Where To Find Stunning Sustainable Nursery Furniture
Welcoming a new addition to the family can be a bit overwhelming and having to look for the most sustainable nursery furniture doesn’t help. We totally get that and that’s why we do what we do here at The Eco Hub. To make sustainable living a little easier and more accessible.
So whether you’d like to learn more about how to lighten your footprint in this area or are simply looking for the latest and best in sustainable nursery furniture, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite brands for some of the best environmentally friendly baby furniture.
Here at The Eco Hub, we are committed to finding the very best sustainable brands. We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more here.
Why consider Sustainable Nursery Furniture?
Reaching for eco-friendly nursery furniture or non-toxic kids' furniture is a good idea on several fronts. For starters, eco-friendly and non-toxic furniture means lessening the risk of exposure to toxic or potentially harmful chemicals.
From brominated flame retardants which can have long-term health effects to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde. Conventional manufacturing isn’t so kind even when it comes to making products for the most sensitive among us.
Buying more environmentally friendly baby furniture is therefore not only good for the environment. It also ensures that babies and children are not exposed to any potentially harmful or toxic materials that may pose a health risk. Reaching for products where harmful chemicals are avoided is best for the environment too and usually means a lighter footprint in other ways.
Sustainable nursery furniture is made of better materials like sustainably sourced wood, rather than synthetic materials like plastics. As you may already know, plastics aren’t so great for the environment where they are filling up our oceans. So reaching for eco-friendly nursery furniture or organic baby furniture is best.
More eco-friendly nursery furniture also means more efficient production methods where waste is minimized. It can mean handcrafted products rather than mass production, or the use of more sustainable energy sources like solar or wind.
Choosing Sustainable Nursery Furniture can be tricky - Here's what to look for:
To find more sustainable products, we look for brands that make things using sustainable materials, ethical sourcing practices, and demonstrate corporate responsibility.
1. What kinds of materials are used?
In any given product, we always favor natural, renewable, and ethically sourced materials. In the case of sustainable furniture, this is most likely going to mean sustainably sourced wood, organic cotton, hemp, ethically sourced wool, and latex. Synthetic materials like Modal and Lyocell are okay too since they are biodegradable. However, their production can be quite chemically intensive so look for certifications or reputable brands that attest to sourcing practices. Where Modal and Lyocell are concerned the most reputable brand is Tencel.
Recycled materials are also great. Even recycled plastics. Here to look for certifications that attest to their origin.
2. Are those materials ethically sourced?
The materials used and the final product must be ethically produced under safe and fair working conditions. We look to verify these practices by referring to reputable certifications like the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)—a good point of reference for organic products. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is a reputable reference for sustainably sourced wood for wood-based products.
Some brands also use recycled content. Certifications like the Recycled Claims Standard (RCS) and the Global Recycled Standard speak to the origins of these materials. The GREENGUARD certification tests for 10,000 chemicals and ensures that no toxic ingredients are used in the making of a given product. You can also look for the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification.
Where labor standards are concerned, the Fair Trade certification is a good sign. Fair Trade speaks to the labor standards and conditions under which workers make the products. It can also speak to where the raw materials come from.
3. What is the brand's Corporate Responsibility?
Brands that go the extra mile by investing back into the communities they work with are at the top of our list. This usually means social and environmental initiatives, carbon-neutral shipping or operations, plastic-free shipping, and the like.
All of this helps to avoid greenwashing and helps us find brands that are using safe materials, ethical production, and fair labor practices. It also helps us find brands that truly care and tend to the impact they are having on the planet and the people who work for them.
Our Top Picks For Sustainable Nursery Furniture
We’ve gathered options for everything from organizational tools and cribs, to changing tables, high chairs, hampers, and more. We've done all of the hard work for you making it easier than ever to find healthy alternatives for your baby!
Cribs
1. LuLé Crib
Canadian brand, LuLé was created by a mom of three who decided to design the crib she couldn’t find for her own children. Their all-natural baby cribs are designed and manufactured in Montreal, using 100% solid wood and finished with natural, non-toxic coatings.
You can even choose from lots of fun color options thanks to milk paint, linseed oil, and natural pine resin. Handmade and built according to the Health Canada Safety Standard, their cribs are also assembled using a minimum amount of food-grade wood glue.
