Modern Nursery x Bumbleride

Buying Decisions for the Conscious Parent + Tips on Creating a Non-Toxic Registry

Q+A with Amber, Modern Nursery owner + Holistic Soon-to-be Mama of 2

It can be all-consuming when you start building a registry as a parent-to-be. You are already doing what’s best for you and baby while pregnant, then you have to think about everything your baby will come in contact with, as well as the environmental impact of the products you purchase.

The brand alignment and vision between Modern Nursery and Bumbleride is so similar, it was a no brainer to partner with Amber and Modern Nursery with helpful tips to creating a Non-Toxic Registry. Not only is she the buyer for this remarkably curated baby store, but also a seasoned mama who is expecting her second baby in November.

Bumbleride:

Amber, congratulations on baby #2! You’ve almost made it to the end, how are you feeling?

Amber:

Feeling great! I’m in the 3rd trimester now and plugging along. Starting to have trouble lifting our toddler so it’s been hard to have to transfer some of the routines like bedtime to Brian, as that’s something I really look forward to.

Bumbleride:

You will be snuggling two very soon. So exciting! Tell us a little bit about you and your family, your background and life as a working mom in the baby biz.

Amber:

I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart and have only had one job where I worked for another business. I love solving new problems each day and helping my team to grow in their positions. I’ve always loved kids and I’m big into online shopping, so this was a great opportunity to build a business focused on babies and also something which would allow me to work from home, as I’m a homebody! I’m very fortunate that I get to work from home, so I can be here for my child(ren) during the day but also get a lot done. I’ve owned Modern Nursery for the last 5 years, but it’s been so awesome to be able to see things through a completely new lens over the past 2 years, as a mom myself. I’m able to better relate to our customers, source better products and understand better what parents are really looking for.

Bumbleride:

Being a mom and testing the products first-hand really does give you the best knowledge in the business. What started you on your journey to being an eco-conscious and holistically minded parent?

Amber:

Brian and I got married a few years ago and although I already considered myself healthy, he really inspired me to upgrade many parts of my life to healthier choices. I realized the importance of not only what we put in our body (organic whole foods, etc.) but also what we are exposed to from outside our bodies. Things like cleaning supplies, treatments on fabrics, fragrances, skin care. Then recognizing the toxins in the kitchen like plastic cookware, etc. I could go on and on! Once I made those changes, after 18 months of infertility, I was finally pregnant with our first and realized how toxic load works and that we need to minimize our toxic load as much as possible. Naturally, babies have much more sensitive bodies than we do so the idea that companies out there have no trouble manufacturing baby products which cause more harm than good, was shocking to me. I made a commitment to run this business differently. Even if it meant having to remove many brands and products, we would have a higher standard than any other baby product retailers and would demand more from the brands with whom we work.

Bumbleride:

Thank you for sharing your real-life experience – I know it will be inspirational and informative to new and possibly overwhelmed parents-to-be. When thinking about the large task of building a baby registry, can you give some advice to new parents to ease the overwhelm?

Amber:

I remember being pregnant with my first and even being in this business, being totally overwhelmed! Now that I’ve been through it and not only know which products work the best functionally, I also know which are the safest for babies. We have a great new service where I will personally review a registry and will make swap suggestions based on what is there, as well as suggestions for additional items which we love to use as parents. It’s a complimentary service and I really love being able to collaborate with parents and help them to find the ideal products. Many of them are not even sold through our store (like skincare items, etc) but still happy to make suggestions on those too!

Bumbleride:

This is gold! And complimentary as well. This is an amazing service that you offer. To get the conversation going even further, what are some of the main concerns you have with baby products and how do you vet those you choose for Modern Nursery as well as your family?

Amber:

Chemical fire retardants used in baby products are at the top of my list of no-nos and have no business in being there. There are so many products out there which use naturally fire-retardant materials, which are just as functional in resisting catching on fire and aren’t toxic to children’s health. PFAS, which are chemicals used for waterproofing and stain proofing, are also hormone disruptors and are something we definitely avoid. Our entire website is free of any chemical fire-retardant products, and we will not bring new products in which have FRs or PFAS. Bottom line- if we wouldn’t consider using it for our family, we will not sell it on our site. This did result in having to remove a number of products from our site, some from very reputable brands. We could not in good conscience continue to sell them once we learned of the harmful health effects they manifest.

Bumbleride:

I guess here is where you unveil your top 10 Non-Toxic or Low-Tox baby products for parents looking to you for your expertise. 😊

Amber:

Organic crib mattress (here’s a blog post and video we made comparing the best of the best)
FR-Free car seat. Our personal favorite car seat brand is Nuna. Visit our website to view which Nuna car seats are compatible with Bumbleride stroller models.
A great non-toxic stroller which an infant car seat can click into. We love the Bumbleride Indie stroller and absolutely love the Organic Cotton infant insert for newborns and Organic Cotton Seat Liner. We got the Bumbleride Indie Twin for baby #2.
Cloth diapers! We live by Esembly. Not only are they organic cotton but they will save you over $1600 per child over using disposable diapers!
Organic cotton clothing. Remember your baby spends close to 24 hours per day with the clothing against their skin so it’s so important. We actually rent our baby’s clothes through UpChoose and you can add the subscription to your registry!
Glass bottles- we personally really like Lifefactory.
Greenguard Gold certified nursery furniture
Baby Bjorn Bouncer Bliss
Finn + Emma play gym
Nuna Sena Aire playyard

Bumbleride:

Looks to me like the perfect foundation for any registry. Any other advice you want to share?

Amber:

When it comes to low-tox/non-tox living, do what you can and don’t stress about the rest. Fear and stress are just as harmful to the human body as external toxins. Make the changes you can, especially inside your home, as that’s where your baby has the most exposure. If you go to a friend’s house with plastic toys, don’t fret. It’s all good and life is about balance. Mindful changes DO add up!

Thank you for reading! And please share this with any parents-to-be that could use some help with their registry.