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Eco-friendly Crib
July 7, 2012One of the first things we looked into when we found out Wendy was pregnant was the best place for the baby to sleep. We decided to try co-sleeping for the first year or so, but we still wanted a crib so we could have a safe, comfortable place for the little guy to nap. Since many cribs convert into a small bed up until age five or so, we figured it would still get plenty of use, even if not in the first year. As with all our baby gear searches, we were hoping to find something used (mostly through craigslist) and with the least amount of toxins. As we looked at used cribs, we found most of the posts included "has a few teeth marks," so we figured our little guy would be chewing on it too. This made it really important to find something with a non-toxic natural wood finish. It turns out there are not many out there, especially used.
After a month or so of search local furniture places, we came across a crib made by Kalon Studios. All the wood used was sourced in North America, built in New England, and is finished with a food grade oil (linseed oil, orange peel extract, and carnuba wax). It also appears they take extra steps to make sure the whole process is socially and environmentally responsible. We were not able to find one used, but we did luck out by visiting a local store when they were having a 20% off sale (it ended up costing about $560).
Naturepedic makes a few different types of organic cotton mattresses, and since these are a bit more common than the cribs, we were able to find one used on craigslist. However, we would recommend being careful when purchasing a used mattress to make sure it is not harboring any bugs, bacteria, fungus, or was not in an environment where it could absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We also found a Naturepedic fitted, organic cotton water-proof cover to put on top. We topped it off with a Crib Critters organic cotton fitted sheet that is made with low impact dyes (lead- and phthalate-free).
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