Their design offers several adjustable features as well. The all-wood mattress support is made to fit a standard crib mattress and can be adjusted to 2 heights based on your needs. For uneven floors, the feet of the crib are also adjustable for greater stability.
For customers based in the Greater Montreal area, LuLé offers a White-Glove Delivery service. With this service, cribs are delivered package-free, fully assembled, and put directly in your baby's room. They even offer a Buy-Back Program where you can be paid for your old LuLé crib. The crib will be picked up free of charge and refurbished to “like new” for another baby.
For those who are not in the Greater Montreal area, cribs ship plastic-free! Super eco-friendly and a great option for a zero-waste baby as well.
2. Oeuf
Oeuf (pronounced UH-F) is a sustainable children's lifestyle brand offering kids’ products with a penchant for playful modernism, ethical production, and simple, intuitive designs. Among other offerings, you will find a wide selection of wood cribs made of sustainably sourced wood, finished using non-toxic coatings and paints free of VOC health hazards.
Adjustable and built according to US, Canadian, Australian and European standards, Oeuf’s cribs are packaged in recycled cardboard for eco-friendly disposal.
Their commitment to ethical production means that all of Oeuf’s furniture is made in an eco-friendly and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified facility in Latvia. To protect workers and the environment, their socially responsible facility is outfitted with state-of-the-art dust collection.
Waste generated in the factory is also recycled with the help of licensed facilities. And wood waste is reprocessed in-house to make briquettes that are used in the winter months to heat the factory.
3. babyletto
Babyletto is a minority-owned and operated business offering “stylish and versatile modern nursery furniture that is well-made, consciously crafted, tested for safety and most importantly feels like you”. They have a wide selection of cribs made of wood, all of which have four adjustable mattress heights and can be converted to toddler beds.
In terms of sustainability, 99% of their products are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, including all of their cribs. This means that babyletto has voluntarily participated in the GREENGUARD third-party program which tests for over 10,000 chemicals including volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Babyletto offsets all of the carbon footprint associated with inbound and outbound shipping, in partnership with CarbonFund.org and One Tree Planted. They also work with FloorFound to reduce waste associated with returned and imperfect items so these products are given a second life at a discount.
As a minority-owned and operated business, babyletto is committed to supporting marginalized communities as well and donates to organizations including Harlem Children’s Zone, Baby2Baby, Pacific Environment, Cayton Children’s Museum, and AdoptTogether.
Mattresses
1. Naturepedic
Together with his two sons, Barry A. Cik (founder and veteran in the field of environmental engineering) created the very first waterproof organic baby crib mattress. No flame retardants, PVC, or polyurethane foam here.
Instead, their mattresses are made of natural materials like organic latex certified by the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS), and FSC compliant wood. Their packaging is also certified by FSC which sets rigorous environmental, economic, and social criteria with the purpose of protecting ecosystems and workers.
All of their non-toxic mattresses and bedding are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), MADE SAFE, GREENGUARD, and the Organic Content Standard (which ensures proper tracking of organic materials from their origins to the final product). Many of their workers are skilled Amish craftspeople and their product line includes mattresses for everyone in the family.
2. My Green Mattress
My Green Mattress was founded by Tim Masters, a meticulous mattress craftsman. Also created out of necessity for a daughter suffering from eczema and environmental allergies, My Green Mattress offers certified organic mattresses for the entire family, made in a family-owned, GOTS certified organic factory in Illinois, USA.
Their handcrafted mattresses are made using “organically grown, harvested and processed materials” like the sap of organic rubber trees for their GOLS certified latex. They also use other natural materials like organic cotton and organic wool.
Along with their baby crib mattresses and mattress options for everyone else in the family, My Green Mattress will help you take care of your old mattresses using their mattress removal service.
3. Lifekind
What began in the late 90s as a mail-order brand for organic and natural household products is now available online with a wide selection of products for the chemically sensitive or concerned consumer. Lifekind’s selection includes certified organic mattresses and bedding, made in the USA, with “equal emphasis on quality, purity and environmental impact”.
Products are fabricated at their Eco-Factory located in California where their bedding, mattresses, and other offerings are manufactured by hand. To help reduce their environmental footprint, Lifekind also reuses raw materials and has recycling programs.
