You may have heard of people buying organic cotton clothing for their new babies, or organic cotton bedsheets or towels for the home. It sounds softer and more comfortable, right? But what is it really, if not just another marketing gimmick?
If you want to stick with me for some background–keep on reading!
–>If you want to skip ahead to my favorite organic baby fashion brands– just scroll down a bit to the next heading!
As with “organic” produce or “organic” grains, “organic cotton is cotton which has not been sprayed with the cocktail of pesticides you’ll find on all conventional crops. I say cocktail because often people are unaware that non-organic doesn’t just mean not extra-clean. It actually means much “dirtier” than you’d imagine. Most crops are sprayed multiple times, and grains are sprayed especially often, leading up until after the harvest. In other words, right before it’s being sold to you, the consumer.
(One book that helped me understand the inside of the faming industry a bit more was Caitlin Shetterly’s “Modified.” It’s also a beautifully written, hilarious and easy read I’d recommend anyway)
Cotton
Did you know that cotton accounts for 16% of all insecticide releases- more than any other crop in the world!
You may not be used to thinking about clothing as an “exposure.”
However, your skin absorbs whatever you put on it, from foundation to shampoo. If an irritant is against your skin for hours on end, or if the material is so seeped in dyes and chemicals that it transfers to your skin right away- then it’s absorbed and your body will need to work on dumping it.
You adult skin absorbs about 64% percent of all contaminant dosage placed. Think of a baby’s skin. An infant and child’s skin is silky soft, but also thin, delicate, and generally far more prone to small irritations. Your baby’s skin is far more permeable than yours as an adult’s.
Organic cotton- or natural fibers and natural dyes in general- is one way to minimize irritants and contaminant exposure.
The Best Organic Baby Brands
If you’ve seen any of Milkbarn’s designs, you’ve noticed that they have a unique and fun, whimsical style. In my opinion, their standout items are really their pajamas. Soft and stretchy, they fit snugly while being extremely comfortable. These pajamas are stretchy, comfortable, and silky soft- just perfect.
Stock up if your baby is in the market for it! I’ve purchased in so many different sizes and prints!
How sweet is this little lemon top? So feminine and gutsy! It reminds of spunky protagonists from my bookworm childhood- Ramona Quimby comes to mind for some reason!
Their fish pattern is a classic, but for some reason it just always makes me laugh! Again with the kid books, but does this not *scream* Dr. Seuss??
Two notes on this brand:
- I’ve linked their Amazon shop, but I also purchase Milkbarn through Zulily. You’ll find really steep discounts on these items from time to time, like 50% off or more.
- Everything I’ve purchased from them, except the sleeping bag, was made of a very thin material. You’ll likely need to add an undershirt layer during the colder months.
This brand’s quality is evident the moment you see their products. Quite the opposite of Milkbarn in many ways, their signature style is classic, solid, basics. The only prints I’ve seen them use are stripes, but most things are simply solid colors!
The other juxtaposition between them and MIlkbarn is that every single article of clothing is made thick and warm. When I think of winter pajamas, I think of their Emerson sleeper– We own probably a full DOZEN of these, in all different colors and sizes, all the way from 3 months to 24 months.
RIGHT NOW they’re actually running a series of holiday promotions and I’ve never seen the Emerson sleepers marked down so low!
I fully consider the aforementioned Emerson sleeper one of the best finds of all of my motherhood shopping!
For toddlers, they begin to look like pajamas but honestly, for a younger baby it’s just a beautiful, one-piece outfit. They’re fitted and the contrast-snap placket is just so perfect; no matter the color or how many times it’s been washed, the colors stay vibrant and the clothing looks so put-together and high-quality. Colored Organics is truly a favorite.
Also, if you like a certain color or print, buy it right away! For example, this ginger color pictured above is newer, but some of the colors I bought last year like a gorgeous sky blue are o longer being sold.
Items I recommend most highly:
- Emerson romper!
- Classic pants
- Leggings
- I’ve had my eye on this sweatshirt for a while! (Also on a great sale now)
P.S. Right now, on Colored Organics’ website, they’re having big sales on select colors and styles! Check it out here and snag what you like quickly!
L’oved Baby is a truly classic organic cotton baby brand.
Their most iconic product is their footie pajamas. As with many of the favorites in this post, we own probably a dozen pajama sets!
L’oved Baby makes basic, classic styles and colors that are made of excellent, superior quality. They literally don’t show wear; I know they’ll keep for years and years.
Their organic cotton weave is thick and plush, cool to the touch, and fits snugly but never snags or squeezes baby. Such excellent products.
Notes:
- While I highly recommend their classic organic cotton styles and personally am so happy with them, the one line I wouldn’t recommend is their “thermal” pajamas. I bought a bunch because they looked so cute online, but the material stretched out on baby so badly that it hardly fit, and also got snagged/ripped. But that’s the only product I’ve ever heard of issues with!
- Take advantage of their Thursday sales- visit their site every Thursday for a different surprise deal!
Burt’s Bees organic is also one of the big, well-known brands for organic cotton baby fashion. The most noteworthy aspect about this brand is the price point- which is lower than some other organic brands.
Also, just look at these items from their current collection and you’ll notice- their style is a big more playful and preppy, rather than serious and plain! I know so many people buy these items just because they’re so eye-catching and cute!
Standout items are:
- Their crib sheets– these are the most accessible organic cotton baby sheets! You can find them everywhere and they’re soft and cool to the touch. Really impressed with these!
- Burp Cloths/ Small Towels: These are a lifesaver! Even without an infant, I keep these in my purse whenever we go out! They’re thick and absorbent and just made for any and all messes! So soft, so you’ll be comfortable using it in lieu of a bib (which we did manyyy times) or to wipe baby’s face.
Notes:
- Personally, I enjoyed what I had from Burt’s Bees- which WAS quite a lot! But I think the price point is reflective of something- they didn’t strike me as pieces that would last in a family through lots of wear and tear! Nothing wrong with that, and again, still so happy with them! Just the materials are a little thinner and more prone to stretching/pilling.
Parade Organics makes high-quality items that are mostly centered around sleeping– pajamas, sleeping bags.
We used their sleeping sack, or “sleeping bag” as we used to call them for all naps and nighttime sleep. You can imagine we rotated through quite a few “nightgowns” (another nickname ;)) and that they had their share of midnight diaper explosions, spit-up, you name it.
I was and am continually amazed at the quality – it was really unparalleled compared to all the ones we tried.
It is thick and warm- so I opted for it whenever it was chilly and I wanted to be sure that baby had a proper “blanket.” It also zips up and down from both directions for diaper changes, and the zipper never snags or get stuck. It never held stains, despite many opportunities to do so. All around it was a winner of a sleeping bag.
And look how cute all these pajamas are! They zip both up and down, which allows for quick-as-possible diaper changes. Their prints are so classy and cute!
I hope you like these organic cotton clothing brands as much as I do– both in terms of brand values and also style!
Let me know if you have any others I should know about!
Excellent write-up. I absolutely appreciate this site. Georgetta Rick Colville
Thank you! I’m glad if you found it helpful.