By Lauren Jameson, DisneyBaby
When I first found out I was pregnant, I immediately started to prepare for our little one’s arrival.
After reading many of the baby books and listening to advice, I wanted to make sure our home was safe for baby — and that didn’t mean just babyproofing. It meant making sure we were creating a greener environment for our bundle of joy.
There are several eco-friendly ways that you can prepare for your baby before they arrive, heres how we did it.
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Take a look at the products you are using in the household.
I did a lot of research on what to look for on the label when purchasing cleaning products in the house. I made a conscious effort to buy greener laundry detergent, household cleaner, and dish soap, so that I wouldn’t risk exposing harmful chemicals to my little one.
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Have your guests take off their shoes at the door.
Your little one will be spending a lot of time on the floor of your home. Whether it’s learning to roll over or crawling all over, their hands and feet with come into close contact with the floor often. To avoid spreading anything dangerous from the outside to inside of your home, have both you and the guests that come over take off their shoes. This creates a cleaner environment in your home and helps protect your baby.
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Use a low- or non-VOC paint when getting baby’s nursery ready.
Decorating a nursery for my little one is one of my fondest memories. It was so much fun to pick out the decor and the color theme. One thing that I made sure of when picking out a paint color was that there were little to no chemicals being emitted when we painted. If my baby was going to sleep in this room every night, I wanted to make sure that it was a safe environment for him.
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Shop for baby products that can be used for extended periods of time.
Shopping for baby products is so much fun. We wanted to make sure that we got the most out of the baby gear that we purchased, so I made sure to look for products that we could use much longer than just the first year. We bought a crib that we could use for both a toddler bed and a big-kid bed. The bottles that we bought could easily convert into sippy cups once our baby was ready to transition. The stroller that we bought could last us well into the toddler years. We also used hand-me-down clothes from family members and close friends. It’s important to do the research on baby products to see just how long you will use them.
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Keep the air clean.
It’s important that you and your little one are breathing clean air. Use an air purifier and buy indoor plants to help keep the air clean inside your household. Not only will the plants add decor, but they will also help remove pollutants from the air.
Image: DisneyBaby