Question from Nicole Raineri
Hi Debra,
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site.
I’m expecting in August and registering for non-toxic items is becoming a bit challenging but I’m doing my best.
I’d love to find a non-toxic pack and play, car seat, stroller but they seem to be few and far between. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Debra’s Answer
I’m not a mom so these are not products I frequently use.
Readers, can you help with recommendations?
Hi Nicole,
For a non – toxic pack and play option take a look at the Lotus Everywhere Crib. It states No Flame Retardants. No PVC. No Phthalates. No Lead. No Heavy Metals. Low-VOC. Completely breathable, and it’s certified to the GREENGUARD GOLD standard.
http://www.guavafamily.com/products/lotus-everywhere-travel-crib
Wow, that Lotus Everywhere travel crib looks amazing!
I tested my Baby Jogger City Mini GT and my UppBaby Vista stroller and both have flame retardants in the foam. I believe that Bugaboo strollers are free of flasks retardants but I don’t know of anyone who tested them.
That’s interesting. When did you by your strollers? I’m wondering if they previously used fire retardants and don’t anymore, or if they didn’t use them previously but now they do, or if their marketing information was incorrect (unintentionally or intentionally).
On a side note, similar to the recommendations regarding car seats, it’s typically recommended that babies don’t spend lots of time in strollers, swings, etc. It’s important for their development that they not be sitting/lying in something like that all the time, and the difficulty with finding non-toxic options makes that even more important. So on the bright side, though I haven’t had my stroller tested, I can say that it has seen very little use and still looks like new, because my little one has been walking all over since he learned how to. So it seems like using those things as little as possible is the best way to avoid the chemicals, and then choose the best one you can find when you do need to use them.
Those items are, indeed, very difficult/impossible to find in a totally non-toxic version. For carseats, they have to be treated with flame retardants. Some people replace the cover with their own cover, but I didn’t feel that’s a great idea, since it’s not the cover the carseat was safety tested with, and if I recall correctly, it might also void the warranty. Many of us who have a natural/non-toxic approach to things have decided that this is one of those areas that we can’t get exactly what we want, we make the best choice we can, and then do the best you can in other areas (such as the mattress the baby will be sleeping on, products you apply to baby’s skin, and so forth). I also came to realize that the entire vehicle is toxic, really. So the carseat is really only one cause for concern; so do the best you can and then focus on other areas. Granted, the baby is in direct contact with the seat, so we want the least toxic option. So I went with the Diono Radian RXT and chose one of the fabrics that doesn’t require additional flame retardants. It’s one of those tricky wording situations, where you might think no flame retardants are used in the seat, but in fact, it just means that no fire retardants were added to the fabric. But…since all the other options are toxic anyway, I figured even one little step is better than none! So I got the Radian with that fabric (I believe they had two fabrics that fit that description – maybe more by now?). The Radian seats get great reviews by parents, and they allow the child to be rear-facing for as long as possible, which is the safest way for the child to ride. So that level of safety is important also. It’s typically recommended that babies shouldn’t spend too much time in carseats and carriers and such anyway, and this is also a good recommendation in terms of limiting toxic exposure. Get in the seat to ride in the car, then get out of the seat. Don’t spend hours at a time in it, don’t use it as a place for the baby to take naps in the house, etc.
You might also want to check into the Clek Foonf carseat. It wasn’t yet available when I needed one, so I don’t know all the details, other than that their fabrics are apparently free of fire retardants and the seat has recyclable parts. I can’t vouch for any other details, or for the seat itself, but it might be one to look into. Carseats are one of those things that, by necessity, are made of foams and things that we typically might prefer to avoid, but are necessary in case of a crash. So buy the “least-toxic” option, since there probably isn’t a totally non-toxic option.
For strollers, I like the Baby Jogger brand. They make the City Select, City Mini, etc. Features and prices vary. They were sold in an eco-baby store I visited, so I looked into it. They use nylon, etc — I don’t know of anybody making organic wool strollers. 😉 But they claim to not use fire retardants or some of the other harmful things that are commonly found in strollers. They don’t stink of PVC or other strong chemical smells. And they will reply by email if you have questions. Seems like one of the best options. Disclaimer: it’s been a couple of years since I’ve really looked at these things, so it’s possible something else has come out in the meantime.
Baby Bjorn makes a travel crib that seemed to be the best option at the time I was searching for these things. (Again, something else might have become available in the past couple of years.) This is another area where there aren’t any perfect options. But if you can get one without fire retardants and PVC, that’s a great start. They’re still going to have nylon, maybe polyester, hard plastics… What are you wanting to use it for primarily?
Nicole, I researched non-toxic baby items and my favorite list was this one: https://naturalbabymama.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/things-i-wished-i-registered-for/ I found a used Baby Bjorn Pack pack and play that is compact for traveling and has worked out well.
As for infant carseats, you can read through and see what you think. https://naturalbabymama.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/a-safe-but-non-toxic-car-seat/