Building a baby registry is hard, especially for first time parents. Building a non-toxic and cleaner baby registry can be even harder! There are so many products out there, conventional name brands we’ve all grown up with, and recommendations and hand-me-downs from friends and family. It’s hard to sift through everything! Now I am not saying you need to replace every item you have with a clean or non-toxic version. That’s not what I’m all about. We live on the clean-ish side here! Use the gifts, use the hand-me-downs. This is more to give you some information and some brand recognition and also some clean certifications you can look for so you can make the best choices for you and your little ones.

Another way to think about this is asking, what is my baby going to be in contact with most? Let’s start there – things that touch their skin constantly, clothes they sleep in, diapers they wear and wipes they get wiped with constantly. Every little single change here and there can and will have long lasting health and wellness benefits. It’s a lot of trial and error, and seeing what level of clean/non-toxic works best for you and your family. I am a strong proponent of let’s learn as we go and make little changes as we go. So let’s dive in to my top non-toxic baby registry must haves.

[This post contains affiliate links. This means I may make a small commission if you purchase through these links. I’m only going to recommend products that I have tried and love! Sarah is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.]

Organic and Non-toxic Baby Clothing and Organic Sheets

Having A few pieces of 100% organic cotton clothing and sheets is my go to – usually free of harsh chemicals, dyes that could be unsafe, and flame retardants that are also quite toxic. 

I also like bamboo as a material for baby clothes and sheets. Some may not agree since the processing of bamboo to make material isn’t as clean as organic cotton. But you can also look for specific certifications below on your clothing to make sure they are free of chemicals!

Organic baby clothes

Clothing/Textile certifications:

  • OEKO-TEX certified – Most common I have seen is the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification meaning that all parts of the textiles are tested for harmful chemicals
  • GOTS certified – Global Organic Textile Standard – Per their website: “The aim of the standard is to define world-wide recognised requirements that ensure the certified organic status of textiles, from the harvesting of the raw fiber, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide credible assurance to the end consumer.”

Favorite Organic Cotton baby clothing brands:

  • Burt’s bees – GOTS certified (runs small and shrinks)
  • Honest Co – GOTS certified 
  • Little Planet by Carters – GOTS certified and affordable – make a lot of cute PJs, bodysuits and joggers/pants that are some of my favorite for our chunky little baby boy!
  • O2 baby on Amazon – I can’t find the certifications, however I did buy a few of these pieces and they are labeled 100% organic cotton in a pinch! 
  • Snuggle Hunny Kids – All clothing is certified organic cotton (some might be 97% Cotton and 3% elastane. Aussie brand slightly pricier but run long and last forever and grow with your babe.
  • Hannah Anderson – OEKO-TEX certified and are converting most to GOTS certified as well  They make such cute clothing, it’s a little bit more of an investment, but quality for sure – currently loving their sleep training undies for Dempsey 
  • Primary – All GOTS certified 100% organic cotton – lots of primary plain colors and fun prints, footie sleepers to two piece PJs for toddlers. They definitely run a little tight I would say on the sleeves and tops
  • Lovely Littles – All clothes certified to be free of chemicals and are 95% cotton and 5% spandex – just not listed on their site yet – had them send me the info. They are working on getting an organic certification as well! Pricier, runs a little smaller but last a long time as they are stretchy and grow with your babe

Bamboo baby clothes brands we loved, not necessarily certified organic but are chemical and flame retardant free:

  • BabyBreez – Made of 95% Bamboo viscose and 5% Jersey Spandex. I reached out to the owner of the company and she got back to me immediately to assure me all her materials are OEKO-TEX certified chemical free but she doesn’t list this on the website. I absolutely loved this brand (run very long and last you months and months in the same size!! I have a bunch of gender neutral colors to use for baby boy. 
  • Caden Lane – Made of it 95% Bamboo viscose and 5% Spandex. They have so many soft knot gowns and coming home outfits, sheets and blankets. Reached out to them to get more info on the certifications as well as I can’t find that information on their website – they got back to me that their materials are all tested for chemicals mainly phthalates and are also flame retardant free. 

Organic cotton crib and bassinet sheets, or bamboo sheets

  • Burts Bee’s – GOTS certified, crib sheets are affordable and work great, but do shrink! 
  • Whisper Organics – GOTS certified – didn’t shrink as much as Burt’s Bees
  • Caden Lane – customized bamboo sheet we love. It’s super soft and stretchy and alternate between this one and the cotton ones. 
  • Mebie baby – 100% muslin cotton sheets, adorable patterns and super soft, wash well and don’t seem to shrink – although not GOTS certified organic, as they are 100% cotton I am okay with this! They have been great to have on rotation with our other cotton sheets for Archie!

