Whether you’re creating a nursery from scratch or redecorating a child’s bedroom, doing so with an eco-friendly slant is a win-win situation for both the environment and the child’s health. Experts advocate using common sense when introducing anything new to a room. “If a product smells unpleasant in the store, then it may be toxic and something you should really think twice about bringing home,” says Kimberly Rider of San Rafael, mother of one and author of Organic Baby.

Rider recommends that when buying new furnishings, bedding is the best investment. “Ideally you’d want to buy an organic wool or cotton mattress, whether it’s new or used,” she says. “If you can’t afford that, cover a regular mattress with a wool topper, like a blanket, then an organic wool mattress pad, and organic cotton sheets creating a barrier between the child and mattress.”

Avoid furniture made of medium density fiberboard because it may contain formaldehyde. Companies like Room Doctor (roomdoctor.com), Ecotots (ecotots.com), Stokke (stokke.com), Imanima Children’s Furniture (imanimakidsfurniture.com) and Lifekind (lifekind.com) offer formaldehyde-free, environmentally friendly furnishings for kids.

Standard paints, even low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, give off-gas toxic chemicals, especially during application. Instead choose zero-VOC brands or natural milk paint. New paint manufacturers like Mythic and The FreshAire Choice offer quality, non-toxic latex paints readily available in local paint and hardware stores. Even old-school companies like Sherwin-Williams, Kelly-Moore and Benjamin Moore are rising to the occasion, each offering a line of their own zero-VOC, non-toxic latex paints.

Simple changes in the way we think of interior design can make a big difference to our children’s health and the environment. And that’s the most beautiful result for any room.