plastic is made from petroleum, think about how baby toys and gadgets are made from plastic. (fumes)
think about how much baby stuff is made from PVC (fumes) - bibs, nappy change mats, nappy bags, change table foam mats covered with pvc, mattress protectors for the cot/bed, toys.
i put foam baby stuff in the same catergory.

a baby can't read, so i don't get teh ABC 123 idea. a baby needs textures and smells to explore, things to grasp, things to gum on - i don't understand why foam mats are seen as a positive thing for a baby to play on. It's been widely understood for years, that babies can die, thru swallowing the little balls of foam inside beanbags. it's not a huge stretch to think that sometimes babies/toddlers would take a piece of a foam mat and break it/snap it into smaller pieces, which they might put in their mouths - - -

this topic is a mystery to me.
just because a baby product is produced, manufactured and sold, does not mean it is necessarily a good idea for a baby, or even SAFE for a baby.

I never realised (before i had a child), how LITTLE baby products are monitored. it's a capitalist society, i know, but i had naively assumed that there would be rules to make sure only SAFE products were allowed to be sold. i have since discovered so many things, that contain dangerous toxins, are sold in containers that are not childproof that should be, so many toys made out of things that i believe are harmful or potentially harmful for children.

Having a child, has made me explore things, in a way i never did before, because now, i am not just responsible for me, i am responsible for a growing little person. And that has made me investigate stuff on a whole deeper level. Not as much as an activist or consumer advocate would, but much more than i ever had before in my life.