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Have you recently given birth, are trying to conceive or are just thinking about having a baby? If so, then it’s important to understand the best products to use to make sure you, your baby and your home environment are as safe and free of toxic chemicals as possible.
The unfortunate reality is that babies today are born into a polluted world and a lot of the everyday products we use in our homes, on ourselves, and purchase for our newborns can have a negative impact on in-utero and post-birth development due to the toxic and questionable chemicals that are in their composition. While it may feel daunting to figure out how to navigate and understand what products to look for and how to eliminate chances of toxic exposures, there are luckily many resources, tools and reliable products available to help guide you in your journey.
If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out the new Healthy Pregnancy Guide that has just been released by MADE SAFE® and the Plastic Pollution Coalition, serving as an indispensable “go-to” hub of information, backed by science, on everything families need to know to minimize toxic exposure before, during, and after pregnancy to prepare for and promote healthier pregnancies, birth outcomes, and lifestyles. Organized by areas of the home and daily routines, this is a great resource for those trying to navigate how to detoxify your home environment, primarily by reducing plastic-use and exposures to BPAs, pesticides, formaldehydes, PVCs, flame retardants, endocrine disruptors, etc., to better the health of yourself and your baby.
So, what are some of the best eco, nontoxic home, topical and baby products for new and expecting mamas? Check out a few of our favorite product and brand recs below!
Home Products
1. SuperBee: Beeswax Wrap
A great alternative to plastic wrap, SuperBee’s beeswax wraps are reusable and offer an earth-friendly food storage alternative that are hand made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, pure beeswax, organic coconut oil and tree resin.
2. Bambaw
Bambaw’s “zero-waste products for a better future” include a wide range of straws, cutlery sets and other kitchen essentials that are nontoxic, 100% natural, durable and reusable. This is a great alternative to reduce BPA exposure, single-use plastics and are perfect for on-the-go use.
3. Green Pan
When it comes to cookware, it’s important to steer clear of certain materials like aluminum. Look for stainless steel, glass, cast iron and carbon steel. Green Pan is a revolutionary Belgian brand that created nontoxic, sustainable cookware. While traditional non-stick pans release harmful toxins when overheated, GreenPan products use a healthy ceramic non-stick coating by using Thermolon (a derivative of sand) and releases no toxic fumes if overheated.
4. Branch Basics: Multi-Purpose Cleaning Concentrate
It’s no secret that conventional cleaners can be filled with dangerous chemicals and harsh bleaches. Branch Basics makes cleaning simple, affordable and sustainable with their multi-purpose concentrate. Plant and mineral based, the concentrate is free of harmful preservatives, biodegradable, non-GMO and human-safe. It’s also fragrance-free, so it’s perfect for those with asthma, allergies and chemical sensitivities.
5. Meliora: Plastic-Free Home Cleaning & Laundry Products
As a certified B-corp company, Meliora develops sustainable nontoxic laundry, home cleaning and bath and body soaps. Meliora is committed to fully transparent ingredient labeling and never uses plastics. With MADE SAFE® certified laundry and cleaning products, Meliora keeps synthetic fragrances, dyes, preservatives or optical brighteners out, and puts the health of the planet and people first.
6. Nellie’s Dishwasher Powder
This eco-friendly brand is dedicated to green cleaning – creating biodegradable, phosphate free and septic safe products – especially for the kitchen! Their dishwasher powder is all-natural, and opts for using powder instead of traditional, water-based liquid detergent because they don’t believe in shipping water around the world – and it’s a hit on Amazon!
7. Life Without Plastic Hemp Shower Curtain
Did you know showers are typically made with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), one of the most toxic materials, which has the ability to leach endocrine disruptors when heated? While on the pricier side, this Life Without Plastic natural hemp shower curtain works without the need of a liner and is a strong eco-friendly alternative that is naturally resistant to mold and is BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free and lead-free. A less expensive alternative to PVC is tightly-woven cottons or linens, like this cotton option from Target.
