Babies are Going Green

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/bringing-up-baby-organically

There is a rapidly growing movement among parents of newborns to "go green", not just with food, but also clothes, diapers, bedding, furniture, cleaning products, etc. In a recent survey conducted by Babycenter.com, a majority of women said having a baby made them want to be more environmentally conscious. Babycenter.com reports a recent increase of 211% in sales of eco-friendly products. 

The labeling of these products can be confusing or misleading. Especially with non-food items like bedding, clothes and diapers. Some manufacturers interchange "natural" and "organic". For example, bedding that is 100% cotton can be labeled as organic because it is made from a natural material even if it was grown using pesticides and processed with chemicals. 

While it seems like a good idea to use only natural products for your baby, there is still almost no evidence that there is any health advantages to using these products. There are, however, risks with not using them. Environmental compounds and toxins theoretically have negative consequences such as cell damage, cell death, cancer, and heart disease. Babies are even more sensitive to these chemicals than adults. So it may be smart to buy organic, but right now there is little scientific evidence to go on.