Organic Cotton clothing for children is vital

The Healthy Children Project recommends ” buying clothing, bedding and furniture made of natural fibers, such as cotton and wool, which do not melt near heat and as such do not need to contain flame-retardants.” Contrary to what you might hear, baby sleepwear doesn’t have to be flame-resistant. Natural fabrics, like cotton, are acceptable but must fit snugly to be safe and should be labeled that way. Organic wool is naturally flame resistant and does not even have to be snug-fitting.  Most clothing produced today is grown and manufactured with toxic chemicals. The garment industry is well-known for being chemically intensive and polluting. Synthetic and conventional cotton can also cause harm as most of them are allergenic and emit harmful gasses.

Fortunately there is a safe and sustainable choice that can be made by informed consumers. Organic cotton and wool are the best choices for children. They feel softer, last longer and protect the developing systems of babies and toddlers. Because they are free from dangerous chemicals, organic cotton and wool breath and allow for moisture absorption. SIDS is not found in developing countries where natural or organic sleeping surfaces are the norm. Organic fertilizers, manual crop rotation and integrated pest management all work with nature instead of against it. Organic farmers in Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Missouri are preserving and revitalizing the honorable American tradition of the family farm. You can support this ideal by purchasing organic cotton and wool whenever possible, educating yourself and buying organic foods. Pass your organic clothing on to others, use environmentally-friendly detergents and body care products, and hang your clothes to dry. To be absolutely sure your child’s sleepwear does not contain flame-retardants, synthetics, or pesticides, the tags must say “wear snug fitting, not flame retardant” and “100% organic.”

“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to health. The diseases we are beginning to see as the major cause of death in the later part of the 1900s and into the 20th century are diseases of chemical origin.”
Dr. Dick Irwin, Toxicologist at Texas A&M University