True story: Andrew has made a tinfoil hat for me to wear around the house.

This is his way of comically acknowledging that I can be a bit extra when it comes to addressing what I perceive to be potential health threats for our family. And EMF exposure has been a big issue for me for a while—specifically, worrying about its potential impact on cellular development and overall health. And I’m not alone in these concerns.

This is something that’s been on my radar for a long time, since I was pregnant with our son over eight years ago. And yes, I am fully aware you are likely judging me right now. It’s all good, I’m used to it. 😉

And I thought during this week when we are talking health trends, it would be a good time to talk all about some simple ways I monitor and manage EMF exposure in our home. Let’s dig in!

Simple Ways to Minimize Your Family’s EMF Exposure (from a Non-Expert)

What Does EMF Stand For, and Is It Really Dangerous?

EMF is short for electromagnetic, or in some cases electromotive, forces, which are naturally emitted from the sun, as well as devices and technologies that are part and parcel of many technologies we enjoy today—namely cell phones, WiFi, and other “pluggable” electric devices.

Some people don’t think twice about them; after all, they are a side effect of the most life-changing technology humans have experienced to date.

But Anxious Annie over here has been obsessing about the potential side effects for years, and while I can’t provide scientific evidence of its exact impact, it is enough of an issue for many people to have spurned entire websites and courses dedicated to minimizing its potential impact on our health.

So today I am here to share the ways I minimize and mitigate our family’s exposure to EMF, in case this is something that has also crossed your mind.

Bear in mind, this is just what I do for our family. This article should not be considered medical or scientific advice. (Duh.)

How I Mitigate our Exposure to EMFs

Know Your Exposure

This might be the most important step. Knowing the EMF levels around your house can help you decide what, if any, changes you want to make.

I bought an EMF meter from Amazon (this one is similar) and have used it to measure output near WiFi hubs, electronic devices, and outlets. Knowing the areas that have the highest output can help you decide where to move things.

For example, we installed the WiFi routers in rooms that are farthest from our kids’ rooms—as far as possible, at least. Putting the router in a room where your kids are not spending tons of time is key.

I also make a practice of trying to keep their beds away from outlets, another potential area of output, since they spend so much sleeping.

Worth noting: EMF decreases significantly with distance, so even moving away a few inches from a router or device will drastically lower exposure. Even a few inches can mean more safety!

Consider Protective Devices for Electronics

While it might seem like EMF is everywhere (it is), taking small steps to protect yourself and your family are pretty easy, I’ve found.

And the bonus is that it gives me a sense of control around this; while I can’t tear down nearby cell phone towers (ha), I know I can take small steps that I’m hoping add up to better protection in the long run.

In our old house, I used to unplug the WiFi nightly. This isn’t an option in our new house, so instead I focus on mitigating exposure when possible, especially with handheld wireless devices.

I bought these iPad covers by DefenderShield for the kids, which are made to block a large amount of EMF output from iPads or other notebook devices. I have measured output from the kids’ iPads both with and without these covers, and the difference is appreciable. Note: These are not protective of the iPads themselves; if your kids are young or drop their devices often, just know that this won’t provide much protection against breaks!

The same company makes iPhone cases that block EMF, but I haven’t personally gotten one of those yet.

If you don’t want to invest in a cover, the best advice to prevent unnecessary exposure from electronic devices is to simply keep them as far from your body as possible. I’m constantly telling the kids, “Don’t let that iPad rest on your lap! Move it onto a pillow!” Annoying? Likely. But safer!

Finally, some people use EMF-protective house paint to minimize EMF exposure. I have no personal experience with this, but here is a good primer to which options are out there, and how to use them.

Continue to Educate Yourself

While this is a developing field of research and interest, something else you can do is stay on top of the latest information, so you can make decisions best for yourself and your family.

I subscribe to updates from the EMF Academy, periodically search the blogs of some of my favorite doctors and experts, and I also seek out podcasts that may cover the topic. Here’s a great episode by best-selling author and holistic doctor, Dr. Hyman, and I also love this one, from one of my favorites, Dr. Christian Gonzalez of the Heal Thy Self podcast.