Massive paranoia about flame retardants in baby gear and hubby is angry! HELP!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the first poster.

Let me reiterate that you are wise in identifying sources of toxic chemicals for your child. As a research biologist and wife of a doctor that works in cancer research, I am very concerned about the amount of indoor pollutants that surround us and their long term but deletorious impact on mental health, IQ, longevity and fertility. I think you need to step back and examine your whole lifestyle. For example, eating organic (at least for dairy/meat and the most sprayed fruits and veggies).

I do eat all organic meats and veggies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote is for neurotic Sorry but you sound like you're going off the deep end. Just an FYI that fabrics are treated for Cal 117 all around you. I'm an interior designer that designs hotels, restaurants, commercial spaces etc... Each and every fabric is REQUIRED to be treated for Cal 117. Even if your baby's stuff isn't treated you cannot avoid it in public spaces. And Call 117 is one of multiple treatments required for public spaces. Please take a deeeep breath and relax! And as PP stated this isn't one of those things to go overboard on.

Um, this is supposed to be relaxing information?

Um, I never said it was going to be relaxing. Government regulations rarely are.

[Anonymous]

Hard to avoid all of these chemicals, but here are some things that I bought that put my mind more at ease:

Diapers: Cloth, with Seventh Gen for when I need disposables

High chair: Stokke

Crib: Costco's organic mattress, topped with a wool puddle pad (Google for options) and an organic cotton mattress pad on top of that. Purchased a few months ahead to air everything out. Actual crib is a hand-me-down.

Clothes: Lucked out with tons of hand-me-downs for the first year

You do what you can, but try not to make yourself crazy. There's plenty of worry for each day as there is, so you really have to find a way to get some perspective on this. Best wishes and congratulations!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hard to avoid all of these chemicals, but here are some things that I bought that put my mind more at ease:

Diapers: Cloth, with Seventh Gen for when I need disposables

High chair: Stokke

Crib: Costco's organic mattress, topped with a wool puddle pad (Google for options) and an organic cotton mattress pad on top of that. Purchased a few months ahead to air everything out. Actual crib is a hand-me-down.

Clothes: Lucked out with tons of hand-me-downs for the first year

You do what you can, but try not to make yourself crazy. There's plenty of worry for each day as there is, so you really have to find a way to get some perspective on this. Best wishes and congratulations!

Thanks! I have a Naturepedic Organic mattresses for the bassinet, crib and moses basket that I also have been airing out for a few months. My crib is Pacific Rim solid wood. I also have tons of hand me down clothes, so not many organic things, but I will try to use mostly cotton outfits and hopefully they have been washed enough that it's OK.

Thanks for the help. I am trying not to go drive myself crazy and not irritate my husband to death (he also gets annoyed at my organic food habit b/c it's so expensive). I just wish he was a little more understanding but he is the kind of guy who eats at McDonald's frequently! LOL!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Um, I never said it was going to be relaxing. Government regulations rarely are.

Would be nice if govt regulations actually benefited the public instead of harming it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Um, I never said it was going to be relaxing. Government regulations rarely are.

Would be nice if govt regulations actually benefited the public instead of harming it

Well, it is too prevent the spread of flames in buildings. In that situation it can actually save many lives. So it actually is for the benefit of the public. But it's a catch 22 because people have to live with chemicals. I guess your damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[Anonymous]

on one hand i think it's great to avoid disgusting chemicals. on the other hand i feel like you can drive yourself crazy and ruin your pregnancy and parenthood experience if you obsess over keeping your kids safe from every possible toxin or danger. i really regret worrying so much with my first child, i feel like i missed out on enjoying the experience because i was busy trying to control anything and everything about the pregnancy, birth, and baby care. so i think if it gets to the point where this project of yours is interfering with your enjoyment of the pregnancy maybe it's worth making some of the compromises suggested by PPs, and focusing on a few items but not feeling like everything needs to be perfectly free of any toxins.

[Anonymous]

I am with you, OP (and glad to hear you got a Pacific Rim crib: we were given a hand-me-down but I was looking at the Pacific Rim ones, too!).

Yes, toxins are all around us: all the more reason to minimize them in our immediate environments.

