It is essential to know that baby skin is ten times thinner than adult skin. The skin of babies does not have as much resistance to harmful substances and therefore reacts much more sensitively.
Irritations occur, especially when harmful substances are released from textiles’ fibers through body heat and sweat. For this reason, underwear worn on the baby’s skin should be exceptionally light, well-tolerated and breathable.
Therefore, it is advisable to buy fewer but high-quality baby clothes – especially if worn next to the skin. Light colors contain less dye and thus minimize the risk of chemical stress on your baby’s skin.
Even in the case of “eco” clothing, consumers should ask about the exact manufacturing criteria. Online stores that sell organic clothing should have them listed on their websites. However, the following basic rule applies: Before wearing apparel for the first time, it is essential to wash it once at the highest permissible temperature.
HERE you will find a list of the most popular eco-labels and a short description of their commitments.
Tip: Textiles made of high-quality natural fibers such as merino wool, linen or cotton are definitely preferable to synthetic fibers. They are breathable and can transport and absorb sweat much better.
In the case that your baby’s skin is occasionally conspicuously red in some places, check what he or she was wearing that day or the day before.
If babies get itchy from wearing a sweater or get a rash from wearing polyester pants, it can be a so-called textile or clothing dermatitis. The skin reacts to the fibers in the clothing or to the dyes, resins and other chemicals used to treat the textiles.
Since your clothes are in close contact with your skin most of the day, it is no surprise that your shirts, pants and underwear are the reason for having skin problems.
What are the causes?
Any type of fiber can cause a rash. Still, if you wear clothes made of synthetic materials such as polyester, rayon, nylon, spandex or rubber, you are more likely to get textile dermatitis. They do not breathe as well as natural fibers and make you sweat more.
In the past, it was often suspected that babies were allergic to wool. However, an Allergy to Wool or the wool wax contained in the fabric is very rare – as scientists know today.
Mostly the actual cause is dyes or other chemicals in the clothing. Formaldehyde resins, which are used to make garments wrinkle-free or dirt-repellent! Similarly, dyes, adhesives and chemicals used in tanning or leather production can cause problems. If you are allergic to nickel, you can get a red, itchy reaction where your blue jeans button touches the skin. It has its own name: Nickel dermatitis.
The combination of tight-fitting fabric and sweat can irritate your skin when it rubs against you. Doctors call this less common condition irritant dermatitis. It may look similar to textile dermatitis, but the cause is different.
Gentle washing
Sensitive detergents are now on the markets that have virtually no irritant potential for sensitive baby skin. Nevertheless, clothes should be rinsed thoroughly after washing. According to medical experts, the use of a gentle fabric softener has a positive effect even on skin problems such as atopic eczema – since the clothes can then exert significantly less mechanical irritation on the skin.
Discount stores: Chemicals are found everywhere in children’s clothing. This is what the environmental organization Greenpeace found out in a test. Children’s clothing examined contained risk chemicals such as softeners and other toxic substances.
Chemicals in children’s clothing can make children sick.
Chemicals in clothing for babies are particularly worrying because of the very sensitive skin of newborns! Since children are still growing, they also have a much higher metabolism, so more chemicals get into their bodies through the skin.
More than every third child has a predisposition for allergic reactions. Environmental toxins are then often the trigger to cause disease. Contact with them should, therefore, be avoided.
Parents should pay attention to the following:
Avoid black and blue: There are dyes – especially black and blue – those can trigger allergies. Children with sensitive skin should not wear dark underwear, dark tights and black jeans.
Smell test: Avoid clothing that smells strongly of chemicals when purchased. Wash thoroughly: New clothes should be washed two to three times and with plenty of water before wearing them for the first time. This rinses out a large part of the harmful substances.
You can also buy second-hand clothes: Used clothing has been washed frequently, so most pollutants are rinsed out already. It makes sense to purchase second-hand clothes, especially for rain jackets and slush pants. They are waterproofed with fluorine chemicals; these chemicals can affect the immune system and fertility. Over time they evaporate. When buying new rainwear, hang them outdoors for a few days.
Read the label carefully: If the label contains instructions such as “wash separately,” “wash before wearing,” “non-iron,” “antibacterial,” or “crease-resistant,” these are indications that the garment contains chemical substances.
Various labels can provide parents with information about health safety, such as the seal of the International Association of Natural Textile Industry IVN, Global Organic Textile Standard GOTS.
Many pediatricians demand that only clothing that is harmless to health is produced for children, especially for babies. Consumer protection organizations should not tire of calling on the textile industry not to endanger the health of children and young people. Also, during production in the manufacturing countries, care must be taken to avoid the use of dangerous chemicals that accumulate in the environment and in the human body.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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