Baby Care: How Parents Can Avoid Using Chemicals

Studies have shown that babies have an alarming amount of chemicals around them. Let’s learn how to cut down on the use of harmful chemicals for your baby.

It’s no secret that the world we live in today is full of harmful chemicals. They’re in the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe.

So, it’s no surprise that parents are increasingly looking for ways to avoid using chemicals when caring for their babies.

The good news is that you can take a few simple steps to dramatically reduce the number of chemicals around your baby. Let’s examine how parents can avoid using chemicals when caring for their babies and why doing so is important.

What Are Some Of The Most Common Chemicals To Avoid?

Many of the chemicals in our homes are chemicals that you would not expect to be harmful.

This includes the following:

• Teflon – This chemical is added to non-stick cookware, but recent studies have shown it can leach from the pots and trigger asthma in young children.
• BPA – BPA is often added to plastics (even products like water bottles and sippy cups), and has been linked to a variety of health problems, including hormone disruption and reproductive abnormalities in both men and women.
• Fragrances – These are often added to dryer sheets and fabric softeners, but these scents are often derived from chemicals that can cause allergic reactions, trigger asthma, or cause developmental and behavioral issues.
• Air fresheners – You will find these in practically every home, but the scents are often derived from chemicals that are toxic to both adults and children.

How Do Chemical Exposure And Toxicity Affect Children?

As mentioned above, toxins can have a serious impact on your child’s development. Chemicals that are harmful to adults may be even more harmful to children.

This is because children’s bodies are smaller, and their organs are still developing, which makes them more vulnerable to the effects of exposure. Exposure to toxins at a young age can have a lasting and serious impact on your child’s health and development.

Exposure to toxins can have a serious impact on your child’s development. Exposure to toxins at a young age can have a lasting effect. Chemicals that are harmful to adults may be even more harmful to children.

This is because children’s bodies are smaller, and their organs are still developing, which makes them more vulnerable to the effects of exposure.

Step One: Go Through Your House And Identify The Dangers

As you assess the chemicals in your home, keep the following in mind:

• Our bodies are designed to break down and filter out chemicals, but this process can be greatly impeded by a child’s smaller, developing organs. – Young children often put their hands in their mouths, which greatly increases their exposure to chemicals.
• Babies’ skin is very porous, which also increases their exposure to toxins. As you go through your home, look for the following: – Is anything scented? Many scented products are derived from chemicals that can be harmful, even if they are not listed as an ingredient.
• Are any of the products labeled as “toxic”? – Do you have any old toys or furniture that might contain lead?
• Do you have any old bedding or pillows that may contain allergens or dust mites?
• Do any products contain BPA?
• Are there any fabrics or materials that could trigger a reaction in your child?

Step Two: Replace Your Most Toxic Items

When you have identified the most toxic items in your home, it is time to replace them. While going through the process of replacing these items, you don’t have to buy all new things.

You can get creative and use alternative, eco-friendly products that are just as effective.

These include:

• Cleaning products – Use all-natural cleaning products (like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon) to clean your home, rather than chemicals that are harmful to your family.
• Fabrics – If you need to replace fabrics in your home, look for organic or natural fabrics like cotton and hemp.
• Pesticides – Spray organic pest killers around your home to keep pests at bay.
• Mattress – Get rid of your old mattress and replace it with a natural or organic mattress.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Cleaning products are among the biggest sources of chemicals in most homes. Thankfully, several DIY recipes for making your own cleaning products are just as effective as store-bought versions but without all the harmful ingredients.

Some cleaning products you can make at home include:

• All-purpose cleaner
• Laundry detergent
• Dish soap
• Window cleaner
• Furniture polish
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Bathroom cleaner

Step Three: Out With The Old, In With The New!

• Old toys – Get rid of any old toys that contain lead or are scented.
• Old furniture – Replace old and/or scented furniture with eco-friendly alternatives.
• Old bedding – Replace old and/or scented bedding with organic and/or chemical-free bedding.
• Old pillows – Replace old pillows with organic or chemical-free pillows.
• Old fabrics – Replace old fabrics with organic fabrics.
• Old cleaning products – Replace old cleaning products with eco-friendly alternatives.
• Old pesticides – Get rid of old pesticides and replace them with organic and/or natural pesticides.
• Old mattress – Get rid of your old mattress and replace it with a new organic mattress.

Choose Organic When Possible

One of the best ways to avoid exposing your baby to harmful chemicals is to choose organic products whenever possible. This exposure includes everything from food to clothing and bedding. Look for organic products that have been certified by a reputable organization, such as the USDA.

You can find organic baby clothes at many major retailers, including Target, Walmart, and Carter’s. There are many reasons to use organic baby formula, plus it can help babies with gas and colic.

Avoid Plastic Whenever Possible

Many plastics contain harmful chemicals, such as BPA, that can leach into food and drinks and into your baby’s body. To avoid this, try to use glass or stainless steel containers whenever possible, and avoid heating food or drinks in plastic containers.

You can also look for plastics that are labeled as BPA-free. Be sure to wash plastic items thoroughly before each use to remove any chemicals that may be on the surface.

By following these simple tips, you can dramatically reduce the number of harmful chemicals around your baby.

While you can’t eliminate them from your baby’s environment entirely, you can make a big difference by making small changes in how you live and shop.

Our children are the future, and our responsibility is to do everything we can to protect them.

Conclusion

There are many ways parents can protect their little ones from harmful toxins and chemicals.

The most important thing is to make sure that both you and your child are aware of potential dangers and their potential impacts.

By replacing harmful items in your home with safer alternatives, you can easily reduce your child’s exposure to harmful chemicals.

References

1. Lack of Awareness and Misunderstanding of Risks: Many children and parents underestimate the risks posed by common household chemicals. This misperception is compounded by poor understanding of product labels and hazard warnings, highlighting the need for better awareness and education (Tsitsimpikou et al., 2021).
2. Respiratory Health Risks: Household chemicals contribute to respiratory health risks in preschool children. The study emphasizes the need to assess risks based on the toxicity values of combined exposed hazardous substances (Kim & Seok, 2019).
3. Impact of Nano- and Microplastics: The health effects of nano- and microplastics (NMPs) exposure during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood are still largely unknown. Children’s immature defense mechanisms make them particularly vulnerable to such exposures (Sripada et al., 2022).
4. Adverse Health Outcomes: Early-life exposure to manufactured chemicals is associated with a wide range of children’s health outcomes. A systems approach is needed to understand the complex interactions between these chemicals and children’s health (Hubal et al., 2020).
5. Household Chemicals and Wheezing: Frequent use of household chemicals in early life is linked to several wheezing childhood phenotypes and may be associated with school-age asthma (Mikeš et al., 2019).
6. Hazardous Chemical Exposure in Child Labourers: Children in low- and middle-income countries working in environments with hazardous chemicals face serious health risks, including neurobehavioral deficits, oxidative stress, and poor growth (Scott & Pocock, 2021).