I want to caveat this post with saying this is not meant to overwhelm. I know having a baby can be so overwhelming and expensive. The ever growing list of what you need to purchase is overwhelming enough without worrying about toxins. You could buy the best of the best and 100% non toxic and spend thousands, but I also want to make it abundantly clear, below is a list of many great options, but I do not want it to be a cause of stress! There are so many ways you can make it budget friendly. At the bottom, I will list what I would do if I were buying just the absolute necessities. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions!
Once I realized that not everything sold for babies is automatically safe, I realized I needed to research and ensure everything I owned for my baby wasn’t exposing them to anything harmful. I have spent an insane amount of hours researching and finding all these things, so I hope it helps you and saves you time and energy!
Obviously nontoxic items can be very expensive, so the approach we take is buy anything used we can (stroller, play gym, some clothes, etc.). We’ve saved hundreds with this approach. We don’t ever buy anything upholstered used or anything that could have hidden mold or dust mites and can’t be laundered such as a mattress. We choose carefully where to spend our money. We also bought all we could on big sale days like Black Friday and holiday sales!
In my opinion, the top priority needs to be where baby spends the most time. Since babies spend most their time in their beds for the first while, anything related to that is a huge priority. Other frequently used items are clothes, blankets, and baby wearing.
Clothing:
Organic is best, but that’s not always feasible! Next best option is 100% cotton or natural materials. Below are some great options:
- ThredUP (used clothing). You can find some organic brands and lots of 100% cotton. I frequently send in old clothing and you can earn money (though they pay hardly anything for used clothing) that way and use it for clothes on their site or cash out. For newborn clothing, I really focus on cheap since they have abt 3 outfits a day and need so many clothes! Once they aren’t spitting up as much or having constant blowouts as often, I switch to clothes that are more durable and high quality. Here, you can get $10 off.
- Hope and Henry. This is my absolute favorite organic find. I love the style and also heirloom quality. We are huge fans of hand me downs between our kids, so buying high quality that will last is a huge priority. It also 1) allows me to let my kids be kids and not worry abt ruining their clothes by playing too hard, 2) is better for the environment to reuse instead of having clothing wear out then replacing. You can find them on their website, Amazon, and Walmart!
- Monica and Andy. High quality organic clothing. It’s also heirloom quality. $20 off here.
- Hanna Anderson. Not all items are organic or natural materials, so check, but also very high quality.
- HM Conscious. Again, not all organic or natural materials, but some and very well priced organic options! It is not as high quality but a great option still. I especially love their kimono undershirts for babies!
- Honest Company. Great price, not as high quality, especially good for newborn sizes that aren’t on for as long due to blowouts! You can also get them on Amazon!
- Burts Bees Baby. Soft, good quality (slightly less than Hope and Henry, but good enough IMO)
- Owlivia. My brother and sister in law found this brand. So high quality and adorable!!
- Gap and Gap Factory have some organic items
- BoodyWear. Bamboo clothing. I love their baby pjs and undershirts SO much!!
Here are some of the things we want to avoid/look for in baby products :
Avoid at all costs
- ANY synthetic flame retardants. Here is a great article detailing why.
- The ingredient, “Fragrance”. Read more here.
- Anything that could emit formaldehyde (manufactured wood, etc.)
- Toxic paints, glues, MDF, particleboard
- Azo dyes (dyes linked to cancer that are found in many items).
Do Your Best to Avoid
- Synthetic fabrics
- This article explains more if you are interested, but basically most synthetic fabrics are derived from petroleum (polyester is an example of this) and other non renewable fossil fuels. It’s horrible for the environment because micro plastics are released into our water when being washed and end up even in our food. When done, they end up in land fills. It’s also horrible for our health. Our skin is our largest organ and it absorbs toxins from synthetic clothing but also it doesn’t allow our body to breathe, meaning it doesn’t allow our body to detox. So organic clothing is best because it means we avoid the pesticides used in growing the crop and dangerous dyes, etc., but if organic isn’t feasible (it isn’t always to me either!), natural fibers are still great and allow our bodies to breathe and detox.
