GORGEOUS GREEN
BABY NURSERIES
GORGEOUS GREEN
BABY NURSERIES
There’s no better time to create a home that supports and nurtures you and your family than when preparing for the birth of a baby. A peaceful, beautiful, comfortable nursery will support you as you care for your newborn and give your baby the foundation to thrive.
For many people, creating a nursery begins with planning how it will look. Considering how the nursery will function and how it will affect your physical well-being is equally, if not more, important. A nursery that captures the magic of childhood can be inspirational, but what good is a beautiful room if it’s not practical and healthy? When decorating, function and health are two essential, yet frequently overlooked, considerations.
Create an Efficient Nursery Design
Caring for an infant involves many repetitive tasks; the grace and ease with which you perform these tasks is largely dependent on your environment. Changing a diaper eight times a day is less stressful if you have a changing table that’s a good height for you and has drawers where diapers, wipes and clothes are easily accessible and organized.
If your beliefs allow, set up your nursery a month in advance of your due date. If your baby comes early, you’ll be prepared; if not, you have the last month of pregnancy to rest and relax before the arrival. It may take longer than you imagine to set up the nursery; even when you have everything purchased and in the room, you still need to unpack, clean, organize and learn how to use it all. Consider breaking the room into sections for play, sleep, changing, bathing and nursing, then deal with one area at a time.
When choosing furniture, think comfort. If possible, test-drive furniture by visiting the store, sitting in chairs, feeling the texture of area rugs and pretending to use the changing table. Pay attention to places where you and your baby will spend a good deal of time, such as in the chair you plan to use for nursing.
Children come with a lot of stuff, so allot space for storage. Everything you buy should have a place. Also keep in mind that children grow quickly, and it’s easy for their outgrown items to take over the room. Leave some drawers, shelves and closet space empty. If finding space is difficult, you may need to clear some clutter.
Nontoxic Cribs, Carpets and More
Babies’ immature organs are less able to cope with toxins in the environment than those of adults. Yet, with all the best intentions, many parents buy new furnishings and decorations that release unhealthy fumes into the air. Many common products used to decorate the nursery including certain types of paint, finishes, carpet, mattresses, curtains and particleboard contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, toluene and benzene. Through a process called outgasing,” or “offgasing,” VOCs are released into the air, causing harmful indoor-air pollution.
Strongly consider replacing wall-to-wall carpet in the nursery. Carpet traps pollutants, mold and dust mites that may trigger allergies and asthma. In addition, most synthetic carpet is treated with stain repellents and flame retardants and is glued down with VOC-containing adhesives, which can release fumes for up to five years. Hardwood floors with comfortable area rugs are a healthier alternative, but the wood should come from sustainably managed forests and be finished with a natural or nontoxic sealer, unless it was finished years earlier. If you’re already pregnant and have wall-to-wall carpet, don’t try to refinish floors; instead keep carpets clean using a HEPA-filter vacuum.
Look for furniture made of solid wood, wicker or rattan. Avoid MDF (medium-density fiberboard), plywood and particleboard, which often contains formaldehyde. If you’re unable to purchase furniture made of natural materials, or if your furniture is treated with a finish or wood sealer that contains toxic chemicals, place the furniture outside or in a ventilated garage. Or, open all the windows in the nursery for at least a month before you use it.
Used furniture more than a few years old has likely outgased the majority of its harmful chemicals, so buying or borrowing used furniture is a great way to practice recycling and to be health- and budget-conscious. (Make sure hand-me-down cribs meet current safety standards.) You also could consider buying furniture at an unfinished woo
A baby spends almost half the day asleep, so make sure the crib is a healthy environment. Mattresses made of synthetic materials, and the flame retardants used to treat them, can contain chemicals that emit toxic fumes. All-natural, untreated wool mattresses are a healthier, but often more expensive, alternative. If you do purchase a mattress made from synthetic materials, place it outside to outgas for at least a month before bringing it into the nursery. Look for sheets and blankets made from organically grown cotton. If you aren’t buying organic, wash the sheets several times before use with an unscented, nontoxic, biodegradable laundry detergent to remove some of the chemicals that could irritate your baby’s skin.
Adapted with permission from The Peaceful Nursery: Preparing a Home for Your Baby with Feng Shui by Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes (Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2006).
Paint without Poisons
Many paints give off toxic fumes known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be harmful to you and your child. These chemicals can remain in the air even after the paint is dry. Low- or no-VOC paints are a healthier alternative and now can be found almost anywhere in the United States. Even if you use a very low-VOC paint, however, you should paint your nursery at least a month before your baby arrives and keep the windows open so that the majority of remaining VOCs and other solvents will have time to dissipate. (Even “no-VOC” paint contains small amounts of toxins.) All-natural milk paint is also a healthy choice. Pregnant women should avoid painting.
If your home was built before 1978 or if the paint in your house is cracking, chipping or peeling you may want to have a professional test for lead paint, which is hazardous to your child’s health. For more information, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website at www.EPA.gov/lead or call the National Lead Information Center at (800) 424-5323. Your local health department may test for lead paint free of charge. Otherwise, the Lead Information Center will put you in touch with a certified specialist in your area.
Choose Your Best Nursery Colors
Soothing colors are the best choices for a nursery. If you’re drawn to a bright color such as red, try a lighter, less active shade such as deep pink, or use it as an accent by adding red toys, pillows, blankets or artwork. If you still aren’t particularly drawn to any one color, use this guide to achieve the emotional effects you’re after.
Blue encourages relaxation. It’s often linked with peace, healing and meditation. A light blue bedroom is particularly good for inducing sleep.
Red is very active and is often associated with passion, power and, in some cultures, good luck. Although it’s too active and overpowering for nursery walls, red can combat lethargy. Red is appropriate in small doses and will boost energy.
Pink is the color of love both love of self and love for others.
Green is most associated with nature and represents serenity and growth. It has the potential to calm and revitalize. If you live in an urban environment, adding green to your nursery can be an excellent way to connect with nature.
Yellow is associated with the sun. Yellow sheds light on our lives and helps us see things clearly. Bright yellow is energizing, but a pale shade won’t interfere with sleep.
Purple may be a reassuring color, but it’s also stimulating. Purple is associated with spirituality and royalty. If you’re drawn to purple you might want to use lavender in your nursery. Lavender, like blue, may soothe babies.
Orange is happy and expansive. Although perhaps too active in a room used for sleep, it makes an excellent accent color.
White, associated with purity, is clean and works in all rooms. Because it can look sterile, you might want to accent it with warmer colors. Or try off-white, which has some yellow in it to bring in the sunshine energy, or beige, which is still neutral but much warmer.
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