If you are a mom or dad for the first time, you must consider your baby's safety. A critical factor of your child's safety is being cautious while buying baby products.
Most of the baby products you buy on the market are safe, but some might contain certain toxic substances that can be hazardous to your baby. Just like cosmetics and home cleansers, baby products contain can contain harmful chemicals. This realization can be frightening for first-time parents, making it quite challenging for them to buy baby items like changing pads, pacifiers, and baby oil.
You can play it safe and stick with natural and certified organic products or buy mainstream products that are known to be safe. However, you should be well-aware of the following toxic substances while buying baby products.
4 Toxic Substances to Avoid while Shopping for Baby Products
We have listed a few of the toxic chemicals you should avoid while buying products for your infants.
1. Flame Retardants
Flame retardant chemicals are known carcinogens. Flame retardants are mostly added to crib mattresses to fulfill governmental flammability requirements. The most common flame retardant used in baby fabric products is antimony. This substance is highly toxic and may pose severe harm to your child.
Hence, parents must pay significant importance to avoid flame retardants in clothing and bedding. Furthermore, you can prefer choosing tight-fitting pajamas because they don't require flame retardants.
2. Plastic Additives
Plastic additives are most commonly found in teethers and pacifiers, plastic toys, and sometimes waterproofing treatments for crib mattresses. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a synthetic compound also present in plastic bottles and cups. These plastic additives might be harmful to your baby.
While purchasing plastic products makes sure that you prefer going for BPA-free options.
Also, it’s preferred buying silicone food containers, stainless steel, glass bottles, and wood toys with non-toxic paint or polish instead of plastic options.
3. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde possesses cancer-causing properties and is present in many household products, including baby products and furniture. This toxic chemical is commonly found in plywood, pressed wood, paints, varnishes, wallpaper and paper products, and wrinkle-resistant clothing.
To avoid formaldehyde, avoid smoking at home and ensure that all fireplaces and wood stoves are properly ventilated and maintained regularly. It is recommended to purchase solid wood furniture. Also, don't look a gift horse in the mouth when someone offers you "slightly used" baby furniture. Aged furniture has had a chance to have all of it's finishes and surface treatments fully cure, resulting in lower VOC off-gassing in your home.
4. Fragrances
Most parents get attracted by the pleasant scents of synthetic fragrances; however, they are not aware that ingredients in these fragrances can pose a risk to their babies. Many baby products, such as baby wipes, laundry detergents, shampoos, etc., contain fragrances that attract buyers. But, these fragrances could contain components that are potentially harmful to your child.
Hence, buying fragrance-free products is the best way to avoid these potentially harmful substances, especially for your kids. Still, if you want to buy a scented product, ensure that it is made from natural or plant-derived substances such as organic oils.
Final Words
Being parents for the first time is a fantastic experience; however, it comes with a lot more responsibilities. As parents, you have to bring into consideration the safety of your child. So, while purchasing baby products, ensure that you buy those products that pose no harm to your infant. Prefer choosing those substances which contain the least (preferably no) harmful substances so that your baby can grow up healthily.