Baby Swaddles and Sleep Sacks

We registered for and had hand me downs of various styles of swaddles before we ended up learning about the Ollie Swaddle and swear by this thing. 

  • Ollie swaddle:
    • Made of Polyester and Spandex and a moisture wicking fiber, not the typical materials I would gravitate towards- however, the materials are OEKO-TEX standard 100 certified, tested for phthalates, lead, formaldehyde, among other fabric and quality and safety testing. Her website lists all of this outright which is being very transparent. We were obsessed with this thing for the newborn phase. 
  • Ergopouch:
    • As baby ages, we transitioned Dempsey into everything Ergopouch – an Aussie brand that has all different temperature rated (TOG ratings) and various styles of pouches and transitional pieces. They use organic cotton, bamboo viscose and elastane in their products, along with organic cotton fill for their heavier weight products. LOVE them. 
    • We have used so many styles:
      • Newborn cocoon swaddle sack 1.0 TOG
      • Jersey Sleep Sack 1.0 TOG
      • Long sleeve 2.5 TOG sleep suit sack for winter
      • Long sleeve 2.5 TOG sleep onesie as well
      • We also have some PJs from them and we loved them!

Eco-friendly and clean diapers

When looking into diapering, I initially wanted to do cloth diapering. If you are into cloth diapers, go for it! For me, I wanted to focus on less plastics used in the diaper, and more eco-friendly and biodegradable diapers as many conventional diaper brands use gels and absorbent materials that may never fully break down in landfills and that made my heart hurt! 

Baby diapers

Diaper brands we have tried

  • Seventh Gen, Honest Co, Pampers Pure – didn’t love any of these, some were heavy on the dyes and prints as well. 
  • We landed on Dyper brand and never looked back for our first baby. They use bamboo and elemental chlorine free whitening, no dyes, no fragrance (can check on why we avoid fragrance and phthalates here) and have a REDYPER composting program (their diapers will also break down better in landfills than traditional ones). Diaper has generous sizing, hardly ever any blowouts, and just worked so well for us for 2 years.  
  • Kudos is a cotton based diaper that is the only of it’s kind. They use as little plastic as possible and have an amazing mission.
  • Eco by Naty is another brand with compostable or biodegradable materials.

Non-toxic and clean wipes

  • Brands we’ve used Water Wipes, Honest Wipes, Coterie Wipes and  Dyper wipes and stuck with Dyper because of the ease of delivery with the monthly subscription we had. 
    • Update as of 2024 – we actually have been using Kudos wipes with baby 2 and love them! Nothing harsh and biodegradable.
    • We also buy Honest wipes in a pinch on Amazon just in case – they are pretty clean and also compostable.
  • What to look for: plant based fibers, least amount of ingredients and preservatives. 
  • Next baby I’m probably going to use up what we have of Dyper wipes and then try the following because they don’t have benzalkonium chloride in them which is a harsher preservative and has potential for skin and allergy sensitivity. We haven’t had any issues, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about and researching more on recently. There are less harsh preservatives like Sodium benzoate, Citric acid and Potassium Sorbate.
    • Kudos (biodegradable and compostable)
    • Eco by Naty (biodegradable and plastic free)
    • Coterie (also biodegradable now and plastic free)

Diapering cream or diapering lotion

Diapering cream or lotion can replace wipes entirely actually! You can use cotton rounds or squares or washable cotton cloths to go with it in place of wipes, and this stuff is pure magic.

  • We have used La Petite Creme with Dempsey since day one and have never had a severe diaper rash ever. Highly recommend using this for all pee diapers and if poops are messy, use a wipe first to get most of it away and finish the job with the lotion – it cleans WAY better for yucky poos and leaves bums protected 
  • Noleo care is another brand I’ve seen as well 

Clean diaper paste – paraben, petrolatum, mineral oil free

  • Truthfully, with the cleaner diapers, and wipes, we hardly EVER have diaper rashes in our littles, but in the rare times we may have had some irritation, these are what our go tos are!
  • Tubby Todd sweet cheeks diaper paste is our tried and true clean diaper paste. We have never used anything else. Any sign of slight redness this stuff nips it literally in the butt overnight. And the ingredients are clean! 
  • Update for baby number two, I also have Little Bunzie on hand and for daycare because of the super easy hands free mess free design and clean ingredients!

Plastic free toys and teethers

  • Love Mushie, Lovevery, kiwico, muslin cloth toys, silicone toys and teethers.  
  • Of course plastic sneaks in here and there and we use it too but our goal is to use less if possible 

Plastic free bottles

We tried our best to use plastic free baby bottles, but after Dempsey refused all the ones I had, we landed on a plastic one as I was desperate and had to return to work. You gotta pick and choose your battles friends.

