Build in Outgassing Time and Deep Cleaning to Your Nursery’s Project Schedule and Budget
My biggest overall recommendation for any new nursery project is this: give sufficient time for complete outgassing of new materials.
The reason is simple: the fetus and newborn are sensitive at levels well below what an adult might tolerate.
    •    They are extremely vulnerable to even very low levels of toxic chemicals and other contaminants.
    •    If you’re familiar with EWG’s Baby Body Burden study, maybe you already know that babies are born “pre-polluted”, as cord blood contains almost 300 highly toxic chemicals, proving that whatever the mother ingests, inhales and absorbs is passed on to the baby.(1)
Green products and materials are not necessarily completely non-toxic, and even the least toxic versions, newly installed, are usually too toxic for the developing fetus and newborn until all odors have completely dissipated. Even certifications still aren’t good enough, as their standards are limited in scope and are certainly not developed specifically for the newborn or fetus.
So even though you are decorating with healthy materials and products, make sure that the pregnant mom and newborn are not in the home during the makeover, and they do not inhale outgassing from new materials, no matter how “green” and “non toxic” the products claim to be.
Mom and newborn can re-enter the house only when ALL odors have dissipated 100%.