Organic Baby Blog – News & Tips on Organic Parenting

Why You Might Want To Use Organic Baby Bedding

October 25th, 2011 by

Choosing organic baby bedding means making a great investment in your child’s healthy future. It also means supporting a healthier earth for them to grow up on, because the products produced this way do not destroy ecosystems and upset the balance of nature the way production using toxic chemicals can. Soft and natural is the way to go with crib sheets, blankets, and more.

Potentially dangerous chemicals are used in the manufacturing of most modern textile (fabric) products. Although the levels of these products that are allowed to remain in the item when it is sold are regulated, different people have different reactions to them. Infants are especially vulnerable to negative effects, as their systems are not as strong as an adult’s.

It is possible to produce fabrics using ‘green’ or ‘natural’ methods that do not employ harsh chemicals. However, unless the materials that go into these green processes are also free of chemical intervention, there’s still a chance that harmful level of chemicals remain in them. A product that has the organic seal means that no chemicals were used at any point in the growing or processing of the item.

It isn’t hard to find these products anymore, as they are more and more widely available from even large department stores. And if you can’t find them locally, there are hundreds of retailers on the internet. They come in many interesting colors, ranging from the natural off-white of pure wool to the vibrant colors made with mineral and plant-based dyes.

There’s no reason that your older child, or yourself, shouldn’t benefit from organically-grown materials, as well. Even if you can’t afford to purchase solely organically-grown food, there’s no reason it can’t make up a portion of your diet. And long-lasting materials like organic baby blankets, sheets, and mattresses, might well be worth the splurge.

While blankets, sheets, and other materials that are right against your infant’s skin are what most people think of, there are also organic crib mattresses and other equipment. These are made from untreated fibers such as cotton, and food-grade plastics such as polyethylene for the waterproof types. They are made flame-retardant with a mixture of baking soda, cellulose and silica, all naturally-occurring plant-based substances and minerals.

Removing as many chemicals as possible from your child’s environment during the early part of their life can be critical to preventing long-term damage. Exposure to many of these so called ‘safe’ chemicals has caused serious problems in animal studies, and may be doing the same to humans – it is just more difficult to test. And although you can’t control the world, removing these products from the places where your child spends the most time might be incredibly important.

Choosing to support the industry that makes organic baby bedding possible also means leaving a healthier earth for your children to grow up in. These types of production allow ecosystems to remain intact, rather than destroying large parts of them in order to increase crop yield, like modern traditional farming does. It also keeps toxins out of the water, soil, and atmosphere, where they can affect far more area than just the crop fields where they are used.