| There is a huge trend for everything to be organic. | | | | your children in clothes made from organic cotton, |
| Organic foods, clothes, linens, soaps, makeup, you | | | | you are also supporting the efforts of these farmers |
| name it, people are looking for the organic version of | | | | that aim to provide the safest and the most |
| these familiar products. You may chalk it up to this | | | | environmentally responsible product out on the |
| being a trend that will go away if given enough time | | | | market for you. These farmers and environmental |
| but even if this is a fad, it is not necessarily a bad | | | | researchers and scientists are also the ones that are |
| thing. The main thing you need to know about | | | | on the forefront of new technologies and research |
| organic products, specifically organic cotton childrens | | | | on utilizing the latest methods and tools in sustainable |
| clothes, is that no harmful pesticides are used in its | | | | farming. Without them and what they do, progress |
| production. Compare cultivation methods used to | | | | will be slow and newer and better methods will never |
| produce conventionally grown cotton, organic cotton | | | | be discovered. |
| crops are far more beneficial. | | | | Down to practical matters, which means money. You |
| Let's say your baby has sensitive skin. Actually, all | | | | may notice that some things labeled as "organic" |
| babies have skin far more sensitive than and adults | | | | come with a higher price tag and this may make you |
| but if your baby has allergies, clothing made from | | | | reach for the cheaper option. This is understandable |
| conventionally grown cotton can agitate your baby's | | | | and doing so does not make you a bad parent, it |
| already delicate skin. In fact, the EPA cites 7 of the | | | | does not make you love your children any less. It |
| top 15 pesticides used on cotton as "likely" or | | | | just means you are budget minded and understand |
| "known" human carcinogens. If you are fine with this | | | | that the cost of living sky high. This is especially true |
| statement due to believing the amount used in | | | | when having children. However, it has been shown |
| cotton production is so small that it will not cause | | | | that clothing made from organic cotton last up to ten |
| much harm, also consider this fact: conventionally | | | | times longer than their conventional cotton |
| grown cotton crops take up roughly 3 percent of the | | | | counterparts. Why? Because conventionally grown |
| world's farmland but uses approximately 25 percent | | | | cotton fabrics are scoured, bleached, dyed, and |
| of the world's pesticides. This translates to one shirt | | | | sprayed with chemicals such as formaldehyde all |
| or jeans having used about 1 to 2 pounds of chemical | | | | before the fabric is shipped to be cut and produced |
| pesticides to create that those garments. To illustrate | | | | into a product. This beating means that your baby's |
| these numbers in terms of "body count," a 1993 EPA | | | | cute skirt will wear down after about 15 to 20 |
| study showed that over one million birds are killed | | | | washes. But, if that same shirt were made out of |
| annually by carbofuran, which is just one insecticide | | | | organic cotton, it would take approximately 100 |
| used for cotton cultivation. All of these chemicals are | | | | washes before it starts to wear down. If you are a |
| being put on your baby's body when she is sleeping, | | | | parent to a baby or small child, you are doing a lot of |
| eating, playing, or just lying on her back smiling at | | | | washes which means that your child's shirt is being |
| you. | | | | washed countless times which then means you are |
| The cultural impact is huge as well. As already | | | | out buying its replacement ten times sooner than you |
| mentioned, cotton crops use an enormous amount of | | | | would if it was an organic cotton shirt. |
| harmful chemicals every year but it is no just the | | | | None of this is supposed to guilt you into buying |
| wildlife and the eco-system that is put in danger. It is | | | | organic cotton. It is still your decision as you are the |
| also the farmers that have to deal with the | | | | best person to raise your child. This is only to inform |
| hazardous environment of working in a chemical cloud | | | | you that there are options there that can make a |
| of pesticides and insecticides. By choosing to clothe | | | | world of difference. |