Topical Products
8. Insect repellents
Ticks and mosquitoes are a serious public health threat, which means expecting moms should be adamant about using a repellent, but cautious of which repellent they choose based on the active ingredients used. Mosquitoes are one of the world’s deadliest animals, responsible for transmitting serious diseases such as ZIKA, West Nile Virus, Chikungunya and Dengue, and ticks can also transmit various serious diseases like Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis.
When choosing a repellent, look for ones with EPA-Registered, CDC-recommended active ingredients like Picaridin and Oil of lemon eucalyptus. Both are effective and safe for use on pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children, when used as directed. A few of our favorites are EarthKind’s unscented, skin-friendly Stay Away® Mosquitoes spray, which is made with Picaridin and protects against mosquitoes and ticks for 14-hours, and REPEL’s Lemon Eucalyptus insect repellent.
9. Eco-Friendly, Mineral-Based Sunscreens
When out in the sun, it’s crucial, especially for pregnant women, to keep sunscreen top of mind. However, conventional brand sunscreens tend to be made with hazardous endocrine disrupting chemicals, like oxybenzone and octinoxate, which you can read more on here. Badger’s Active Mineral SPF30 broad-spectrum sunscreen, made with zinc oxide, Supergoop! PLAY Everyday SPF30 lotion, free of oxybenzone and octinoxate, and Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen, made with 100% non-nano zinc, are a few great options to consider when you want to have some fun in the sun!
10. Annmarie Skin Care
Everyone deserves to focus on their self-care and pampering–it’s one of the most important ways to take care of stress levels and mental health. However, the majority of makeup and skincare products are filled with questionable ingredients and fragrances and may actually be harming us more than helping us. MADE SAFE ® certified Annmarie Skin Care has an abundance of natural, nontoxic options for serums, moisturizers, masks, make up, shampoos and more, and have some great sample kit options to test out, too!
Baby Products
11. Naturepedic Organic Baby Crib Mattress
Naturepedic’s GOTS-certified Organic Baby Crib mattress is one of the safest, most nontoxic crib mattresses out there. Unlike many conventional, and even organic, mattresses on the market, Naturepedic proudly combines their five-step safety measures of chemical safety, allergenic safety, physical safety, hygienic safety and breathability safety, while maintaining the most stringent safety certifications, recommendations, awards, and advocacy associations available in the marketplace. Naturepedic eliminates all flame-retardant chemicals and barriers while still passing all government flammability standards, and is uniquely designed to provide long-lasting support with a solid, easy-to-clean design.
12. JOOLZ – Baby Strollers
This brand makes eco-friendly, non-toxic, organic and sustainable baby strollers, and for every stroller that is registered, they plant a tree in your child’s name in the Joolz Birth Forest in Columbia. All materials used are completely free of any toxic chemicals and substances, i.e heavy metals, BPA, toxic dyes, pesticides, flame retardants, phthalates and formaldehydes. Their products are packaged with reusable and recyclable, and organic materials – making it safe for babies and the environment.
13. Healthy Nest Wet Wipes
Healthy Nest has a wide range of baby and parent personal care products to check out. One of their most popular options is their plant-based wet wipes, which are ultra-soft, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, EWG Verified, MADE SAFE® certified and made with only water and plant-based ingredients. They also have a variety of diaper, skincare, cleaning, and prenatal products!
14. Aden + Anais Organic Swaddle Blankets
Made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, this swaddle blanket is both comfortable, stylish, and is gentle against baby’s sensitive skin. They are machine washable and come in a variety of colors and patterns! Reduce the risk of overheating.
15. Philips Avent Natural Glass Bottles
These BPA-free, plastic-free bottles reduce the risk of any plastic getting into your baby’s system. Made with premium quality, pharmacy grade borosilicate glass, the glass bottles are heat and thermal shock resistant, and are also made to easily sterilize and clean!
Wishing everyone safety and health in their moms-to-be journey!
