Which Paints Are Safe for Baby Cribs: A Buyer’s Guide

Decorating the nursery is no doubt one of the most exciting times for parents who are expecting a new baby. And while it is fun to coordinate things and get excited, when it comes to being a new parent, nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of your baby. And at no other time is it most important for your baby to feel safe and secure than when they are sleeping in their crib.

So, when it comes to painting your baby’s crib, how can you know for sure that you’re using a paint that is safe? With many paints on the market today that contain all sorts of hazardous chemicals that can be dangerous when inhaled, it can be difficult to find ones that are non-toxic enough to be safe for use around babies and young children.

Fortunately, though, there are a number of brands of natural paint out there that are free from chemical emissions and are safe enough for use around your baby. In this article, we’ll talk more about some of these brands and hopefully help you find the best one to paint your crib with!

Overview
The Real Milk Paint Company
Miss Mustard Seed’s Paint
Sherwin-Williams’ “Harmony” Range
Ecos Paints’ “Lullaby” Range

Overview

In general, most paints tend to be toxic because of volatile organic compounds or VOCs. These compounds are substances in the fumes of the paint that can cause a variety of health problems including headaches, eye, nose, and throat irritation, kidney damage, liver damage, loss of coordination…the list goes on.

For this reason, when shopping for paints to use around your baby, you want to focus on those brands that have low to zero VOCs to ensure you’re using the safest ones for your baby. These tend to be paints labeled as “natural” and “non-toxic.”

Some brands of zero-VOC paint are:

The Real Milk Paint Company
Miss Mustard Seed’s Paint
Sherwin-Williams’ “Harmony” range of paints, and,
Ecos Paints, more specifically their “Lullaby” range

While no means an exhaustive list, it will no doubt help you get started in your search! In the sections that follow, we’ll touch on each of these brands a bit more and on what exactly makes them safe enough to use around your baby.

The Real Milk Paint Company

The Real Milk Paint Company produces paint made from casein (a protein found in milk), lime, a plant-based filler, and earth pigments—making them both natural and 100% VOC-free.

The company offers 56 colors of environmentally and non-toxic paint that they promise are versatile and easy to use and safe for use around pets and children alike!

One thing that makes this company stand out as well is that the paint itself is manufactured and sold as a powder that you then mix yourself as opposed to traditional liquid paint you would buy from the store. The reason for this is that, as a natural paint, selling the ingredients “dry” prevents the company from having to use preservatives—keeping them healthier—and also extends the shelf-life of the paint itself.

Miss Mustard Seed’s Paint

Like The Real Milk Paint Company, Miss Mustard Seed’s line of paint is also classified as “milk paint,” which also makes it both natural and completely VOC-free.

Their milk paint formula is similar to the previous company, with their products primarily being sold in powdered form and made up of four 100% natural ingredients: casein (milk protein), lime (calcium hydroxide), natural pigments, and plant-based filler.

Their line currently offers 28 colors spanning across 3 different color collections that are all food-contact safe, meaning it’s perfectly safe if your baby puts their mouth on it!

Sherwin-Williams’ “Harmony” Range

Sherwin-Williams has been a giant in the painting industry since they were originally founded in 1866. Since then, they’ve produced a variety of paint lines in hundreds of different colors.

Their “Harmony” range of paints were introduced several years ago as a zero VOC interior coating with a lasting finish and antimicrobial agents that resist the growth of mold and mildew on the paint film.

Some formulas were then later enhanced with Formaldehyde Reducing Technology, which reduces airborne concentrations of formaldehyde and other VOCs, promoting better indoor air quality as well.

Sherwin-Williams’ Harmony paint is also GREENGUARD GOLD Certified, meaning it meets the most stringent VOC regulations for low chemical emissions during product usage. This means this line of paint is also exceptionally safe for use on your crib and around your baby!

Ecos Paints’ “Lullaby” Range

Ecos Paints has made it their mission over the past 35 years to help their customers create healthier living environments with premium quality, eco-friendly products.

Their “Lullaby” range, in particular, is specifically designed for use in nurseries and is water-based, has zero VOC, is non-toxic, and has no odor from polyurethane—which is known to cause headaches, nausea, and respiratory issues.

All of this means that they’re amazingly safe to use around your little one, and would be a great choice for your baby’s crib.

Conclusion

All parents want to make sure they’re doing their due diligence when it comes to their baby—and this is especially true when it comes to caring for their safety!

With babies sleeping in their cribs for up to 3 years before making the switch to a bigger bed, you definitely want to make sure that the paint you use on that crib is going to be as safe as possible to avoid causing any risks to their health!

And while many paints on the market today are, indeed, quite full of chemicals that can be dangerous to the health of any human, there are also more and more lines of paint being offered that are specially designed to be non-toxic and safe for use around children!

In this article, we touched on just a few brands and types of paint that would be great options—but we’ve only just barely scratched the surface! If you’re still on the hunt for the perfect paint, then if nothing else hopefully we’ve at least given you some insight about a few of the different options you have and what to keep in mind as you continue your search. Happy decorating!