Why Organic Clothes Are Good For Your Newborn
More than 3.8 million babies were born in 2017 in the United States. If you're a new mom or dad, it can be easy to go overboard spoiling the new addition to your family; there are many luxury baby toys and high-quality baby cashmere products (such as the cutest cashmere booties you'll ever see!), but what's more important than these premium baby gifts is whether or not they were manufactured using safe methods. We're all familiar with organic foods, but organic clothing often gets overlooked -- and it matters more than ever to your newborn. Let's find out why.
The Sensitivity Of Babies
It's no secret that babies are exceptionally fragile, both physically and in terms of exposure to germs. In fact, their skin is much more permeable than ours; it has the same number of layers as an adult (three), but each one is thinner in an infant. This makes newborns exceptionally sensitive to chemicals for two main reasons.
- They experience greater exposure. As a result of their body size as permeable skin, infants absorb much more of their environment than adults. Their behavior -- which involves putting virtually everything they come across in their mouths -- exacerbates this problem.
- They are simply more vulnerable. Newborns' bodies and brains are constantly developing, making them less able to naturally break down or eliminate the chemicals they've absorbed in comparison to adults. Their extremely important developmental process can easily be disrupted by such exposure.
Organic Clothing Explained
We wear clothing every day, all day long. The classic apparel being sold in retail stores or online is usually made of cotton, polyester (and other synthetic fibers), or a combination of the two. Unfortunately, non-organic cotton is considered to be "the world's dirtiest crop," as it relies on insecticides and pesticides to grow. On the other hand, polyester and other synthetic fibers are derived from petroleum and treated with thousands of potentially harmful chemicals during production. Since organic production eliminates all of these dangerous byproducts, baby clothes (and luxury baby toys) made of organic cotton is the best and safest alternative.
The next time you go shopping for your little one, keep an eye out for the organic stamp of approval -- your baby will thank you.