- Plastic
- Avoiding plastic, especially toys, binkies, nipples for bottles, mealtime essentials allows us to avoid the hormone and endocrine disrupters and phthalates found in plastic. Even BPA free is often subbed with BPS or other similar chemicals which causes similar issues in the body. Here is a great post if you’re wanting to learn more.
- EMFs (Here is a post on why you want to avoid these.)
- I would avoid the Snoo due to this. I also avoid the Owlet for this reason, but think it’s a good option if baby is sick (though I recently heard it was recalled)
- Other sources of EMFs: anything plugged in such as nightlights, noise machines, air purifiers, humidifiers, baby monitors, and WIFI. Overnight, we unplug all TVs, the router, and make sure anything in bedrooms is as far away from the bed as possible.
Look For:
- Natural fibers and materials. Organic is best because unsafe dyes and pesticides are avoided, but organic isn’t always feasible, so natural fibers/materials are next best thing.
Sleep
- IKEA Sniglar crib
- Love that this is solid wood and so inexpensive ($79!)
- For your crib, always check weight limit, including your mattress!
- If you choose to co-sleep, there’s more info on cosleeping here. It’s critical to do it safely if doing it. Ultimately I’m a believer in following parental instincts.
- Natural mat crib mattress
- This mattress is more expensive, but I love how non toxic and high quality it is. We chose to invest here and pick a cheaper crib
- I also love that there are no metal coils (can attract EMFs). I haven’t tried this one, but a less expensive option is this one from Avocado (I have the avocado mattress and adore it) though I think it may be too heavy for the Sniglar (check with them).
- If you know someone who has either of those and you are confident in how it’s been cared for/stored, buying used would be okay. If neither of these are doable, then I would avoid buying one with waterproofing as it can contain harmful chemicals and focus on buying an organic waterproof cover and sheets
- Solly baby sheets
- These are my absolute favorite. They are beautiful, soft, silky, and stretchy. Love that they are made from bamboo!
- Waterproof crib sheet
- It’s best to avoid things that claim they are waterproof (here is a great article on why), but in the case of bedding, it’s important since moisture can lead to mold! So safer options are this one from NaturalMat and this one from Naturpedic. We have the NaturalMat for the crib and Naturpedic for our bed (for cosleeping) and LO’s bed. Love how soft it is! Savvy Rest also makes one I haven’t tried.
- Almost every parent I know swears by a noise machine. I have the Dohm and love it, but it seems they changed the technology since I bought mine and made it too quiet so I don’t have one to recommend since I use my old one. I would recommend buying one the size of the Dohm because I love that we can bring it while traveling. I always make sure to plug it in far away to lower the EMFs my babies are exposed to.
Air Quality
- If you live in a dryer climate, a humidifier is a great option! I love this one that’s also a diffuser and have one in the room and kitchen. Any EOs used, first confirm they are safe. Many are not for babies so I mainly stay away from EOs while they’re babies and just diffuse safe ones in main areas (I love Primally Pure home lines but I don’t diffuse them right next to baby and not too concentrated) (christianne10 for 10% off PP)
- Austin Air purifier is one of the highest quality air purifiers out there. I love it SO much. We used to have Air Doctor, which I do not recommend because it is made of plastic and the filters have to be replaced often (every 6 months), so it ends up being way too expensive. The Austin is far more expensive up front, but needs filter replacements much less often. You could even buy it used and just replace the filter. Here’s a great post on air purifiers and a DIY option if not in the budget
Night light.
- I love this and this Himalayan salt one. This one is also awesome. The design I have is out, but this is the same one! I throw away the fragrance cubes and fill with mini beeswax pellets (these ones!) since they clean the air. But if you do the latter, make sure it’s always out of reach of children!
- In the early days of frequent feedings and middle of the night diaper changes, I use a night light so I can see but it’s not too bright to make the baby wake too much
Baby blankets
- We don’t swaddle often, since it can lead to hip dysplasia if done incorrectly and doesn’t allow them to move freely, but if baby is moving a lot in sleep, swaddling helps baby to get a more restful sleep. When we do swaddle, we do it with arms out and love the Solly blankets and muslin.
- Solly baby swaddles.
