Are you a new mom or do you have a little one in your life? If so, you may be wondering if there are benefits to using organic cotton for their babies. Here’s a brief guide that shows why organic cotton can be beneficial for your baby. After all, mothers attach a lot of importance to the clothes their babies wear.
Let’s start!
Organic Cotton Benefits
Organic cotton is an ideal material for children’s products. Cotton presents a low risk of skin allergies and irritations, it has a natural feel that babies love to rub against, organic cotton requires fewer pesticides to grow, and the process used to turn regular cotton into organic cotton doesn’t rely on harsh chemicals or dyes. Organic cotton babywear offers many benefits for your child’s health as well as for the environment.
Since organic cotton does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in its cultivation, farming this kind of crop protects groundwater supplies by reducing the number of pollutants entering them. Pesticides are also not used during processing which cuts down on air pollution caused by factories using harmful chemicals to treat clothes before they arrive at your local store.
Since there are no harsh chemicals used in processing organic cotton, it is softer to the touch than regular cotton. This type of fabric has unique properties that make it very gentle on tender skin and lessens the chance for rashes caused by chemical irritations.
Washing Organic Cotton
There are a few ways to wash organic cotton. One way is to hand wash it in cool water with a gentle detergent. You can also machine wash it in cool water on the delicate cycle, or you can use a wet bag and wash it in the washing machine.
Wash on cold, then do another rinse cycle with cold water. The last step is to dry them in your dryer on low heat for about an hour or hang them in the sun to dry. It’s not necessary to dry them completely to keep their integrity; just getting most of the moisture out will suffice.
Laundry detergents for organic cotton
According to pink to blue’s research, eco-friendly and organic laundry detergents were available at local shops and markets, including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Wholefoods.
No harsh chemicals are used in these detergents. Instead, plant and mineral ingredients are used. In addition to being naturally derived, these fragrances are also cruelty-free.
Is it okay to dry cotton?
Cotton should, however, be dried with caution. Putting clothes made of 100 percent cotton in the dryer may cause them to shrink. (Even so, most cotton blends can survive drying without shrinking.)
To prevent shrinkage, some people choose to line dry their clothes made of organic cotton.
It is not safe to use most fabric softeners on these types of cotton because the softener can make the cotton less absorbent, and it also contains ingredients that may irritate a baby’s skin. Some doctors recommend avoiding fabric softeners altogether when caring for a newborn since they can cause contact dermatitis in babies with sensitive skin.
To reduce shrinkage when drying organic cotton clothing, either line dries instead of machine drying, or tumble dry on low heat until damp and remove before completely drying. Although Cotton can withstand higher temperatures, it can still affect your garments and shorten their life. Some detergents also contain chemicals that can be irritating. Choose a detergent that is free of dyes, perfumes, and optical brighteners.
Comparisons Between Cotton and Other Materials
Organic cotton vs silk
Silk is smooth but the fibers are very thin. The strands of organically grown cotton are much thicker than those of silk. Therefore there is much less chance that your baby will break the fabric strand while chewing on it. Also, because organic cotton absorbs moisture better than silk, it feels dryer against your skin even after washing.
Organic cotton vs viscose
Viscose is made from wood cellulose fibers. Wood has tiny, microscopic barbs on its surface which can irritate baby’s skin if the fabric touches their face while they are sleeping. This problem doesn’t exist with organic cotton. Furthermore, because of its smooth texture, viscose material tends to pill easily if handled roughly by your baby while they are playing on the floor or anywhere close to the ground.
Organic cotton vs microfiber
Microfiber absorbs moisture very well but not as well as organic cotton. Since it’s made from synthetic material, microfiber doesn’t breathe as easily as organic cotton, making it feel hot and heavy against your baby’s skin.
Organic Cotton vs Wool
Organic cotton has been grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but wool has been treated with many chemicals during processing. Although wool can irritate your baby’s skin, it is okay to wear it as outerwear. Moreover, clothing made of cotton will keep your baby cooler in hot weather than synthetic clothes.
Organic Cotton vs Synthetic Fabric
Synthetic fabrics are made from petrochemicals, which come from crude oil. These fabrics tend to be very stiff and can cause skin irritation. They also do not “breathe” in the same way as natural fibers like organic cotton and wool.
Organic Cotton vs Rayon
Rayon is made from wood pulp, which is a natural fiber. However, the process of turning wood pulp into rayon requires many harsh chemicals that is not always environment friendly
Organic cotton vs regular cotton
Regular Cotton has a high susceptibility to tearing while organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals so it is much stronger and is less susceptible to tears.
Organic cotton can be a little more expensive than conventionally grown cotton, but it’s worth it. For one thing, organic cotton is much softer and more absorbent than conventional cotton. It’s also less likely to cause skin irritation or allergies. And of course, choosing organic products helps to reduce the number of toxic chemicals released into our environment.
Whether you are a new mom or have a little one in your life, it is useful to know the benefits of organic cotton for babies. Hopefully, the information in this article was helpful and you feel a little more informed about what organic cotton is. The benefits of using organic fabric for your baby are clear, so why not give it a try?
