Many new parents get hand-me-down cribs from relatives or find antique options while thrifting. This makes finding the best baby-safe paint for cribs imperative when they want to remodel their finds. Unfortunately, most commercially available paints, including many chalk paint options, have harmful chemicals. However, old-fashioned milk paint such as Real Milk Paint® is a safe alternative for your baby’s nursery. Use this comprehensive guide on baby-safe paint for cribs to learn more about how to keep your baby’s nursery fun, colorful, and safe.
Importance of Baby-Safe Paint for Cribs
Children’s hands are always grasping, and little mouths are always chewing, so anything your baby touches (including baby furniture) needs to be food contact safe. Additionally, baby-safe paints like milk paint usually have zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so they don’t emit an unpleasant odor that might irritate your child. Likewise, some older cribs may even have dangerous finishes, requiring removal of the current paint or stain. Use options like Soy-Gel Professional Paint Remover before repainting the surface with a baby-safe paint for cribs like Real Milk Paint® if you need an option that encapsulates harmful chemicals such as lead.
Top Nontoxic Baby-Safe Paint for Cribs Alternatives
There are lots of different baby-safe paint options on the market, aside from nontoxic paints like milk paints. These conventional paint and commercial paint options typically have their selling points, but they’re also potentially problematic when you need a baby-safe paint for cribs.
Water-Based Acrylic Paints
While water-based paints like acrylic paint typically use mostly natural ingredients and tout nontoxic formulations, there are some drawbacks. For instance, even these natural paints sometimes have a noxious odor, especially when painting in tighter spaces. Likewise, an ultra matte chalk finish paint isn’t always durable enough to handle the demands of use on baby furniture and furnishings.
Low-VOC and Zero-VOC Paints
Most low-VOC paints and zero-VOC paint solutions have environmentally friendly formulations with a low odor, but they’re not always the most durable alternatives to milk paint. And while many of these country chic paints look good, they’re not always safe for food contact and may provide a false sense of security as to their levels of safety.
Plant-Based Paints
Plant-based paints typically don’t have volatile organic compounds, but that doesn’t mean they’re always safe. Like other low-VOC paints and zero-VOC paint brands, low-odor formulations with all-natural ingredients aren’t always safe for children. Another drawback is that pigments tend to be duller in plant-based paints, so it can be difficult to get the right look.
Why Real Milk Paint Is the Top Choice for Baby Cribs
Real Milk Paint comes out on top when you’re looking for the best nontoxic paint for baby cribs. The reasons for this include an all-natural formulation ideal for wooden furniture that’s safe for food contact, babies and the environment. Color selection and durability also puts our milk paint finish on top when you need a high-quality alternative to conventional paint that doesn’t contribute to air pollution.
Natural Ingredients and No Toxic Chemicals
Coat your baby’s crib with a true milk paint made from all-natural, nontoxic ingredients like milk proteins when you use Real Milk Paint®. No toxic chemicals in the formulation makes our water-based milk paint a zero-VOC paint. It has a low odor for pleasant use while you’re painting and after your baby’s crib dries.
Eco-Friendly and Safe for Babies
Formulated to reduce indoor air pollution, Real Milk Paint® is also biodegradable and compostable for easy disposal if you mix a little too much while painting your baby’s crib. Additionally, our genuine milk paint has a food-contact-safe finish that doesn’t leach harsh chemicals onto little hands or into little mouths.
Customizable Colors and Finishes
Get the exact look you want by choosing from 56 gorgeous colors of Real Milk Paint®. Our furniture paint comes in colors ranging from pale and basic to rich and vibrant, helping you personalize the look of your baby’s crib. Our water-based paint also distresses well to help you create a customized finish when you want to attain the on-trend look of a country chic paint job.
Long-Lasting Durability
A Real Milk Paint finish stands up to the demands and challenges of use on your baby’s crib. To enhance its durability and washability, we recommend using a topcoat like our water-based acrylic finishing creams and glazes. These clear or tinted topcoats are perfect for interior applications, providing added protection and easy cleaning with soap and water, ensuring a quick and convenient way to keep your baby’s room tidy.
How to Paint a Crib With Real Milk Paint
Before you start applying your crib paint, first gather your supplies. These include:
- Wood cleaner
- Wood filler
- Clean, lint-free cloths
- Milk paints in your choice of colors
- Sandpaper or a hand sander
- Paintbrushes or paint sprayer
- Tack cloth
Preparing the Crib for Painting
The first step for preparing your baby crib for painting depends on whether it’s previously used or a baby crib made from raw wood. If the surface already has a finish, you either need to remove that finish if it potentially contains toxic chemicals or sand it down a bit if it’s already baby-safe. If you discover any flaws you wish to repair, use Real Wood Filler to fix the wood grain, wipe away the excess with a putty knife and sand the surface once dry. The next step is the same regardless of the baby crib construction: Clean the surface thoroughly with a reliable wood cleaner such as our Tri-Sodium Phosphate and let the nursery furniture dry.
Mixing and Applying Real Milk Paint
Before applying our old-fashioned milk paint, place your nursery furniture or baby crib on the tack cloth to keep drips off your flooring. Next, mix our no-VOC paint, which comes in a powdered form, at a 1:1 ratio with water or to a custom consistency that works for your piece. Keep in mind if you’re using a device to spray paint that you might want to experiment with thinner consistencies to achieve a smooth finish. Once you have the right consistency, apply the first coat to the baby crib, and use a small, round wax brush to get even coverage on little details like spindles. After the first coat dries a couple of hours, brush or spray paint on for a second coat, and let the nursery furniture dry overnight.
Achieving a Smooth and Even Finish
Real Milk Paint® features a forgiving formulation that delivers a matte finish. If you want to add customized details by distressing your baby crib, nursery furniture or cabinets, you can do so during this step with low-VOC finishing creams that complement our no-VOC paints by providing your choice of a dead flat, low sheen or gloss finish. Our finishing glazes offer a simple way to add a slight patina of age to your DIY nursery furniture project.
Sealing and Protecting Your Painted Crib
If you simply want to protect your freshly painted baby crib or nursery furniture from bumps and dings, consider finishing products like Wood Wax or Hemp Oil. Wood Wax is an all-natural, food-safe wax made from plant-based ingredients, perfect for sealing raw wood or over milk paint. Hemp Oil, a versatile and eco-friendly option, dries to a matte finish and is safe for food contact surfaces. Both provide a natural way to preserve the look of furnishings in your baby’s room.
Embrace Milk Paint for the Safest and Most Stylish Crib Solution
When you need the best baby-safe paint for cribs and other projects, turn to Real Milk Paint® by the Real Milk Paint Co. for a dependable paint for baby cribs. Sustainable products made from all-natural ingredients make our milk paints a dependable alternative to commercial paint like home decor chalk paint, acrylic paint, latex paint and other options by zero-VOC paint brands.
