On this episode of “Cribs”…

The Venetian

 If you miss the English, French or Italian countryside, ever dated a man named “Paolo”, or have, at any time in your life, worn Laura Ashley – most organic cribs will not be to your taste.  This was my most tedious search as all of the “organic” cribs, though not made of vile particleboard, fiberboard, or plywood, (all, among other chemicals, contain urea-formaldehyde glues), were made by either the Amish, or Scandinavian designers with umlauted names and impossibly small tortoise shell glasses.  I wanted a crib that wasn’t treated with polyurethanes, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, VOC paint or any other toxic “finishes” – but not one that looked like it was made in a prison workshop or had come from a planet far, far away. Basically, I wanted a crib that was classic enough to have been found in an attic at Chatsworth, and beautiful enough that my future daughter-in-law would want it for our grandchildren. Is that too much to ask?

I must of contacted (annoyed) at least 8 manufacturer’s, requesting their Material Safety Data Sheets, as well as asking them very pointed questions about how their wood was “cured”, where it came from (only yank wood, please), what glues and finishes did they use, etc….. To their credit, not one company (unlike when I called about carpets, a story for another day), was anything but very helpful. But…I was still no closer to the crib of my dreams, as most did use woods, glues or finishes that I just didn’t feel comfortable with when my son and heir would sleep in it for an average of 16 hours a day.

(Hint: DO call manufacturers, as half of them were willing, for an upcharge, to use the paint that you request.)

And then it dawned on me: Iron. Iron isn’t treated with any of the chemicals that I can’t pronounce, it doesn’t off gas and pollute the air, and it can be easily painted in a non-toxic paint! E voila! Within a day I had found the Venetian Crib by Bratt Decor, which we love, love, love.  (If you find a proper antique iron crib, just make sure that you have someone use non-toxic paint remover on it first, before you repaint it. Seriously. Old paint is lead paint.)

Now, iron cribs aren’t for everyone, especially if you have stairs (the thing weighs as much as I did pre-baby), or hate Austen novels – in which case  the Oeuf may be a better choice for you.

Another non-toxic, far too cool for me crib is the Stokke. This is for people who count “High Fidelity” as a favourite book and have at least one Fellini film on DVD.

If you aren’t uber cool or sloppily romantic you may be a Virgo, and more likely to appreciate the practical Amish cribs. It can always be recycled as firewood.

Which ever crib you do choose, just make sure that it, at the very least, is finished in a safe paint. And please buy an organic mattress for it, which I have discussed in an earlier post.

Lesson #4: MOST cribs DO contain unsafe chemicals. Call or write the manufacturer and at least know what your child will be sleeping in for the first, most vulnerable years of his life.

Price points for above cribs: $500-$1500