema, skin allergies or skin rashes then water is simply the safest and kindest option.

Yet, toiletries and personal care products are a popular ‘new baby gift’ choice. How can you be sure your baby’s bath time products exclude potentially harmful chemicals and skin irritants?

The Mindful Mum Top 10 Baby Toiletries generated from the Safe Toiletries Guide helps prevent you from unintentionally washing your baby in a soup of harmful chemicals at bath time.

The baby toiletries listed below are free from harmful chemicals; Sodium Lauryl / Laureth Sulfate (SLS), Parabens and Phthalates. The Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database* hazardous rating has been included where manufacturers have submitted ingredients to be assessed for safety by the Environmental Working Group.

Organic Chamomile Baby Wash by PURbabies

Organic Certified: Yes — Soil Association (UK5)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
Chemical Hazard Score: 2 (low)
Made in UK
From £5.75 for 200 ml

Gentle Scalp Oil Suitable for Cradle Cap by Green Baby

Organic Certified: No
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: No
Chemical Hazard Score: No Data
Made in UK
From £5.99 for 30 ml

Baby Bath Shampoo by Neal’s Yard

Organic Certified:
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: No
Chemical Hazard Score: No Data
Made in UK
From £6.80 for 100 ml

Calendula Baby Oil by Weleda Baby

Organic Certified: No
Chemical Hazard Score: 0 (low)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
From £6.95 for 100 ml

Organic Chest Rub by Green Baby

Organic Certified: Yes — Soil Association (UK5)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: No
Chemical Hazard Score: No Data
Made in UK
From £6.99 for 50 g

Nourishing Baby Lotion by Avalon Organics Baby Avalon

Organic Certified: Yes — US Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
Chemical Hazard Score: 2 (low)
Made in USA
From £6.99 for 175 ml

Calming Shampoo & Body Wash by California Baby

Organic Certified: No (Member of Organic Trade Association)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
Chemical Hazard Score: 1 (low)
Made in USA
From £10.50 for 255 ml

No Fragrance SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion by California Baby

Organic Certified: No ( Member of Organic Trade Association)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
Chemical Hazard Score: 1 (low)
Made in USA
From £18.75 for 86 ml

Baby Bottom Cleansing Gel by miEssence

Organic Certified: Australian Certified Organic (ACO)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
Chemical Hazard Score: 0 (low)
Made in Australia
From £21.47 for 150 ml

Children’s Tooth Gel by Weleda Baby

Organic Certified: No
Chemical Hazard Score: 1 (low)
Safe Cosmetics Compact Signed Member: Yes
From £2.50 for 50 ml

*The Environmental Working Group maintains the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. The Baby Care section covers products from nappy creams to sunscreen. Each ingredient and product is given a toxicity score to help you find the safest possible toiletries for your baby.

Avoid Harmful Chemicals with Safe Baby Toiletry Guide

Mindful Mum — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:20:05 +0000

Mindful Mum has researched baby toiletries labelled organic or ‘natural’ in the UK and presented the results in an easy to read safe baby toiletry table. Although many manufacturers label their products ‘organic’, the majority of baby hygiene products are not certified organic by official certification bodies such as the Soil Association.

The comparison table helps parents to check that baby care products are ‘certified organic’, safe and free from chemical ‘nasties’ such as Phthaltes, Parabens and Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS/SLES).

Organic personal baby care is not legally regulated in the same way as organic food and drink. Skincare and toiletries can be called organic and natural, even if they contain a tiny percentage of organically grown ingredients. The only way to be sure that the product you are using is genuinely organic is to use products that are certified by a recognised organic certification body.

The Mindful Mum Safe Baby Toiletry Guide details:

certification by organic certifying bodies (such as the Soil Association in the UK)
hazardous rating as detailed by the cosmetic database
animal testing
packaged in recyclable material
free from Phthaltes, Parabens and Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate
‘made in’ or country of origin

Manufacturers product information and the ‘hazardous’ rating for each product in EWG’s cosmetic database provide the main sources of information for the Safe Baby Toiletry Guide.

If you know of any other product that should be included in the guide please get in touch with Mindful Mum detailing the product name.

California Baby Super Sensitive Bubble Bath – Non Toxic Baby Toiletries