- These are some of my favorite swaddles!! I used to love the Lou Lou company ones, but then learned about the importance of natural materials. These have the softness and stretch of LouLou’s, yet are made of bamboo, so are safer!
- For a light, muslin type, we love:
- Aden and Anais
- Mushie
- I see these as all purpose blankets. You can use them for swaddles, light blankets, draping over stroller, nursing cover, etc.)
- For a warmer blanket, I have an organic knit one from Coyuchi that is my favorite warm one, but they no longer carry it!! These from Burts Bees look similar, though I haven’t tried them
- Burts bees stroller blanket. Though I dislike that the filling is polyester, the outside is organic cotton. I love that it’s fluffy and durable. I use it in the stroller or if we’re on grass, I lay out a Gathre mat ($20 off here) and lay the blanket and baby on top of it. A note on Gathre: I wouldn’t use them as the baby’s main play mat since they are not natural materials. I love them and feel comfortable using them, I just don’t let them be the main place baby is.
- I personally love having at least 1 stretchy, 2-3 muslin, 1 stroller blanket, and 1 warm since they serve different purposes at different times!
Hygiene
- Nail clipper and file!
- I love Quip toothbrush for toddler and kids and this for baby.
- Ask the Dentist is a great resource to learn more abt holistic dental care and he has lots of discount codes!
- Risewell toothpaste
- I love their kids one and the one for adults
- They use a safe alternative to flouride- safe to swallow!
- Bath Tub
- I love the Puj tub, but it doesn’t last long, but I do really like when the baby is so tiny and fragile being able to have them my height. We used ours for abt 4 months.
- We next transitioned to the Frida, but you could totally just start with this tub and have it on the counter to make it easier. We absolutely LOVE this tub! It came out very recently or we prob would’ve started with it!
- Body Wash
- Branch Basics foam soap
- $10 off here
- Shampoo
- When my babies are young with little hair, I use Branch Basics foam soap for hair too (especially helpful with cradle cap!) I use it as eye makeup remover and it doesn’t hurt when it gets in my eyes!
- Honest company
- Once they get more hair, I use this!
- Lotion
- Primally Pure baby oil and baby balm
- I use the baby oil on body and hair for cradle cap or rubbing any gunk off!
- I use the baby balm on body, diaper, hair, and baby’s face for dry patches or cradle cap
- Era Organics
- Incredible for eczema and smells so good!
- Coconut oil
- Great for body, hair, diaper, etc!
- The Costco tub is a great price and such a budget friendly all in one!
- Primally Pure baby oil and baby balm
- Honest company detangler
- Kyte brush, comb, and soft brush pack
- These organic bamboo wash cloths are amazing!
- For stains, laundry, washing hands
- Branch basics (code for $10 off above)
- I keep travel all purpose spray for quickly washing hands, wiping something down like changing pad, or treating stains in stroller, diapering area, diaper bag, nursing station (nursing pillow, burp cloths, bibs, waterbottle, snacks, glasses, phone charger, BB)
- Treating stains (sometimes a soak is needed) and washing clothes BB rules all
- Here is a post on why I love BB and what I use it for
- Bath
- Cuzn Bath filter
- Aquasana Shower filter
- My kids are prone to cradle cap and this with BB shampoo and PP baby balm or Era organics is so helpful!
Diapering
- Honest company diapers. I used to love Hello Bello, but they leaked so frequently, I switched
- Cloth diapers
- The thing you want to watch out for here is materials. If it’s sitting in such a sensitive area all day, you want it to be natural materials without harmful dyes. Things like microfiber are made from plastic and not good to be against a baby’s sensitive area
- I did cloth diapers with my first and absolutely loved them. I was going to with my second but the laundry was already out of control and we were already stressed.
- Hello bello wipes (I know all babies are different, but for my babies, Hello Bello diapers leak, but their wipes are great
- Dry wipes. I love this brand. They are just 100% cotton and so soft. I often use them dry, but if I need something wet, I spray BB on it. They are also super absorbent
- Naturpedic changing pad. I use without a cover and can just wipe clean. This is a super expensive purchase, but seeing as a baby spends so much time on it, I decided it was worth it to make sure baby was not exposed to any harmful chemicals. Traditional ones often contain forever chemicals (see article linked above about waterproof materials). Another one people love is Gather mini mats.
