Textiles Under the Magnifying Glass of an Informed Mom

I’ve been reading a lot about baby clothing lately and I am stunned by just how shallow some people can be. I mean, I don’t hold anything against major brands (I love wearing their pieces too) but when it comes to little kids, I’d wait a second and give it a thought or two. When Matthew was a baby, I was so careful about his surroundings that I was always taking care that he didn’t breath in something poisonous, not touch anything that could cause him problems and rashes and not to talk about the food. The same went for the clothing pieces I bought for him – reading the label was the first thing I did (and I still do as a matter of fact).

Many of you would say that it doesn’t really make a big difference whether a piece of clothing is made from cotton or polyester, but as someone who likes to lead a fully clean and detoxified lifestyle, even the clothes and sleeping sheets matter big time. Additionally, maybe the skin of grown ups isn’t as sensitive and we’ve developed some kind of resistance towards harmful substances over the years, but baby skin is as sensitive as it gets. Therefore, in my opinion, it would be just cruel to put a little baby in a let’s say, polyester pyjamas.

I did quite the research on the matter of baby-friendly textiles and here’s the information I found, maybe some of you will find it useful.

100% cotton made is everyone’s first choice, always. And since cotton is soft, comfortable and neutral in its effect on the skin, it’s a good choice. However, that doesn’t mean that cotton products aren’t processed in any manner – they still undergo some procedures. There’s pre-washed organic cotton that’s also 100% natural and as such, it is often used for making baby pyjamas and onesies.

organic-bamboo-baby

Among the organic and natural textiles present on the clothing market is organic bamboo, whose fibres are also used in the production of clothes. Organic bamboo baby products are a good choice because they offer comfort and warmth and are also less treated with chemicals (as much as we’d want to, there’s simply no 100% untreated textile). I used organic bamboo baby products – a cot sheet and baby blanket in particular. Thanks to the anti-bacterial properties of the bamboo, these products prevented the smell during Matthew’s night sweating from spreading and becoming an environment for the growth of bacteria. This is also beneficial for the baby’s skin and allergy susceptibility.

Other natural materials that are worth mentioning as baby products are cashmere, soft wool (not the one used for adult knitwear, as this type would irritate the baby’s skin) and linen for summer. These are all considered natural, organic textiles since they are initially made from plants.

You should also be familiar with synthetic materials. You can find out which one is synthetics and which one is not by reading the label right. Synthetic materials are all materials that undergo the chemical process of polymerization, thus, polyester, rayon, modal, spandex and nylon are all in this group.

I won’t say that every baby without any exception should be dressed in clothes made only from natural and completely organic materials. Some babies simply don’t have any reaction to materials, and for them it is perfectly fine to be dressed even in a combination of cotton and viscose, for example. The point is, you need to know when your baby shows a reaction to textile so you can prevent it from developing into allergy.

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