Where waste is generated, it is biodegradable and less harmful to the environment. To make sure their products are safe for chemically sensitive customers, their factory is also both smoke-free and fragrance-free.
Pads, Covers, Sheets
We highly recommend checking Naturepedic for protector pads, covers, crib sheets, changing table pads, and rest pads too. My Green Mattress also offers organic cotton mattress protectors and organic cotton sheet sets. Many of the brands featured will carry other sustainable nursery essentials so be sure to keep an eye out!
Swaddles
1. Under The Nile
Founded by Janice and Mohamed Mosoud, Under The Nile was created as a solution for cleaner, safer baby products back in the late 80s. All of their cotton is sourced from Egypt and produced on their own biodynamic farm which produces all of their organic materials. They've also formed a sustainable community where the farm is located.
In their selection of clothing, plush toys, and adorable organic booties you will find Organic Cotton Swaddle Blankets made of super soft, GOTS Certified organic cotton. They are ethically made in a Fair Trade Certified factory in Egypt and ship plastic-free. You can also rest assured that they will be free from Azo dyes, flame retardants, formaldehyde, fragrances, and lead.
2. Green Sprouts
Green Sprouts is committed to offering healthier and safer products for babies, with a lighter ecological footprint. In addition to their toys and silicone plates, bowls, and teethings ring you will find organic cotton muslin swaddle blankets. They are made of 100% organic cotton and come in different colors—free from Azo dyes.
3. 54Kibo
A black-owned and woman-led brand, 54Kibo specializes in authentic contemporary African design. Its mission is to celebrate the work of African designers and make it more accessible to the world, with consideration for labor standards and materials. Though they may be better known for their furniture, decor, and rugs, their Baby & Kids section includes some lovely muslin swaddle blanket sets. Their swaddle blankets are handmade in Ethiopia using locally grown cotton and dyed using AZO-free dyes. You will also find adorable plush toys here too.
Nursing Pillows
Holy Lamb Organics
Holy Lamb Organics is a woman-owned, home and bedding company based in Washington, USA. Among other things, you will find all-natural comforters, pillows, and towels — mostly made from organic cotton and/or wool. You will also find their Wool Nursing Pillow.
Though it does contain some nylon and a plastic zipper (which we are not super into), it is mindfully crafted using GOTS certified organic cotton and filled with ethically sourced wool. Your pillow will also arrive in a recyclable shipping box without any plastics.
Rockers, Gliders, Storage
1. Modern Nursery
Modern Nursery is a marketplace for everything nursery furnishings and decor, baby gear, and toys. All of their products are hand-picked with safety, sustainability, and style in mind. Their selection of eco-friendly, non-toxic, and organic items includes cribs, bassinets & cradles, rockers & gliders, changing stations, dressers, beds, conversion kits, bookcases, and more.
For the best sustainable products filter through their selection based on ‘Certifications’ using the menu on the left side of the page. Choose from 'Organic', 'Eco-Friendly', 'GREENGUARD', 'Sustainably Made', 'OEKO-TEX', and 'FSC Certified'.
They also carry strollers, car seats, carriers & bouncers, baby monitors, high chairs, and much more so be sure to have a look around if you need any more eco baby essentials.
2. West Elm
West Elm is a home retailer offering all sorts of home essentials with an eye for good design and ethical sourcing. Their Baby section includes dressers, changing tables, storage baskets, crib bedding, blankets, nursery decor, and lots more.
To find their most sustainable products filter through their selection using the ‘Sustainability’ drop-down menu at the top of the page. You can choose from ‘Fair Trade’, ‘GREENGUARD’, ‘Sustainably Sourced’, ‘Handcrafted’, ‘Local Maker’ and ‘Organic’ items.
In terms of its commitment to sustainability, West Elm tries to source as many FSC certified, recycled, and upcycled materials as possible. As of now, 52% of their wood furniture is sustainably sourced.
West Elm is the first-ever home retailer to be a part of Fair Trade USA, working to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and community development. They also work with nonprofit partners like BSR|HERproject™, Fair Trade USA, Fifteen Percent Pledge, The Trevor Project®, Jackie Robinson Foundation, NAACP, National Urban League, NEST, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, and VisionSpring.
3. Medley
Founded by two brothers, Travis and Ryan, Medley offers mindfully crafted premium furniture. You can be sure that none of their products will be made of any harmful chemicals or fire retardants.
Materials used include kiln-dried alder hardwood, walnut wood, maple wood, or other hard goods sourced from the US, where all of their products are handcrafted. These materials are sourced only from FSC-certified forests. Bamboo and Low-VOC CARB 2 compliant plywood are also used.
To finish their products, Medley uses a natural beeswax polish made of just 3 all-natural ingredients: beeswax, carnauba wax, and olive oil. This may be a problem if you are vegan. However, you can rest assured that there are no volatile organic compounds and no odors.
Other materials used include OEKO-TEX certified wool, GOTS certified Dunlop foam, jute, and cotton — some of which are GOTS certified. Be sure to look at product descriptions for more details on specific items where some synthetic materials are used.
Materials like their CertiPUR-US certified Foam and synthetic textiles are thoughtfully selected based on emission tests and the OEKO-TEX standard. These materials are better than their conventional counterparts however we will leave them at your discretion.
Toys
PlanToys
PlanToys is a toy company committed to offering sustainable products with 3 key pillars in mind: Sustainable Materials, Sustainable Manufacturing, and a Sustainable Mind. In terms of materials, all of their products are made using natural rubberwood from trees that no longer produce latex.
To treat their wood, chemicals are swapped out for a kiln-drying process designed to enhance the durability of the wood. They also make sure to use an E-Zero glue that is formaldehyde-free. For color: water-based dyes and organic pigments.
Though they mainly offer lots of great eco-friendly kid's toys, their Baby High Chair is also worth considering. It is made from sustainably harvested rubberwood trees and “surplus sawdust chips that are thermally reprocessed to form a durable wood” called PlanWood.
Features include an adjustable seat belt and an adjustable footrest so the chair can grow with your child. As for safety requirements, their high chair meets both US and EU safety standards. For those concerned about plastics like the zero waste mama’s out there, the product ships plastic-free in a recyclable box made of recycled content.
PlanToys also makes sure to minimize waste throughout their production process. For example, leftover wood from their factory is used to produce heat energy which is used in-house. A carbon-neutral company, it implements a reforestation program in partnership with Plan Group as well.
In terms of ethical labor practices, PlanToys is SA 8000 certified and OHSAS 18002 certified. They also invest in the community they work in through their children’s museum, children and community club, a foundation, and more.
Safety
1. Bebcare
We just had to include some baby safety essentials in this piece and Bebcare is a great place to start. They specialize in premium baby monitors made using their patented Digital Safe Radio (DSR) technology which reduces wireless emissions by over 90%.
Considered one of the safest baby monitoring systems on the market, Bebcare has received awards from Mothering Magazine, the Mom's Choice Awards, and the National Parenting Products Awards. Use code THEECOHUB for 10% off of your first purchase.
2. Rhoost
Though you might not need these just yet if your little one is still quite little, we thought it paramount to share the BPA, Lead, PVC, Phthalate, and Cadmium Free safety outlet covers we found over at Rhoost.
They are one of the only brands we could find that carried non-toxic baby-proofing items with a lighter footprint. Their outlet covers are also 100% recyclable and very easy to use.
You will also find BPA, Lead, PVC, Phthalate, and Cadmium Free Door Safety Sets, Finger Guards, Cord Winders, and Corner Protectors. Their Cord Winders and Corner Protectors are also 100% recyclable.
Some final thoughts on sustainable nursery furniture
Creating a sustainable nursery may take a little extra time but it is totally worth it and these brands are here to help. From cribs to rocking chairs to storage, and even organic baby clothes, you can tread a little lighter while reducing your little one's exposure to undesirable chemicals.
Shopping secondhand is always the best route so do consider secondhand marketplaces for more eco-friendly nursery furniture. You can use the same criteria as you would here and you may even find these very brands there too!
You may also want to check out 5 of our favorite Canadian sustainable baby brands, eco-friendly diapers, natural laundry detergent, our list of ethical organic maternity clothes, or our brand directory for everything sustainable living.
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