- Diaper cream
- Honest company, coconut oil, baby balm, plain yogurt (important that there’s no sugar added), or PP. coconut oil is my favorite and the cheapest, plus it’s ANTIMICROBIAL and helps fend off infections!
Feeding
- Kindred bravely organic busty nursing bra (my favorite and nothing pops out 😉). They also have not as busty sizes.
- Nursing friendly clothes
- Excess milk collector. I had this one. It didn’t suction as well as I wanted. But it was helpful still. I’ve heard great things about the Haaka and would try that instead, but definitely recommend an excess milk collector, especially in those early leaky days allowed me to collect a good amount at each nursing session!
- Kindred Bravely Breast pads
- These are not my favorite and tend to get folded and itchy, but they do hold the milk in and are better than the disposable ones, so if you’re not wearing them frequently, they may be worth it, if not look for organic cotton or bamboo ones
- Love my Medela Breast pump. Got it from my cousin and it’s at least 6 years old and still just works amazing. Most insurance will cover a breast pump, so there’s a great place to save money!
- I pump into the provided plastic cups then store my milk in clean, leftover Culina jars in the freezer and label them with a label maker. If I have excess, I like to donate it through the fb group “human milk for human babies”. There are local groups nationally.
- Comotomo bottles are great, though I don’t like how long the nipple is. I’ve also heard people like Naturstatten. There are also Glass ones and I would like to try them!
- Bottle warmer. I love that I can put a frozen glass jar of milk in and it heats it like a champ
- Love this silicone teether (freeze when baby is teething is especially helpful!) and these wooden rattles that double as teethers. The only annoying thing is cleaning them since you can’t submerge in water.
- These muslin burp cloths are my absolute favorite but any 100% cotton or 100% bamboo (preferably organic for both) will do! Buy more than you think. We have at least 30 and had to wash them about every other day 🤦🏻♀️
- I like to put these bibs on before they nurse to save myself some stain removal from the inevitable spit up 😜
- Nursing Pillow
- I have Snuggle Me Organic, but it didn’t work for me when my baby was a newborn, so I ended up using what I already had- My Breast friend and Boppy though those are not organic or natural. They’re so comfortable! I like my Breast Friend slightly better especially in the newborn days! I like the height of snuggle me once baby is bigger, but it slides off me You can buy organic covers for the other two also! I haven’t tried these but here are two other organic options I’ll try with the next kid. Niche organic and Holy Lamb Organics.
- Ryan and Rose (silicone) and Naturstatten (natural rubber) for pacifiers were both hits
- I LOVE this Sippy cup. It’s not totally spill/leak proof, but more so than other safe options. The cup is stainless steel and the top is silicone! I’ve also heard silicone cups (without the sippy top) are better for oral development. Ask the Dentist is a great resource here. But sometimes you just need a sippy cup (purse, car, stroller, etc.!)
- I love these muslin bibs for spit up when nursing but love the Mushie and Ivory Cradle silicone bibs for solids!
- LOVE this Ivory Cradle dish and utensils! Bamboo is another popular route- but many have melanine (plastic) so make sure it’s 100% bamboo with no toxic glues
- I’ve never needed nipple cream, but if I did, I would use Mother Love or Primally Pure Baby Balm (the latter I know can be used for nipple balm, but double check if you need to wash off before baby eats)
- I have the Lalo high chair and hate it. The recline just doesn’t work for my baby. I wish I had just gone with the $20 IKEA one!
- Baby food
- I’m a big fan of baby led weaning and them just eating what you eat, but sometimes that won’t work, so I keep Serenity kids puffs and purées on hand for those times. My baby adores these 😂
Toys
- The Tot is a great source for toys. Unfortunately many toys, especially those made in China (cough, cough most of them) can contain lead
- I try to stick to wood, silicone, and bamboo. Plastic can screw up hormones and many of the paints contain lead. Always inquire about paints and materials. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Ivory Cradle toys
- Zestt Organics stuffed animals and rattles (don’t get the unicorn- the horn ripped off which is a choking hazard!)