  • Mason Bottle – uses mason jars as the base with silicone sleeves
  • Comontomo – silicone bottles, but felt they took a long time to warm 
  • Pura stainless bottles with the top that fits the stage your baby is in

Certifications to look for in mattresses, cribs, bassinets and travel baby gear:

  • GOTS organic from above for organic textiles 
  • GOLS certified: Global Organic Latex Standard – similar to GOTS, it’s a global standard for organic practices for natural rubber latex from organic farming to processing without harmful chemicals etc. 
  • MADE SAFE certified: made without chemicals or materials known to cause human harm such as heavy metals, neurotoxins, VOCs, flame retardants, hormone disruptors, developmental/behavioral toxins, carcinogens. 
  • Greenguard Certification means that the products are rigorously tested to emit low levels of VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions to support better air quality and reduce exposure to these chemicals that can be irritants, allergens and even cancerous at high levels. 
  • Greenguard GOLD certification is more specific to children/infants as they are more susceptible to chemical emissions in their environment that can affect their development – they emit even lower levels and incorporate a really low level of formaldehyde emissions that the regular Greenguard certification.
Our baby nursery

Non-toxic organic crib mattress (and flame retardant free)

  • Naturepedic is popular and widely available and what we’ve used and been happy with so far!
    • Naturepedic mattresses have numerous safe certifications including GOTS certified organic, MADE SAFE certified, Greenguard Gold Certified and formaldehyde-free validated. 
  • My Green Mattress makes a crib mattress that we were thinking of getting as well
    • My Green Mattress Crib mattresses are MADE SAFE certified, their wool and cotton are GOTS certified organic, and their Dunlap latex from the rubber tree is OEKO-TEX certified and GOLS certified organic.
    • I am leaning towards getting the twin mattress from here for Dempsey when we transition her out of the crib this summer. 
  • Newton mattress – this mattress is unique and made of synthetic food-grade polymer material that is breathable all the way through. They use polyester and viscose (bamboo) for their covers. They are Greenguard Gold Certified so they are considered safe and chemical free.
    • I ultimately didn’t use this as I preferred the organic cotton and options and wasn’t sure about the actual cleaning part of the Newton mattress as it’s mostly air and you can take it apart to wash it – I didn’t want to be stuck washing it for every pee or mess and risk mold growth or anything if I didn’t dry it well – I know plenty of people who use and love this and the fact that it does have the Greenguard Gold certification is good. Looks like they have more options now than they used to as well including waterproof. 

Flame retardant free (FRF) car seats

  • Nuna – entire carseat line is FRF. We have the Nuna Pipa Lite LX for infant carrier and loved and the Nuna Rava for convertible car seats and love them. 
  • UPPAbaby Mesa 2 and MAX infant carriers are FRF
  • Chicco ClearTex line is FRF
  • Clek seats are FRF in the following fabrics: railroad, mammoth, & winter mammoth

Non-toxic bassinet and Crib, Travel Crib or Play yard

Look for Greenguard Gold certified, FRF mainly, and least amount of plastic! Also ones that offer organic cotton sheets or OEKO-TEX materials is also a bonus! 

  • We used a Bassinet/Travel Crib combination product by Guava Family called the Guava Family Lotus. It can start as a travel bassinet and turn into a travel crib when your baby outgrows the bassinet. The bassinet was the PERFECT height for our super low bed frame in our room for the newborn months. The set is lightweight and comes with organic cotton sheets is fabulous and Greenguard Gold certified 
  • Nuna sena-aire play yard is Greenguard Gold certified and FRF
  • Baby Bjorn travel crib is OEKO-TEX standard 100 certified 
  • Traditional Crib: many brands are Greenguard Gold certified- just check the notes – we used a hand me down crib which meant free, so we did not purchase a crib or check the certification – however the mattress and sheets we use are Greenguard Gold cert or organic cotton etc as that is what the baby touches. Again it’s all about balance! 

Silicone teethers and pacifiers

Honestly Dempsey refused these we we started with some basic Avent ones and Ryan and Rose ones but ended up not using at all. Would go for ones without plastic on them basically for next baby if he takes them! 

First plates and utensils, cups

  • We LOVE Ezpz (we have everything from infant to toddler and have used all of it and found that Dempsey was great with utensils and straw and open cup drinking much earlier than anticipated! Everything is silicone and easy to clean) 
  • Pura stainless bottles (you can change out the silicone bottle top for a straw top and it’s silicone inside the bottle too for the straw and then switch to an open pour spout as they get older) 

Burp Cloths and drool bibs

Cotton or muslin bibs and burp cloths work so well! I remember ordering another pack of the Burt’s Bees burp cloths during a month of spit ups because I kept blowing through them and they do work really well!

