Are new berber carpets bad for babies health/development due to volatile organic compounds, dust mites, etc?

Berber carpets: Yes the carpet can give your child allery symptoms. I wouldnt encourge your child to crawl on the carpet because of the things you mentioned and because of the wool as well.

In some cases yes...: It's wise for all of us to minimize exposure to voc's & it is wise to esp. Protect our babies. Voc's come not only from carpets but carpet pads & in many cases the glue used is the greatest source. Fortunately, low voc options for all of these exist. Carpets give off the most voc's in the first weeks after installation so minimizing exposure at that time is esp. Important.See http://bit.Ly/1c27z4f.