Organic cotton?
Rose Maimonide, author of the book "Baby - 100% natural without additives", has written this article for us about organic cotton.
Remember that all our cotton at Naturebaby is 100% organic and most of it is even GOTS certified and Oeko-Tex®. So safe and sustainable as it can be.
By Rose Maimonide, rosemaimonide.com
When is a onesie actually organic? Is it the one that is Oeko-Tex®? And what is organic cotton good for - we're not supposed to eat the clothes?!
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Clothing without chemicals
Did you know |
Wash the clothes before use
New textiles made of conventional cotton should always be washed several times before use. This way, the worst chemicals such as formaldehyde and potentially toxic excess dye are rinsed out of the clothes. But some of the harmful substances cannot simply be rinsed out with the wash water. They are released only when the clothes come into contact with the skin through moisture and heat.
A fashion bomb garnished with formaldehyde
In the production of conventional clothing, artificial fertilizers, powerful pesticides, azo dyes, fat solvents, heavy metals, chlorine, phthalates, PCPs, fluorine compounds, and nonylphenol can be used. Yes, it is as harmful to health and the environment as it sounds. Try smelling something brand new, and you'll know what I mean.
Did you know
that organic cotton fibers are longer than conventional ones and therefore softer?
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Go for GOTS Many organic textiles have the GOTS certification. It is a very good guideline. This way, you can be sure, for example, that the clothes do not contain fluorinated substances, which are hormone-disrupting, and azo dyes, which can cause allergies and cancer. At the same time, you know that the clothes are environmentally friendly processed at the factory. The labels IVN (blue) and KbA provide roughly the same guarantees. Did you know that Oeko-Tex® has nothing to do with organic? It is a health label for textiles that guarantees that the clothes do not release the worst problematic substances during use. |
A step in the right direction
If, on the other hand, you buy a nice item where it simply says "organic cotton" on the label, then you only know that the cotton is organically grown. You have no guarantees for the rest of the production.
Clothing with the environmental label Blomsten is not (necessarily) organic, but it is produced without the worst pesticides.
Where to start?
When building a wardrobe for your child, think a little, but well. Often, the same pieces of clothing are used again and again. Very small babies rarely use as much clothing as one might think. Over time, you may also be lucky enough to find used, but well-maintained, organic clothing on various recycling sites.
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If it is too expensive to have your baby's entire wardrobe organic, then focus initially on the clothing that is in direct contact with the skin, such as underwear and tights. Yes, the very innermost is actually the baby's diaper. Fortunately, there are a wealth of modern cloth diapers, so the baby can have organic right on their little bottom!
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