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How to Detox Your Home For a Crawling Baby: 5 Quick Tips

Oct 21st 2018

One of the most overlooked steps when babyproofing your home is detoxing. Every new parent should know that detoxing your home (and keeping it clean!) is just as important to their safety as setting up baby gates and play yards. Curious babies are constantly crawling on the ground or putting things in their mouth. By doing so, they will easily come into contact with various potentially harmful substances — some you may not even be aware of!

Keep your child safe and learn how to detox your home with our 5 quick tips!

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1. Go For Fragrance-Free

Detoxing your home for a crawling baby or toddler is all about understanding the best non-toxic baby products. Many products with a fragrance tend to contain phthalates — harmful chemicals that can disrupt hormones and worsen allergy flare-ups.

The Solution:

  • Use fragrance-free soaps, shampoos, detergents, etc.
  • Look closely for “No Phthalates” or “Fragrance-Free” on the labels of products and cleaning supplies you purchase
  • Avoid products claiming they are “unscented,” as these products still tend to have fragrances in them to mask harsh smelling chemicals
  • Use DIY cleaning products — try water, baking soda and a splash of lemon!

    2. Work That Cleaning Routine

    Between messy diapers, meals, and household chores, parents are constantly cleaning, so this shouldn’t be anything new. But with an adventurous toddler touching everything, it may be time for you to consider natural and even DIY cleaning products to detox your home and maintain a peace of mind. Apple Cider vinegars, castile soap, and baking soda may just become your best friends as you work that cleaning routine!
    The Solution:

  • Use the best cleaning products for baby by finding natural recipes and creating your own DIY products
  • Keep the shoes at the door to avoid carrying in harmful outdoor chemicals, pesticides, pollutants, dirt, lead and more
  • Avoid antibacterial soap — regular soap will do a good job of protecting your child while letting them build up resistance to some bacteria

    3. Give Baby a Clean Crawling Space

    As your child begins to crawl, you may start to wonder — is your carpet safe for babies? Carpet can be hard to detox, but fortunately there are easier ways to give your baby a clean crawling space other than upping your vacuum and dusting routine. Try incorporating a few temporary solutions that will do the trick while your youngster learns to safely explore.

    • The Solution:

  • Lay an interactive baby playmat over the carpet and use a baby play yard to keep your little one safe on the mat’s surface
  • Use baby-safe carpet shampoo to cleanse your carpet of most of the harmful chemicals — learn how!
  • Let baby play on clean wood, linoleum, or plastic flooring and use a baby play gate to keep them off the carpet 

    4. Use Filtered Water

    Tap water can contain various chemicals and minerals that are harmful to anyone in your family — but babies and toddlers are impacted the most as their smaller bodies absorb more of it. Investing in filtered water solutions will benefit your toddler as they grow, along with the added perk of being a healthier solution for the whole family!
    The Solution:

    • Get a water filter jug or use refrigerator-filtered water
    • Install water filters on your sinks and a water softener onto your water supply line
    • Stay up to date on filter replacements and maintenance
    • Use filtered water for more than just drinking — use it for preparing food, cleaning, washing clothes, etc.

    5. Embrace Fresh Air

    When learning how to detox your home, air quality may come as a surprise — although you don’t see it, it’s still equally important. Working to improve your home’s air quality can reduce the number of pollutants and chemicals your child consumes on a daily basis. Much like water quality, the effects of these chemicals on your baby are far more substantial at a petite age.

    • The Solution:

  • Open windows and doors for fresh air to flow in (if you live in an area with clean air)
  • Add houseplants to your decor — nontoxic houseplants can clean the air without a hassle
  • Install air filters and regularly replace them for added air purification in more polluted environments and older homes
  • Invest in air duct cleaning on a regular basis — it’s such an important step that many homeowners neglect to do!
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    Learning how to detox your home is an important step in the babyproofing process and one you may have to continually work on. As your child grows and becomes more active, there are many babyproofing necessities you’ll have to consider — read our 7 essential tips on how to babyproof a home to see if your home is prepared!

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