Update: with Baby 2 still going strong, our favorite organic cotton drool bandana bibs are Diaper Squad hands down! We have like 20 of these – affordable PLAIN neutral colors that go with everything!

Update: with baby number 2 still going strong using all the Burt’s Bees burp cloths – they truly last and do a great job absorbing spit up! We also have so many organic cotton drool bibs and we use these nearly daily going on 11 months now!

Clean baby bath time essentials

Look for brands that are paraben, phthalate, synthetic fragrance and dye free. We loved:

  • Tubby Todd – still regularly using for Dempsey and plan to use with baby boy as well!
  • Evereden – still use some of their products and I’m currently using their belly oil!
  • Erbaviva – their lip and cheek, sniffles balm and belly oils for mama are fabulous!
  • Would also trust and try Pipette, Puracy, Aleavia (just switched my body wash to this and it’s such a clean simple formula I plan to use with both babes) 
  • Update: baby number 2 we have also tried California Baby co (nice just didn’t love the scents I got), Pipette (just okay), and Carina Organics (our fav so far!)
Baby bath time

Infant wellness and medications:

Not giving medical advice here, but offering suggestions of brands that are cleaner – always check with your pediatrician for medical advice! 

  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol, fever reducer) – opt for no dyes or artificial flavors or preservatives found in mainstream brand and generic acetaminophen products
    • Genexa
    • Kindermed
  • Multivits and vitamin D drops, gripe water etc – Same idea look for no dyes artificial flavors and additives as above 
    • Mommy’s Bliss 
    • Wellements 

Breastfeeding pillow:

I have tried a few options here, the Breast Friend pillow, the Boppy pillow and the Moon Womb pillow. Looking back, I wish I used the Moon Womb pillow more in a reclined position earlier on versus hunched over my Breast Friend pillow causing neck and shoulder pain and the Boppy was never supportive in the right way for me. You can find I believe organic covers for them both, but my favorite ended up being the Moon Womb. 

  • Moon Womb breastfeeding and pregnancy pillow – this is made by the Sustainable Baby Co, and is made from all organic and sustainable materials. You can adjust the fill which is made of certified organic buckwheat hulls (although I never removed any). This is like a moon shaped bean bag sort of, and I have the large version which is also great for pregnancy support on your back or belly! It’s also a great support for baby as they are learning to sit. It’s expensive but it’s gorgeous, will last forever, and the cotton cover washes like a dream! It also has a little sachet of lavender and chamomile you can put in the bottom. I love that it’s a multi-use product so you’re not buying 3 different pieces, I’ve been using it for over 2 years now with pregnancy for Dempsey, during her breastfeeding journey, and postpartum as back support and into this current pregnancy. I plan to use it primarily for breastfeeding and infant sitting support over the summer.
  • Snuggle Me Organic also makes a crescent shaped breastfeeding pillow with an organic cotton cover but I haven’t tested this out yet! They have great sales though and might want to snag one!

Infant lounger

  • We had a Boppy lounger which I did not love the shape of for Dempsey – felt she could roll out of it. 
  • This time we plan to have a Snuggle Me Organic infant lounger and extra covers which are all 100% organic cotton covers and chemical and flame retardant free polyester filling – friends swear by this thing!

Lightweight and non-bulky baby carrier

  • I loved the Happy Baby! linen baby carrier that both Mike and I can use, loved the materials being linen and how they aren’t bulky. 
  • I have a ring sling made from linen as well but didn’t end up loving this style – it’s from Hope and Plum and I would definitely recommend them for material and quality if you want to try a ring sling
  • I also have a Baby K’tan which I just felt was a cheap t-shirt material and didn’t honestly love the style and fit. I won’t be using for next baby. 
  • For baby 2 I ordered a Hippie Joey baby carrier made of bamboo material and it’s on it’s way to my house as we speak. I will have to review it this summer when I can use it with my baby boy! 

Highchair that wasn’t all plastic!

Stokke Tripp Trap high chair was the least plastic used that I could find on the market and it is GORGEOUS and so functional as a toddler chair still for Dempsey we are obsessed and love that it blends in like a regular chair at the table.

Final thoughts

Phew, that was a LOT to go through, and I even cut out an entire couple pages of other information and things I loved because it was just TOO MUCH for one post! Again this isn’t an all -inclusive list, and it is by no means meant to make you panic and go change out everything you own to what I recommend. Again, we’re all here learning together and making even one change here and there to better impact our long term health and wellness, for our babies and ourselves.

I hope you found this helpful, and that you can feel empowered to research brands and FAQ sections and confident knowing what different certifications mean in your baby products.

I will definitely need to do a part 2 on the baby registry post next week!

What have been your favorite non-toxic baby registry essentials? Share them with me!

xo-Sarah