We are always very conscious when we do new things for the very first time and when it comes to big events of life like becoming parents for the first time this instinct build-up to the extreme. whether it be taking all the possible precautions or making every little thing perfect for the new family member. Out of all those concerns & precautions, let’s discuss one of the most important ones in this article is the selection of safe carpets for babies. Nursery is their living room, bedroom, workspace or play area at this phase of life & nursery is where they are going to spend most of their time for the next few years.
The carpets used there are going to see their crawl, their falls & what not. With this fact, It becomes extremely crucial to be very cautious while selecting safe carpets for babies & avoid certain mistakes that are made by the majority of new parents that lead to various unwanted consequences.
3. Not knowing what’s wrong with a normal carpet?
The fabric, built, surface, chemicals used to get the finished product & the list goes on. There’s no need to emphasize the fact of how delicate the new little members are. If you go through the labels of some rugs, it is clearly mentioned that the product is not suitable for babies. A lot of new parents make a mistake here as they select the carpets for babies, primarily on the basis of design & how soft & furry the surface looks, missing the details of fabric & chemicals used to create that beautiful-looking carpet. While writing this piece of content, I was lucky enough to have a visit to several manufacturing units of carpets. In this capitalist era, there’s always a hunt in every business to make the maximum amount of profits with the least resources possible.
It was no different there, I got to know a little about the chemicals & certain substances used to get those amazing-looking rugs ready at the minimum possible cost for obvious reasons. These chemicals can have an impact on even an adult with a strongly built immunity system. Can you imagine the effects it can have on newborns? I think we’ve discussed the problem enough & now we should get to the solution. The solution is as simple as it can get, just go with the rugs or carpet without chemicals & pick the natural materials or fabrics over cheap & eye-catchy materials. Sound very simple right? Actually, it isn’t that simple & let’s discuss why!
Before the selection, you’ll have to invest some time & effort in making sure that the carpet you are about to buy does not contain any of the following substances:
- Antimicrobials
- phthalates
- NPs & NPEOs
- Flame Retardants
- Antimicrobials
- Heavy metals & Stain Repellents
If you are wondering why such harmful chemicals are being used in manufacturing rugs then that’s a completely different read & we’ve covered that as well on Rugsormats.com, for the curious minds.
There are several other factors that come into consideration while buying a carpet like a cost & ease of cleaning. Carpets made of natural materials come at a cost & the trouble starts when we think of cleaning them. Most of the carpets made of natural materials don’t go well with water, eliminating the option of easy water cleaning. Cleaning carpets made of natural fabrics may require some extra effort & time but it will give you a complete sense of safety for your infant.
2. Unknowingly selecting the wrong fabrics
Natural fabrics like wool, cotton, etc come with multiple advantages & some disadvantages like the one we just discussed above. Overall it is worth going selecting natural fabrics over artificial ones as the safety of the newborns is the most important concern. If you are short on time, we’ve got you covered. You can just go through the list of best rugs for babies to crawl on and select the best-fit rug for your little one. Just don’t forget to keep this read for later as we prefer awarding people over just doing the job for them.
- Wool – Wool is being used in carpet manufacturing for decades. This natural material brings in multiple advantages whether it be durability, softness, warmth, etc. The on cons are the price tags & cleaning efforts. Some have reported allergies to wool carpets so we recommend being cautious & make sure your little one doesn’t easily catch allergies. As wool carpets are more prone to moths, several manufacturers or even consumers use moth-proofing chemicals that must be avoided.
- Cotton – Cotton rugs come with all the qualities of wool rugs & with an additional benefit which is an affordable cost. Some of the cons to look at before buying a cotton rug are the high intensity of moisture absorption & not a very good relation with cleaning reagents.
- Silk – The most refined natural material you can select for your infant’s rug would be silk. The touch & feel of rugs made of silk is just unmatchable. The major disadvantage with silk rugs is the high cost which makes it not the most affordable choice for all new parents out there who just wants the best for their babies.
Not all natural materials are a perfect fit for babies, fabrics like jute, sisal, etc are not the best rug materials for babies as they can not provide such soft & cushiony surfaces.
Some artificial fabrics that can also be considered
As we discussed the disadvantages that come with carpets or rugs made of natural materials, it is not practically possible for all to bear those cons. In such cases, there are some synthetic carpet options like acrylic, nylon, polypropylene, etc that would still do the job. These artificial carpets are manufactured in a way that makes them cost-effective, convenient & eye-catchy. You’ll find every disadvantage of natural fabric carpet being eliminated in such artificially manufactured rugs but to achieve that product at a minimal cost, there are certain sacrifices that are done. Are nylon carpets toxic or are polypropylene carpets toxic? are the questions that we get to hear very frequently and we’ve tried to respond to them in the simplest way possible.
These rugs are not environment friendly & it is not possible to completely eliminate the use of chemicals and some harmful substances although there are manufacturers that ensure the least possible use of such substances. Another common question that is asked frequently is about the usage of polypropylene in rugs specifically for babies. Although several types of research have proven polypropylene a comparatively safer option to use, when it comes to our new little members, we won’t recommend giving them exposure to such substances. Comparatively safe doesn’t mean a good option at all, to have a more clear take on this we would recommend you to go through this guide that covered the toxicity of polypropylene & then make an opinion.
1. illusion of being clean
Out of several studies & research performed on the use of rugs for babies, there’s specifically one research done by the researchers at Purdue University, Finland that shows some unknown facts that can actually lead to several unwanted consequences. The research was specifically performed on the dust that is suspended on the rugs because of your little one’s crawls. The results of the research came no less than shocking as it was observed that the baby’s crawling suspended 8 to 21 times fungal and bacterial particles in the baby’s breathing zone.
The complete research report is published in the Biomed central journal & we recommend going through it in case you are curious about how the research was performed & what exactly the researchers found.
So what’s the solution to this? Some preventive measures involve proper & frequent cleaning & controlling moisture as much as possible. One important thing to make sure of is drying the carpet completely. We always recommend going through the label of the rug you bought for the best-fit cleaning methods for that specific carpet.
4 carpet tips for extra safety of your new little member
If you already own a rug made of artificial material & currently have no plans to get a new one but are worried about the impacts of the harmful chemicals or substances in it. Don’t worry we’ve got you covered here as well! Although we would repeat our statement that it is practically impossible to completely eliminate the impact of such chemicals used in the production of these artificial carpets but there’s definitely a way to minimize the impact. We’ve listed some of the practices below, if performed it will lead to minimal exposure to the bad substances in your rugs.
- If a regular complete cleaning & drying of your carpet is not feasible for you then at least make sure you vacuum it properly & frequently.
- To counter the chemicals & unwanted substances, you can consider purchasing a top-notch air purifier that has a high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter & activated carbon filters.
- This might sound pretty basic but basics are where the structure is built. Allow access to fresh air in your little one’s room as it will help in getting the toxins out.
If you’ve decided to get a new rug or already got one then make sure you don’t forget to properly off-gas it for a few days at least & not just sleep in the room with your brand new carpet. If you haven’t ordered one yet then we would recommend checking for CRI & GLP certified marks in the United States on the labels as that indicates low-emitting rugs.
Conclusion
As we’ve discussed above, if carpets made of natural fabrics & chemical-free rugs are something that is feasible for you to acquire & maintain then you must go for it without any second thought. If not then at least make sure the carpets you get for yourself in general, this is not specific to your little ones, must be formaldehyde-free, VOC-free & are made with minimal chemical usage. Any of the natural materials mentioned above will provide you with a safe carpet for babies. Without any doubt, natural fabrics are the best rug material for babies.
