When you’re preparing a room for baby, it’s easy to get carried away choosing paint colors, stuffed animals, and themes. It’s an exciting time to prep for your new arrival! Beyond aesthetics, however, it’s important to remember that safety is the most important piece of putting together a nursery.
Specifically, making sure your little one is sleeping peacefully (we can dream, can’t we?) in a safe, non-toxic crib. We’ll guide you through the sometimes confusing terms and different regulation standards for certain chemicals and how you can create the safest environment for not just your baby, but for you and your entire family.
Have a specific question or subject you're interested in? Use the links below to jump straight to it:
- What Makes a Crib Non-Toxic?
- Solid Wood
- CARB II Certified
- GREENGUARD Certified
- VOC-Free
- Non-Toxic Travel Crib
- Non-Toxic Bassinet Crib
What makes a crib non-toxic?
A crib that is truly non-toxic has to meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, the standards for toxicity are often different at state and federal levels. Sometimes, you have to be your own advocate. You need to be comfortable calling manufacturers to find out the testing results of finishes and products in order to get substantiated evidence of the materials in your crib.
This is especially crucial if you’re trying to figure out if the composite wood product you’re considering buying—often the material used as the mattress support board in cribs—is adhered together with safe soy-based glue or glue that’s actually dangerous and toxic.
All of this information might seem overwhelming to new parents, but you shouldn’t be intimidated. Arm yourself with the right knowledge by following our basic guidelines that’ll bring you to safer, less toxic choices so both you and your baby can rest easy.
CARB II Certified
If you’re searching for cribs and see a “CARB II certified” crib, sometimes it’s not enough. CARB stands for the California Air Resources Board, which is a government agency that sets hard limits on off-gassing formaldehyde in wood products. While helpful, this standard is not as strict as GREENGUARD, which is an independent agency that has even lower limits for chemical emissions.
GREENGUARD Certified
When products are marked GREENGUARD Gold certified, you should pay attention. The GREENGUARD Gold certification means that the product is lab-tested and verified to be low emission for any off-gassed chemicals. The certification is specific to products in the context of more sensitive environments, like schools with young children and retirement homes with elderly individuals.
This certification helps to limit and define what makes a product (and its construction) low-emitting in places where developing children or adults with compromised immune systems spend long stretches of time, particularly schools and hospitals.
VOC-Free
VOCs stand for volatile organic compounds. Everyday products can have VOCs and while there isn’t always an acute negative response to VOC exposure, long-term proximity to some VOCs can cause serious ill health effects. You’re especially vulnerable to VOCs indoors, where even low concentrations of chemicals such as formaldehyde can work your way into your body and cause serious damage.
A baby breathes 40-60 times per minute while awake compared to a normal adult who breathes somewhere between 12-16 times a minute.
Therefore any sort of exposure to chemicals is particularly hazardous for infants whose developing immune systems are fragile and sensitive.
Always look for the “Low-VOC” label for baby products and furniture.
Where can I buy non-toxic travel cribs?
Planning a trip with your new baby? Travel cribs can have the same toxicity that traditional cribs do—but luckily, Guava Family has the only GREENGUARD Gold certified travel crib in the world: the Lotus Everywhere Travel Crib.
This affordable, non-toxic baby crib is a great option for your next family vacation.
Because it’s made out of lightweight aluminum, this crib will stand up to playtime but won’t throw out your back when moving it from room to room—it weighs in at only 13 pounds. You can pack up this non-toxic play yard effortlessly and stow it away in the backpack carrying case with ease.
Need to have easy access to your child? There’s a convenient side-zip door to calm or play with your baby. Paired with a clear mesh and minimal design, you can see what your baby is up to at all times with the Lotus Everywhere Crib.
The crib also meets all the standards of low VOC criteria: no heavy metals (like arsenic or mercury, among others), no flame retardants, no PVC, phthalates, formaldehyde or lead. The cover is conveniently machine-washable for those moments when the sippy cup lid actually isn’t all the way on.
The non-toxic crib mattress that comes with the crib is equally as safe, dependable, and comfortable: the perfect place for your child to sleep and play.
Where can I find non-toxic bassinets?
If you want a bassinet crib at bed height so you can easily access your infant for those middle-of-the-night feedings, Guava Family has you covered.
Our Lotus Bassinet Kit + Crib bundle can be adjusted to a stable or rocking setting depending on your little one’s preferred sleeping environment, and has the flexibility to grow with your child from ages 0-3.
Want to take your bassinet on the road? Quickly fold it up into its backpack container for hands-free carry, and make family trips that much easier.
Guava also offers a risk-free trial in case you and your baby don’t absolutely love your crib. Simply try it out for thirty days and if you’re not satisfied, return it for a full refund with free return shipping. What do you have to lose?