Adding plants to your home is one of the best ways to liven up your space and add some color! Some of these plants also purify the air and remove toxins from your home! However, curious babies and toddlers tend to explore house plants with both their hands and their mouth. So, it is important to assure that all plants in your home are non-toxic and safe for your little ones in case they get into them! This list of easy non-toxic indoor plants will help you achieve a beautiful plant filled home that is safe for little ones and virtually maintenance free!
This post is all about non-toxic indoor plants that are super hard to kill! (coming from someone whose killed a cactus before)
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Non-Toxic Indoor Plants
What toxic indoor plants should I avoid?
Like they say, out with the old and in with the new. Before you go out and purchase any of these non-toxic indoor plants, you should first make sure to research any plants that you already have in your home to make sure that they are safe for your little ones. Many common houseplants are actually toxic and unsafe for homes with children. If you have any of the following plants, you should consider either getting rid of them or assuring that they are completely out of reach of any little hands.
- Snake Plants
- Aloe Plants
- Ficus Tree
- English Ivy
- Alocasia
- Some Jade Plants
- ZZ plant
- Lilies and Peace Lilies
- Philodendron
- Oleander
- Hyacinth
Disclosure: Please remember to do your own research before purchasing and placing any of the following non-toxic indoor plants in your home. Non-toxic plants can still cause reactions in some children. It is best to keep plants out of reach whenever possible and to teach your children to stay out of your plants. If your child does show signs of a reaction such as a rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing, make sure to seek urgent medical attention from a professional.
What non-toxic indoor plants are hard to kill?
I have killed MANY plants and being a mom now I’m even more likely to get busy and forget to water them. These plants are perfect for anyone who loves plants but hates the maintenance of them.
1. Parlor Palm
The parlor palm is one of the easiest palms to grow for the beginner gardener. It is almost maintenance free. It is also a great non-toxic indoor plant option if you are looking for a larger plant or a floor plant. It does well in indirect low light and only needs watered once every 1-2 weeks. Do your best to avoid placing this plant right next to a window, as direct light can be harmful to the palms.
Buy It: Parlor Palm
2. Hen and Chicks (Houseleeks)
The hen and chick plant gets its name because the middle of the plant (“the hen”) is always producing more and more “chicks.” This is a great plant to purchase if you want to propagate a succulent to grow others for elsewhere in your home (or they make great gifts!). This plant needs very little soil and can even grow in rocks! They also only need watered about once a week.
Buy it: Hen and Chicks Succulent
3. Donkey's Tail
Donkey’s tail is an evergreen succulent that is extremely resilient. If it is forgotten or neglected when life gets crazy, it will be just fine. A heavy watering once a month is all this plant needs! While donkey’s tail is non-toxic, you may still want to consider keeping this plant out of reach since the small pieces of the plant may break off if your toddler grabs it. The best spot for this plant is on a window sill or in a hanging pot. Donkey’s Tail will grow to be between two and four feet long in just six years!
Buy it: Donkey’s Tail
4. Chinese Money Plant
The Chinese money plant has many other fun names, such as coin plant, pancake plant, and UFO plant. This plant gets its name(s) from it’s very uniquely shaped leaves, which make it a fun addition to the decor in your home. The Chinese money plant does best in medium to bright indirect light and when watered approximately once a week.
Buy it: Chinese Money Plant
5. Air Plants
Air plants are just about the easiest plant you can find. Since they draw their moisture from the air instead of soil, they can be placed in any planter and simply need misted every 4-5 days. Air plants are a fun way to decorate any area in your home. This macrame style air plant hanger is a beautiful way to display these plants in your home!
Buy it: Air Plant
6. Prayer Plant
“Prayer Plant,” by pfly, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
The prayer plant get its name from its leaves, which fold together at night. The prayer plant is extremely durable, does well with low light, and can tolerate an inconsistent watering schedule. While not required, they do best if they are misted regularly.
