FAQ: What type of paint & varnish do babyhood cots use?

Increasingly, parents are wanting to know what sort of paint is used on their baby's cot, and for good reason. Your baby will spend a lot of time touching and sleeping on their cot, so it's natural to want to know what's on the surface.

At babyhood all of the paint and varnish finishes on our furniture are water based and non-toxic.  This paint is tested to a mandatory safety requirement of the Australian/ New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS 8124:2012), which assesses the amount of heavy metals that can migrate from toys or nursery products. This means our coatings are safer for your baby and designed to meet strict independent safety standards.

Why we don't use hard chemical sealants

Our paint is custom made for our products and the colours will not be the same as other manufacturer’s colours, or paint colours of the same name in other brands.

You may notice that we don't use hard glossy sealants like some adult furniture pieces. This is intentional. Many hard sealants contain solvents or chemical compounds that can be harmful, especially if a baby is teething and mouthing the cot*. By keeping our paint and varnish water based and low in VOC's, we lower potential risks, while also creating a piece of furniture that's durable and beautiful for your home.

What to do if your cot is chipped or damaged

The paints and stain finishes we use are custom made and are not available to purchase from us. If you wish to repaint your product, we recommend that you take a part of the product down to your local hardware or paint store for colour matching in the store, with a safe non toxic paint or stain.

* Please note, we do not recommend that baby teeths or mouths the cot as it may damage the paint or varnish finish. We take all precautions with the paint and varnish that we use to ensure baby isn't harmed if they do.