- Silicone balls
- Silicone rainbow
- Rattle
Gear
- Baby wearing is life changing- no exaggeration!! Especially if you have more than 1 child, it makes life SO much more doable!
- I love my Solly Baby (bamboo) and Wild Bird (linen). I wear them different times. I tend to tie my Solly before I nurse baby in the newborn days then transition baby to Solly so I can get stuff done during nap. I feel like the Solly has better support for me and baby and I like it for this. I love the sling for on the go when I don’t want to be tying a long, huge thing of fabric. I also prefer the sling when it’s very hot outside or if I didn’t tie my Solly before nap. Baby also prefers sling when awake since baby can see out of it better. As baby has grown, I noticed that we used Solly more (multiple times a day!) during the first few months, then Wild Bird more after that. Also, whenever baby struggles to get to sleep, baby wearing, lullabies, and snuggles do the trick!
- Nuna Sena mini Pack n play is used DAILY. If I need to set baby down for a sec, but need baby protected from a running toddler 😅 some naps, sometimes while cooking. Baby also finds the mesh fascinating 😂 another non toxic option is the Guava. I don’t have the latter, but have heard great things!
- Baby Bjorn Bouncer. I love that this one is Okeo Tex certified. Make sure to get a 100% cotton one. This is also used daily. While I use the restroom, do dishes, or cook. It’s so helpful! It only goes up to 20 lbs which for my oldest would’ve been plenty but for this baby, it meant after 7 months we couldn’t use it, so we had to switch to Aden and Anais. Both of these are free of synthetic flame retardants and good materials! I still love the Baby Bjorn more, but something to think abt if you have bigger babies. We use this in place of a swing since swings expose baby to EMFs
- Snuggle me organic lounger
- My baby hates this because baby hates anything remotely confining, but I know a lot of babies love it. It’s more womb like than dock a tot with better materials. My baby and toddler each have one and my toddler LOVES theirs
- Citi mini or Bob Stroller
- This is a great place to save money and buy used. We’ve saved hundreds doing it this way! It also means it’s had time to offgas. Just make sure to see in person and make sure there’s no fragrance that the owner has used or gross stuff!
- The Citi mini is ultra convenient. The Bob runs SO smoothly. If you just want 1 stroller, but need a jogging or trail stroller, then I’d just get the Bob, but consider yourself warned that it’s huge
- Lovevery Play gym
- Another great thing to buy used!! I got mine for $30 because it was missing the mirror! It smelled heavily of fragrance so I aired it out, laundered the mat, washed all the toys, and used an olive oil and vinegar method like this one on the wood and it’s good as new!
- This was used daily for abt 7 months!!
- This Fawn design bag is the bag of all bags! I love it so much!
- OrganiHaus are my favorite storage baskets. Also can be found on Amazon! I LOVE that I can wash them! These are also great but not washable, so I use these ones for books
- I’ve never used a monitor consistently because I’ve always just had them in my room with me, but I have this one we use occasionally and just plug it in as far from baby as possible.
- I love having a baby scale. It just gives me peace of mind that baby is growing at the proper rate and doing well and getting the food it needs.
- Car seats are another area where they add flame retardants. Here is a great list of ones without!
Supply Help
- Big waterbottle to easily keep track of water intake! I love my BKR 32 oz!
- Honest Company lactation pills (I take these any time I feel a slight dip and they work every time for me!)
- Majka lactation bites. These are pricey and high quality but you can easily just make recipes on your own! Google lactation recipes 🙂
Being Prepared
- I like having this Frida kit on hand for colds (3 months and up)
- I also keep this Hylands kit on hand and give at the first sign of a cold. It’s a miracle worker! (6 months and up)
- Saline – I use Zarbees!
- Nose frida – promise it doesn’t get in your nose, but way better than the bulb!
- Windi
- Both my babies I thought became constipated around 2 months. Apparently, around 6 weeks is when colostrum, which has had a laxative effect fully leaves and leaves them struggling to figure it out. I thought they were constipated, but my pediatrician advised us to wait a week or two before trying because it’s normal around this time to only go once a week! Obviously talk to your pediatrician.