In addition to what PPs have suggested, I would recommend washing any covers that are washable before using (car seat, swing, bouncy chair). Let them dry and air out in the sun if you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:on one hand i think it's great to avoid disgusting chemicals. on the other hand i feel like you can drive yourself crazy and ruin your pregnancy and parenthood experience if you obsess over keeping your kids safe from every possible toxin or danger. i really regret worrying so much with my first child, i feel like i missed out on enjoying the experience because i was busy trying to control anything and everything about the pregnancy, birth, and baby care. so i think if it gets to the point where this project of yours is interfering with your enjoyment of the pregnancy maybe it's worth making some of the compromises suggested by PPs, and focusing on a few items but not feeling like everything needs to be perfectly free of any toxins.

Are there people out there who actually enjoy pregnancy?? LOL.... I understand what you are saying. thanks for the advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They'd rather our babies die of cancer than die in a fire.

I know! I mean who really needs a flame retardant stroller, car seat or nursing pillow?

Obviously you have never been involved in product liability litigation. Believe me there was probably a lawsuit at some point where manufacturers were sued for NOT treating baby products with flame retardant.

[Anonymous]

As far as diapers go, I really like the Nature Babycare.

[Anonymous]

hmmm... OP, to provide some perspective, you will find (and already have found) many like-minded moms, especially on this message board. i would think, however, that the vast majority of moms (even first timers) are not thinking about this in the same way or to the same degree as you are. to some degree, this particular concern is the luxury of the wealthy, because the options to avoid the chemicals of which you are afraid are too expensive to be available to most moms. we all do the best that we can for our kids and, i believe, one of the great things we can do for our kids while they're in utero is to relax and avoid anxiety. if you can let this one go to some degree, my guess is that you, your husband, and your baby will all be happier. once the baby is out, you'll think a lot less about this and a lot more about the million other things that worry us moms!

[Anonymous]

OP, here is my advice (as a mother of 3):

1 - buy an organic crib mattress and organic sleep clothes like other posters have mentioned. MUCH more expensive, but worth it.

2 - buy some BPA free bottles, etc. (though nowadays almost all baby bottles are BPA free).

3 - just go with the flow on all the rest.

Seriously. First, half the things you buy your baby will either not like or you will never use. As this is your first, you will likely have a baby shower. You will likely get all kinds of things (many of which will not be from your registry). Be gracious about this. Your child does not need to wear organic only.

Second, it is shocking how many things (like a swing) some parents MUST have to survive that your child will want none of. So unless you just have money to throw away, wait to buy some of this stuff later. Remember that alot of these things will be used by your kid for literally a couple of months only. These aren't things your child will be exposed to for YEARS. More like WEEKS.

The baby industry feeds off of parents' fears. Take a deep breath and don't buy into the hype. Otherwise, you will make yourself and your loved ones crazy.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am 37 weeks and feel the same way you do. It's nearly impossible to find baby products that don't contain formaldehyde, phthalates, or other VOCs. I'm trying to keep things in perspective, but I find it hard to ignore the facts once I become aware of them. My family reminds me that the stress hormones created by worrying about this stuff aren't good for the baby either, so I'm trying to do what I can in terms of minimizing chemicals in my home with the things I can control, and let go of the rest. I guess that would be my advice to you, too.

That said, many posters have suggested at least choosing organic materials for where baby will sleep. We were able to find a solid wood crib (no particle board mattress support which releases formaldehyde) and an organic crib mattress, but I can't find a bassinet anywhere (to keep in our bedroom) that doesn't have a particle board slab to support the mattress. I'm willing to let the rest of the swings, highchairs, etc. go, if I can just find a healthy bassinet. Advice anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am 37 weeks and feel the same way you do. It's nearly impossible to find baby products that don't contain formaldehyde, phthalates, or other VOCs. I'm trying to keep things in perspective, but I find it hard to ignore the facts once I become aware of them. My family reminds me that the stress hormones created by worrying about this stuff aren't good for the baby either, so I'm trying to do what I can in terms of minimizing chemicals in my home with the things I can control, and let go of the rest. I guess that would be my advice to you, too.

That said, many posters have suggested at least choosing organic materials for where baby will sleep. We were able to find a solid wood crib (no particle board mattress support which releases formaldehyde) and an organic crib mattress, but I can't find a bassinet anywhere (to keep in our bedroom) that doesn't have a particle board slab to support the mattress. I'm willing to let the rest of the swings, highchairs, etc. go, if I can just find a healthy bassinet. Advice anyone?

This one looks like it might be solid wood but I am not entirely sure. http://www.modernnursery.com/itemsDetail.cfm/ArgingtonBAMBassinetinEbony/0/pcid/76/cid/0/item_num/AR-BAM2300EB/more/1/keyword/bassinet