Tip of the Week

Earth- and Human-Friendly Baby Clothes

A friend of mine is pregnant and we were talking the other day about all the stuff she doesn't need to buy for the baby. Little babies don't go out much and so one thing I told her not to get were lots of clothes. A few comfy pajama-like outfits are perfect day-in, day-out. (Note - I may have overdone it with my own kids. My youngest so loved his pajama-like playwear, it was his outfit of choice when he started school).

I was then very happy to learn that my favorite source for such comfortable clothing - Hanna Andersson - was providing a broad assortment of cotton clothing that were not just colorful and durable but also free from chemicals that could be dangerous to humans. In fact Hanna Andersson is going out of its way to get what might be called a double seal of approval for its products - one that says their clothing is not just eco-friendly but also human-friendly. Not only do they use organically grown cotton in their clothes, but then they apply the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 to ensure that none contain unsafe levels of more than 100 potentially harmful substances that the clothiers might use to color clothing or make it resist stains or fire.

Why be so concerned, you ask? A recent report of children's clothing in Southern China found that 10 percent contained a cancer-causing dye, aromatic amine, a chemical included on the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 list. I feel better knowing that Hanna Andersson is looking after not only the kids - big and small - who wear their clothes but the factory workers who are the most exposed to these chemicals during the manufacturing process. Oeko-Tex has been testing products in Europe since the early 1990s. Hanna Andersson is the first company to bring its services to products being sold in the U.S..

The Green Guide has written extensively on the subject of eco-friendly baby products, including organic cotton clothing, as well as the importance of reading labels carefully. For further information on these topics, plus some shopping suggestions, check out "Cotton: Organic, Unfinished" from GG #99 and "Better Basics for Your Baby's Room" from GG #102.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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