- But if baby is needing relief, windi is helpful!
- Probiotics
- I like Mary Ruth! Not all their vitamins have good ingredients (synthetic and citric acid), but these are great!
- I only use these for my c section baby and when baby is sick or dealing with digestive issues
- Fish oil
- I only used this when my baby was dealing with eczema. I’m a big believer in only supplementing when there’s a proven need- not just because
- Motrin
- I really avoid Motrin and any fever reducer, but I keep it on hand for emergencies and have had a couple times when with teething nothing else would work and baby was screaming in pain. It worked its magic and baby was so happy.
- Vitamin D drops
- I only use if I can’t get baby outside daily for at least 15 min (was helpful with my winter baby!)
- Leefy Prana
- Reach out to the company for age and dosage. I use this for teething or any time anti inflammatory is needed
What I skip
- Shoes until they can walk- unnecessary expense
- Play gym, Bumbo, baby swing, jumper, walker- most types of baby containers. Here is a great post on why. I noticed a huge difference between the baby I used more containers with and the one I didn’t
- Swaddle sacks
- Owlet and any monitoring system besides just the basic one listed above
- Pre-made baby food- as mentioned above- I keep some on hand when what we’re eating won’t work, but otherwise BLW
- Fancy cribs
- Bassinet – I prefer co-sleeping, but crib or just the Nuna would work great!
- Tons of baby toys- unnecessary expense, unnecessary clutter- plus I love watching baby anxiously discover the world around them
- Tons of binkies- we keep 1-2 MAX. They’re a toy typically and I don’t offer them super often to avoid dependence.
- Socks- it’s actually better for proper foot development and bodily development to not wear socks and be able to feel things with their feet, so they only wear them if we’re going someplace where they’d be cold without them!
Books
- Vaccine Friendly Plan
- I’m not anti vax by any means. I believe they’re a miracle. I also don’t believe every body is one size fits all (angry messages will be deleted :))
- Whether you want all vaccines or none, I believe everyone should knows what the ingredients are before consenting to them being injected into their child.
- I’m a big believer in parental intuition- not fear based, but fact, so whatever end of the spectrum you fall on, this is an excellent book detailing ingredients, risk, benefit, etc.
- The Calm Birth Method
- Whether you plan on epidural or not or even c-section, this book is so phenomenal. It was a cornerstone of my pregnancy and birth and I believe played a huge part in the temperament of my newborn
- How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen
- Gentle Discipline
- Raised Good (a blog, not a book, but so great!)
These are just some items I loved that are non toxic, however, you don’t need to buy all these things to keep your baby safe. If I needed to narrow it to just the absolute necessities, I would focus on
- organic mattress
- the $79 crib or a used solid wood one is fantastic!
- Organic waterproof crib mattress cover
- 100% cotton crib sheets or the Solly sheets
- I would buy all the clothes and blankets used (as long as no fragrance) and make sure it’s all 100% cotton or natural materials
- I would skip the play mat and just buy a 100% cotton blanket or even tablecloth or folded up sheet to lay/play on
- Find a used Baby Bjorn or Aden and Anais
- Skip the pack n play
- Just buy a binkie, ball, and rattle. Babies do not need lots of toys to be happy or entertained!
- Use homemade natural cleaners like vinegar, lemon, and baking soda
- Buy nursing pillow new but wait for a great sale
- Use coconut oil for lotion, diaper cream, cradle cap, etc.
- Buy used Frida bath or bathe with baby if you can do it safely
- Buy used high chair
- Baby led weaning
- Cloth shopping tote for diaper bag (you can buy them for $5 and they would work great!)
- Cloth diapers (so much easier than it sounds and expensive up front but will save SO much money)
- Buy a used Solly or Wild Bird or other natural material baby wearing (just check and make sure it is developmentally safe and won’t lead to hip dysplasia)
Again, I hope this is helpful and if you need any ideas for cost cutting or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. The biggest thing I want to emphasize is yes, we have had to make some sacrifices and skipped other things to buy other non toxic items in our lives but non toxic living can be attainable to everyone.
The Best Stuffing Ever