Buy it: Prayer Plant
7. Baby Rubber Plant
“Peperomia obtusifolia (baby rubber plant) 1,” by James St. John, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Baby rubber plants will stay relatively small if grown indoors (not surpassing 2 feet tall). This makes them a great option for any space in your home where you want to add a little bit of greenery. Baby rubber plants do best in medium indirect light and can also tolerate low light. Your baby rubber plant will need watered every 1-2 weeks. Do note that while the baby rubber plant is a non-toxic plant option for your home, the standard rubber plants often sold in stores are mildly toxic. So, be sure to check what type of rubber plant you are purchasing.
Buy it: Baby Rubber Plant
8. Spider Plant
“Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) 1. jpg,” by Mokkie, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Don’t worry, this plant DOES NOT get it’s name because it attracts spiders or other creepy crawlers! The spider plant gets its name from a belief long ago that its leaves were an antidote for spider bites. These plants prefer to grow in light shade and receive a light watering every week or so. Fortunately, spider plants are known for their resiliency. However, this plant can be sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in water. So, if you have city water, you may want to purchase distilled water or simply let your water sit out overnight to evaporate the chlorine out of it.
Buy it: Spider Plant
9. Moth Orchid
If you are looking for a pretty flowering plant that is child safe, moth orchids are a great choice. They are reasonably priced, come in lots of different colors, and are very easy to care for. Since they like warm and shady conditions, they are really the perfect houseplant. Moth orchids do best in an orchid potting mix if possible but will do fine in any airy mix. Orchids also do best in a clear pot that lets light get to the roots. A clear pot is also great to help avoid overwatering as orchids only need watered about once a week. Do make sure that you purchase a moth orchid as some other types of orchids are toxic.
Buy it: Moth Orchid
10. African Violet
The African violet is another beautiful flowering plant for your home. Although many flowering plants flower less when grown indoors, the African violet will still flower multiple times a year when it is kept indoors. The African violet may need watered as little as once a month. Be sure to allow it to dry out in between waterings. When watering this plant be careful not to pour water over the leaves because it may damage them. Using a watering spout placed directly into the soil is the best way to water this plant and protect the leaves.
Buy it: African Violet
11. Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactuses are beautiful plants that flower from early winter to late winter. This plant will adapt to low light but will bloom more readily with lots of indirect bright light. The Christmas cactus needs watered only every 2-3 weeks. Once they have stopped flowering they require even less waterings as it goes dormant.
Buy it: Christmas Cactus
12. Venus Fly Trap
The venus fly trap was one of my favorite plants as a kid! I loved poking the leaves to watch them close and feeding it ants I found outside. Venus fly traps are a little more work than the other plants in this list since they don’t get their nutrients from the soil. However, they are a great plant for older kids to enjoy and learn about. Venus fly traps should only be fed 1-2 bugs per month and need lots of sunlight and water. They should be placed near a window and be watered every other day. Venus fly traps are used to growing in bogs so they really aren’t in danger of being overwatered
Buy it: Venus Fly Trap
13. Baby Tears
Ironically, the baby tears plant is actually a great non-toxic indoor plant option for households with small children. This plant is perfect for a hanging basket or wall shelves, draping down beautifully into the room, yet safe if it gets in the hands of a curious toddler. This plant needs to be watered once a week and prefer a wide, shallow pot to spread out. The baby tears plant does best with higher humidity so bathrooms are the ideal place to keep this plant!
Buy it: Baby Tears
14. Lipstick Plant
“Aeschynanthus pulcher, Lipstick Plant.jpg,” by M.NABIL, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0/ image cropped
The lipstick plant is one of my favorite non-toxic indoor plants. This plant gets its name from it’s flower, which strongly resembles a tube of lipstick. The lipstick plant is super easy to grow and does well in any generic potting soil. The only thing you need to be careful of with a lipstick plant is overwatering. Using a pot with holes in the bottom can help to avoid this.
Buy it: Lipstick Plant
This post was all about easy non-toxic indoor plants that literally anyone can grow! Whether you are an avid gardener or just beginning, I hope you will give one of these beautiful plants a try in your home.
-Beautifully Busy Mom
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Meet the Author
This post was written by Monica, a busy mom of two known for being able to kill a cactus. Yet, she has had multiple of these plants for years! They truly are invincible.
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