Why organic is best for your baby

Many of us – particularly mothers of little ones – are already committed to eating organic food and using organic bath and beauty products. It seems all too obvious that what we put into our bodies should be as natural as possible. But what of the things we wear? Should we be concerned about the textiles that sit against our children’s skin?

Among makers of children’s clothing, there’s already a broad preference for natural fabrics such as cotton or wool over manmade, chemically derived alternatives. But natural doesn’t always mean unadulterated, and many natural fabrics are produced using industrial chemicals and processes that make a mockery of their natural origin.

Organic Zoo was founded on the ardent belief that organic cotton is best for you and your loved ones – a view that’s based not on sentiment but on science, and on the harsh facts of modern industrial cotton production. So why is organic cotton better for your baby? 

Cotton has been corrupted

Did you know that conventional cotton production accounts for about 25% of the world’s total annual pesticide and insecticide use? It’s a staggering figure, and all those chemicals, expressly designed by man to be toxic to living things, leave residues in the earth, air and water – not to mention in the fabric fibres themselves. We feel strongly that there’s no need to taint a natural product in this way, which is why we use only 100% certified organic cotton.

Skin is sensitive

A child’s skin is many times thinner than adult skin, and thus far more susceptible to irritation, sensitivities, allergies and the like. Organic cotton is inherently soft – unlike some non-organic varieties, which are made coarser by chemicals used in production – as well as anti-microbial. The cotton fibre’s natural protection against mould makes it highly resilient – and yet, when an organic cotton garment reaches the end of its lifespan, it’s completely biodegradable.

Products need not hurt our planet

Cotton is one of the world’s most important cash crops, but conventional production is hard on the environment. Cotton requires copious amounts of water; in non-organic production, the chemical residues from pesticides infiltrate local water and soil systems, building up in plants and poisoning animals that eat the treated cotton seeds (as well as the animals that eat those animals, of course). Organic cotton production does away with toxins and prioritises the use of recycled rainwater, keeping things clean and pure. 

Organic is fairer to farmers

Working with toxic chemicals so as to compete with large-scale plantations, conventional cotton farmers often suffer most directly from the toxic impacts of the industry. On organic farms, sensibly-scaled production and healthier processes make for improved human health – and happier, more sustainable businesses. The upshot? Everyone and everything benefits.