Is Polyurethane Foam Safe for Babies? Dr. Greene Weighs In.

Unless we bury our head in research papers, it’s sometimes difficult to find the information we need on which chemicals are safe for our babies and which aren’t. So, we take the advice of experts.

One such expert is Dr. Greene, a pediatrician who has had an online presence since 1995. His mission: “To improve children's health by informing and inspiring those who care for them. By providing information, wisdom, and perspective, we strive to prepare parents to become knowledgeable partners who can work with their children's physicians in a new and rich way.”

On June 1, 2010, Dr. Greene appeared on the ABC News Now Program, Parenting with Ann Pleshette Murphy. Here is Dr. Greene's explanation of why polyurethane foam is not the best choice for a crib mattress or, for that matter, anyone’s mattress.

“Kids spend 93% of their childhood indoors these days, and indoor air is 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air on average in terms of toxins. If I were to pick one green purchase to make, one big organic purchase to make, I would pick a mattress for your baby - because the conventional mattresses are often made with polyurethane foam, which is like frozen petroleum, solid petroleum. And you can smell the gasoline fumes right above it. Because of that they have to put all the chemical flame retardants on it otherwise it would be explosive. And there’s a little gas cloud of that on top. Then the whole thing is wrapped in vinyl with PVC and phthalates in there. So for about six inches or so above the mattresses there’s this cloud of chemicals. And babies are small. They’re right there 12 hours out of the day often. Naturepedic makes organic and all natural mattresses without all the chemicals that are there. It’s smart for all of us. None of these are things people should panic about but it’s just making smart choices. It tilts the odds in favor of health.”

That’s pretty clear. In this TV interview, Dr. Greene also gives helpful information on other children’s products that contain toxic chemicals and which brands you can use to replace them. Check it out!


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