Wellness expert Andrea Pennington offers advice on choosing eco-friendly baby furniture.

Many people know they should stay away from lead paints [1], but paints with VOCs (volatile organic [1] chemicals) can also be dangerous. VOCs are gases released from paints, cleaning supplies and other common household products. Many chemicals in VOCs can cause short- and long-term health problems, and unfortunately the concentration of VOCs indoors can be up to ten times higher than outside.

Making sure that paints and finishes are low and no-VOC [2] will keep the air your baby breathes [3] clean and healthy.

See the EPA [4] website [5] for more information about products that include VOCs and how to avoid them.

Low-quality wool can contain animal dander, which aggravates allergies [6], that's why it's best to buy high-quality organics. Just remember that some people are sensitive even to very good wool [7], and that the best defense against dust mites is to wash bedclothes once a week.