My Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Guide

If I were registering for the first time, this is exactly what I'd put on my list...

This is my fourth baby so there's no registry this time around. But if I were doing this for the first time, this is everything I'd put on one. It's a pretty comprehensive list and I spent quite a bit of time thinking through each category, what I use and why I use it.

With Jadyn I had a baby shower and the guests were so generous. I had diapers for a year which, as a 19 year old young single mom at the time, was the biggest relief.

That was almost twenty years ago though, and things were simpler then. The baby gear world wasn't what it is today, and my budget made most of the decisions for me anyway (I did splurge on a rhinestone sparkly pacifier, so I wasn't completely practical about it). And I also got into credit card debt at Gap because I would always buy her new flats when I got my paycheck (another story for another time). Being a different era, non-toxic materials weren't something I thought about. It was more about what she needed and what looked cute.

With Poppy, fourteen years after Jadyn, I felt like I was starting over completely. I bought SO much. Things that looked essential on every list I found, things other moms swore by, things that came highly recommended and lived in a drawer for a year before I donated them. With Elliott I got smarter, bought less but better, and did a real deep dive on why non-toxic mattered for what he was eating, wearing, and sleeping on. With this baby I feel much more prepared and clear on what I'll be using the most every day.

When I’m looking at any product for a new baby, the main thing I’m thinking about is what’s touching their skin. Babies absorb so much more than we do and they’re in close contact with everything around them from the moment they’re born. The materials I try to avoid, especially for a newborn, are synthetic fragrances, flame retardants, PFAS, phthalates, and phenoxyethanol. What I opt for instead is organic cotton, glass, solid wood, and stainless steel where I can. GOTS and USDA Organic certifications matter because they mean someone outside the brand verified the claim.

You don't have to be perfect about any of this. Do what works for your budget and your life. But if you're going to prioritize somewhere, start with what your baby is against the most. The mattress, the sleepers they're in around the clock, whatever they spend hours touching every day. We co-sleep and I babywear for naps, so for us that means an organic cotton mattress, organic sheets, and an organic wrap. Every family looks different but the question is the same: where is your baby spending the most time, and what is that thing made of?

Quick note before we get into it: everything here is based on my own research and what I've chosen for my kids. I'm not a doctor or a toxicologist, just a mom who has spent way too many hours reading ingredient labels and falling down research rabbit holes comparing different products and marketing claims. Take what resonates, skip what doesn't:

Baby Gear

Car Seat

The car seat is where I’d tell you to pay the most attention because flame retardants show up in almost everything in this category, often in the foam rather than the fabric, and brands don’t always tell you that. Some will say the textiles are flame retardant-free and leave out what’s happening in the foam underneath.

Flame retardants are good to avoid because they’re linked to hormone disruption, developmental delays, and neurological problems in children. They migrate out of foam over time and accumulate in dust, which babies end up ingesting. They also don’t prevent fires (which is what I originally assumed they would do), they slow the spread by a matter of seconds, which is why more and more manufacturers are finding ways to meet safety standards without them entirely.

We have both the Nuna PIPA infant seat and the Nuna Rava convertible. Nuna's entire car seat line is flame retardant-free and PFAS-free, which is rare in this category and a big reason we chose them. The Rava works from birth so you could start there, but we used the infant seat in the early months because when the baby falls asleep in the car you can snap the whole thing onto the stroller without waking them. Once they outgrew it we moved to the Rava and have used it since. If budget allows for both I'd get both. If you're picking one, the Rava gives you more longevity.

The Chicco KeyFit Max ClearTex is the most accessible flame retardant-free infant seat out there. The ClearTex line covers everything including the fabric, foam, inserts, and even the labels, and it’s Greenguard Gold certified. It’s widely available at Target which makes it easy to add to a registry. Just make sure you’re buying specifically the ClearTex version since Chicco’s other lines are not FR-free.

Brands I’d steer clear of include Cybex, Evenflo, Graco, Joie, Cosco, Axkid, BeSafe, and Diono. Some actively market themselves as cleaner options without being fully transparent about what’s still in the foam. Evenflo’s Green and Gentle line is a good example. The fabric is marketed as FR-free but flame retardants are still disclosed in other parts of the seat, which is exactly the kind of greenwashing that makes this category so hard to navigate without doing the research.

One exception is the Doona. We’ve used it for every trip and it's a great setup. It's a car seat that converts into a stroller, you check it at the plane door, and when you're navigating an airport with a baby it's one of the most convenient things we bring. It contains flame retardants so it's not something I'd use as a daily seat (also not the greatest for added storage), but for occasional travel where the alternative isn't much cleaner I've made my peace with it. Do your best with what your baby is in every day and don't stress the rest.

Stroller

Same reason I trust Nuna for the car seat is the same reason we have their strollers. Their entire line is flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, and OEKO-TEX certified, and they’re one of the only brands that has been independently lab tested and come back non-detect for PFAS. We have the Nuna Flex System Stroller Frame which connects directly with the Nuna PIPA infant seat. We also have the Nuna TRVL single which we loved for a long time, and just got the Nuna TRVL double which has been so good with both kids and it folds up really easily in one motion. If you want the infant seat and the TRVL stroller together, the Nuna TRVL LX + PIPA urbn Travel System is the better buy than getting the stroller frame separately.

Baby Carrier

For the newborn stage, a wrap-style carrier is what I LOVE. Most of Elliott’s naps happened when I was taking a walk or doing something around the house, as long as I was moving and doing something he would be easily rocked to sleep that way.

Last time I used a different baby wrap but this time I just bought this Organic Cotton Baby Wrap. It’s made with 100% GOTS certified cotton.

After the newborn stage, the Artipoppe Zeitgeist is the carrier I've gotten the most use out of and I know I'll be using it constantly with this baby too. Made from natural fibers with no toxic chemicals or dyes. It's a splurge but one of those things that earns every dollar because of how much time you spend in it. The thick strap design gives good lower back support as the kids get heavier, I used it until Elliott was two.

For a more budget-friendly option that’s also clean on materials, the Nuna CUDL CLIK is a great option. It’s OEKO-TEX certified, free of flame retardants, BPA, phthalates, PVC, and PFAS, uses organic jersey fabric on the parts touching baby’s skin, and works from birth to three years in both front and back carry.

Bassinet and Travel Crib

I never ended up using a bassinet or travel crib with Elliott. He slept in our bed with us, and when we stayed in hotels we’d request a crib and bring our own bedding. But if you’re planning to use a bassinet or know you’ll be doing Airbnbs with a little one, it would be more worth it.

For something beautiful that fits a more classic nursery or you want to be able to move it around the house for naps, a Moses basket is what I’d choose. The Design Dua Moses Basket is handwoven from natural elephant grass with an organic kapok fiber mattress and a liner and sheet made from GOTS certified organic cotton. Free of flame retardants, lead, and pesticides. The Finn and Emma Carry Cot is another gorgeous option in crocheted GOTS certified organic cotton and that transitions into toy or blanket storage when baby outgrows it.

If you want something widely available to add to a Nordstrom registry, the Stokke Snoozi is a good option. Beechwood legs, soft oval shape, Greenguard Gold certified, flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, no motion, no wifi. It adjusts from a newborn bassinet position to a lower setting as baby grows.

For a bassinet that doubles as a travel crib, the Nuna Sena Aire is flame retardant-free, PFAS-free, Greenguard Gold certified. Sets up in a bassinet position for the first few months and converts to a lower setting as baby grows. If you don’t want to buy both separately, this is the one to register for…

The full list continues below for my Substack family. Every category, every product, every link, and which ones I have in my home and why I’d choose them again: