Parent alert!  Do you know that the fabric that is normally available in stores are produced with chemicals that may be harmful to your baby’s health.  Traditionally grown fibers are usually grown with pesticides and fertilizers.  When they go into production, solvents, chlorine, heavy metals and formaldehyde-based compounds usually figure into the equation.  These chemicals are used to soften and brighten the fabric and make the fabric resistant to stain and flame.  Of course, when you buy clothes for your baby, you make sure that they are properly washed.  But still, these clothes will retain some traces of these chemicals.  We don’t see it, we may not even be aware of it, but it’s there.  When these garments touch our baby’s skin, they can cause negative reactions to our child.  These range from rashes, asthma, irritations in the nose and eyes, and in some severe cases, even cancer. 

Your baby’s skin is much more delicate and susceptible to allergic reactions than your skin. This is because the defense mechanisms that are present in adults are still not developed in your infant. His skin is thinner and less oily. Harmful chemicals can easily pass into his skin because it is more porous than yours. And you can imagine the degree of exposure your baby has, as he wears his clothes practically 24 hours of the day!

An excellent alternative to this would be to use organic clothes for your baby. What does “organic” mean? When you say that something is certified organic, it means that it is produced in such a way that promotes biodiversity and the minimum negative impact on our environment. It also means that no chemicals and fertilizers are used. Instead, they use more environment friendly farming methods, such as removing the weeds physically rather than spraying the plants with herbicides, rotating crops to maintain soil quality and using insects that help the ecosystem. There are strict guidelines before a product is certified as organic.

You will easily find organic products in the supermarket. Usually associated with food products, there is an increasing demand in all things organic. People are more aware of the need to veer away from products that can increase our exposure to toxins, and thus to diseases related to them. More and more, people are choosing a lifestyle that includes organic products.

Now, you can extend this choice to clothes. Organic clothes are best for babies, especially those whose skins are sensitive and prone to rashes. You can be sure that organic clothes are produced in a chemical-free environment and only use all-natural processes. This is because organic farming and cloth production is highly regulated to ensure that they follow the rigid standards set for organic products. The materials used for the clothes come from pesticide and fertilizer-free fields. Only manure and natural compost are used. Once the materials go into production, no bleaches and other chemicals are used

Some of the materials used for organic clothing include hemp, soy, cotton, bamboo, wool and even silk. Of course, because of the effort expended into producing organic clothing, it is more expensive than the ordinary cloth. But when you think of the good it does, not just for our baby’s health, but for our environment as well, the expense is well worth it. In addition, organic fabric is more durable. When you buy a conventionally produced piece of clothing, you will notice that it starts to wear after you have used and washed it 10 or so times. However, organic clothing, since it is produced by more natural means tend to last for as many as 100 washes before it starts to wear down.

There are other environmental benefits to using organic clothes as well. For instance, since cotton is not a food product, all the pesticides and fertilizers used in its production is not regulated by the government. As these pesticides are sprayed into the plants, these chemicals seep into the ground and leach off into the surrounding waters. In turn, livestock eat cotton and drink water that are contaminated with the pesticides. So really, when we avoid the use of products that are not organic, we lessen the demand for these products. Less demand will convert to less production.

That is why, for our children’s sake, we urge you to choose organic clothing. You not only minimize their exposure to harmful toxins but also ensure that our environment is healthier, water quality is protected, less pesticides are used and what’s more, organic clothing feels so great on the skin!

Choose to go organic when it comes to buying clothes for your baby. After all, the saying “Parents know best” is true.