Hip & Modern Baby Bedding that is Eco-Friendly and Eczema-Friendly

Most of us don' t think much about how what we put on our bodies or what we lay our head on affects our skin. We know that cotton is a natural fabric yet there is nothing natural about the way conventional cotton is grown and processed.

Conventional cotton growers use genetically modified seeds, insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers. When cotton is getting ready to be made into something, it is treated with chemicals for preparation. It is common for cotton to be bleached or coloured with harmful dyes. Finally, it is finished with formaldehyde, which is known to be cancer causing. All of these chemicals can persist on cotton fabric indefinitely.

All this can be extremely irritating to the skin, especially a baby’s skin. A baby’s skin is thinner and more porous than an adult’s skin, which makes babies even more vulnerable to all these toxic chemicals.

Organic cotton bedding is beneficial to babies with eczema because it ensures that their sleeping environment is pure. Organic cotton is grown without the use of harmful chemicals and, if coloured, is dyed with low-impact dyes and inks. It is softer and more breathable due to the fact that the cotton fibers are not broken down by chemicals.

Organic cotton is better for our planet, better for your baby and better for eczema!

Other Things I Have Found Useful for Managing My Son’s Eczema:

1. Clothing

Avoid unnatural and synthetic materials. It can be difficult to purchase all organic clothing. If you can only purchase a few organic pieces, I suggest buying sleepers/pajamas. Investing in organic cotton or bamboo sleepers/pajamas is the most important as babies spend 60% of their first year sleeping. Use an unscented, non-toxic and biodegradable laundry soap.

2. Bathing

Bath your baby only once or twice a week. Keep baths lukewarm and short so not to dry out their skin. Use a natural soap. Check the ingredients for anything toxic (rule of thumb: avoid products with a really long list of ingredients).

3. Moisturizing

Use a natural moisturizer with Calendula. I love Natural Healing Cream with Calendula from baby DermaMed. Moisturize your baby’s skin twice a day – morning and night.

4. Diet

If you are breastfeeding, consider eliminating diary, citrus, sugar and peanuts from your diet. If your baby is on solid foods, or is about to start on them, closely monitor them for any reaction to the above foods.