Planning your baby’s nursery can be an exciting time. You’ve been looking at your little one on sonograms and measuring his or her growth, but there’s something about setting up a crib that really brings home the idea of a baby joining your family. Choosing to create an eco-friendly nursery can help prepare you for some of the impending changes and joys a newborn brings while also reducing stress.

At Modern Kids Design, we believe in surrounding our children with earth-friendly materials. We feature products that are not only green, but they look good, too. Here are our top picks for making baby’s first room beautiful and eco-friendly. Please excuse the blocks of text — It seems our blog has a mind of its own today (and we can’t seem to change it)! 🙂

Crib:

The crib is arguably the highlight of the nursery. It takes up the most real estate and is also the most federally-regulated piece of baby furniture. Spot on Square does an amazing job of combining crib safety, eco-friendly materials, and minimalist design in their Eicho Crib. Spot on Square’s products are constructed from green-grade MDF made from recycled wood and finished with non-toxic, water-based paint. A Spot on Square crib provides you peace of mind knowing your baby is sleeping safely and comfortably.

In addition to the Eicho Crib, Modern Kids Design also carries Spot on Square’s Alto, Ulm, and Oliv cribs, among others. Each features different design elements, however, they all utilize eco-friendly materials. Plus, they can be converted to toddler beds when the time comes.  In case you’re wondering, the picture above is from the Spot On Square Roh collection.

Mattress:

The Nook Pebble Pure Crib Mattress is everything an eco-conscious parent wants in a mattress. This organic crib mattress is a must for a natural nursery. Constructed from sustainable coconut coir (a natural fiber extracted from coconut husk), natural latex rubber, and organic wool, the Nook Pebble Pure Crib Mattress comes with a breathable organic cover made from eucalyptus and organic cotton. It’s perfect for naps and bedtime. Not only is it eco-friendly, it’s easy to clean, too.

Bedding:

With ten beautiful colors and patterns, Nook organic cotton sheets offer baby safe, soft bedding. Nook uses organic cotton and eucalyptus along with hypoallergenic, low-impact dyes to create gorgeous crib sheets that are playful and earth-friendly. Your baby will be laying his or her sweet head down on these sheets for around 14 hours a day. Investing in organic cotton sheets will ease your mind, knowing that they aren’t just comfortable, but they’re safe, too.

Changing Table:

The Spot on Square Eicho changing station not only highlights efficient, modern design, but it shows how well eco-friendly elements can be integrated to create a useful, beautiful product. Sustainably made from green-grade MDF and painted with a non-toxic water-based finish, this eco-friendly changing table doubles as a dresser and keeps everything within reach. When combined with the Nook Pebble ChangePad, you’ll be able to change diapers in style.

Humidifier:

Heating and air conditioning can suck water out of the air. To ensure that baby’s skin stays soft and reduce the chance of congestion from dry air, it is generally recommended that nurseries feature a humidifier. The FDA-registered Crane Drop humidifier has an elegant shape, runs quietly, and automatically turns off when the water tank is empty. Plus, because the humidity in the air changes with the seasons, the Crane Drop humidifier allows you to adjust its output.

Flooring:

Rugs made from natural fibers create a great space for belly time and exploring. They are easy to clean and don’t emit chemicals like synthetic rugs and carpets can. Thomas Paul Rugs are made from New Zealand wool and are backed with cotton, as are Avalisa Rugs. Both feature modern colors and patterns that will be at home in a contemporary or retro nursery.

Paint, Wall Decals and Mobiles:

If you’re thinking of painting your eco-friendly nursery, remember to look for low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint. VOCs can affect the indoor air quality, releasing fumes we generally wouldn’t want in our homes. If you’d rather not paint or are looking for decorative ideas beyond paint, another fun option for wall decor is a fabric decal like this fun world map or some colorful confetti fabric decals by the San Francisco based brand Petit Collage which you can apply and re-apply as you wish. And, off course, if you would like to add a mobile to the mix, consider one in sustainably harvested bamboo — The Red Elephant and the Up In The Air Delux also by Petit Collage are both sturdy and beautiful.

Creating a natural nursery will bring you peace of mind. Knowing you have created a safe, earth-friendly place for you child to play and sleep helps take away some of the product-related worries that can come with impending parenthood. An eco-friendly nursery provides a place where function and sustainability coalesce, and it’s nice to know that it can be really lovely too. If there is anything you’d like us to cover on the blog, feel free to reach out at healhtyliving@moderkidsdesign.com. As always, thanks for reading!