Decorating a nursery for a newborn that’s on the way? Or the baby’s already arrived and you’re wanting to redecorate?

When doing so, keep your child’s health in mind. Some experts claim that nurseries are the “sickest” room in the house, because parents think more about how a room will look rather than about what’s best for the child’s health.

Unknowlingly, parents buy what they think will look cute, rather than what’s safe and healthy. Everything in a baby’s room, from the paint on the walls to the carpet on the floor, can emit harmful volatile organic chemicals (VOC), which can cause breathing problems.

And lung disease and breathing problems, which are frequently associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), are the number one cause of death in infants less than a year old, according to the American Lung Association.

What can you do to prevent potential health problems for your child? Here are a few suggestions–

• Use eco-friendly paints
• Avoid vinyl wallpaper which can trap moisture and help mold grow. The plasticizers in the vinyl can also emit VOCs.
• Furnish the room with solid wood furniture and avoid particleboard, which emits VOCs.
• Select a mattress that does not contain vinyl.
• Use Natural fiber rugs

By using natural fiber rugs, such as sisal, seagrass, mountain grass, jute, bamboo or wool, you are using materials that do not emit harmful toxins into the air. In fact, many natural fiber rugs absorb dust and toxins that might otherwise be released into the air in a room.

Bernadette Upton, who has created a nursery in the American Lung Association’s Designer Showhouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, to illustrate that a beautiful room can be healthy and breathable, says, “People don’t realize they could be compromising the baby’s health.”

Using the wrong materials “could be the trigger of asthma and lifelong illness.”

So, if you’ve got a newborn in the house, or one on the way, you’ve got the most important reason in the world to use natural fiber rugs in your home. And Natural Area Rugs is your source for the largest selection and best prices on natural area rugs.