Organic clothing (esp pajamas)- important to you? Legit?

[cdlamis]

I have been buying Hanna Andersson pjs for all my kids- I like having them sleep in organic pjs since their sleep time accounts for almost half of their day.
Aside from the obvious environmental impact, is organic clothing really that beneficial (to the child)? Do the pesticides (used on the cotton) really stay with the clothing after washing the item? Does it matter where the organic clothing is made? I just found organic pjs at Walmart for $6 but its made in China. At $6, I might forgo my HA love if its worth it! :)
Any information? TIA!

[KeirasMommy]

im not sure if they r really beneficial. when i was a baby my mom just used regular cotton, she didnt wash them before she put them on me! & i was fine, no rashes or anything. With my DD i buy regular cotton as well, but i washed most of hers especially the new born ones and she hasnt had an issue either. and my sister who has 5 little ones used all cotton and im pretty sure she washed them before first time use as well had no issues at all. I guess its all personal preference, but i havent really heard of any actual benefitsof organic. My good friend uses all organic clothes and food and her DD and i dont see a difference.

[Leeannpk]

My opinion: Organic clothes = big 'ol sales pitch that capitalizes on modern parents' current obsession with everything being "natural". Sometimes organic is worthwhile (organic dairy!) and sometimes it's a load of bologna (organic reusable bags!). I have noticed that organic cotton is very, very soft right off the rack. But no softer than plain old Carter's clothes after being washed a few times.

[Melaine]

I like the idea of it and will buy it when I find a steal (ie Happy Green Bee). But I much more try to get 100% cotton over synthetic, rather than organic cotton over regular cotton. It does seem really soft, and I assume it's better for sensitive skin, but I can't afford to buy organic exclusively and I'd much rather put the cash toward organic food, by far.

[sewarsh]

My opinion: Organic clothes = big 'ol sales pitch that capitalizes on modern parents' current obsession with everything being "natural". Sometimes organic is worthwhile (organic dairy!) and sometimes it's a load of bologna (organic reusable bags!). I have noticed that organic cotton is very, very soft right off the rack. But no softer than plain old Carter's clothes after being washed a few times.

:yeahthat:

[o_mom]

I would rather buy a chemical-free/low chemical mattress. I don't think I have ever seen anything that shows residues on conventional cotton clothing after washing (might be out there, but I haven't found it). Mattresses, however, are known to off-gas for years. ETA: This is just my take on the impact to an individual from organic/non cotton - the environmental impact of conventional cotton is pretty bad and has been documented.

[wellyes]

The reason to buy organic cotton or textiles is if you want to use your money to support organic farming practices and companies who produce organic goods, versus having your money support large industrial agribusinesses. I don't think the point was ever safety or softness. It is an ethical decision.

I don't mean to sound preachy, I buy Carter's myself, but I can completely respect the choice to buy organic & I don't think it means the person who bought it was hoodwinked or wasted their money.

Interesting recent article from The Atlantic talking about WalMart's efforts in the organic and local foods market. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/the-great-grocery-smackdown/7904/ I enjoyed the part where WalMart's produce beats Whole Foods's in in a blind taste taste, to the dismay of most of the tasters.

[Jo..]

I agree with Melaine. I will pay more for organic, but not a ton more. However, if you are talking about durability and how much life you will get out of organic cotton garments, you could pay FIVE TIMES MORE, and still come out ahead. Thus, a pr of organic Hanna unders at $10 vs a store brand at $2 is still a bargain!

Here is some info that I found out when I was researching organic clothing:

Organic cotton clothing lasts 5-10x as long as conventional clothing!

Conventionally produced cotton material lasts 10-20 washes before it starts to break down. An organic cotton material lasts for 100 washes or more before it begins to wear down. This is because the cotton fibers in conventionally produced cotton take so much abuse in production because it goes through scouring, bleaching, dying, softeners, formaldehyde spray, and flame and soil retardants before it is even shipped to be cut for patterns.

[Ceepa]

I guarantee the Old Navy and Circo brand shirts and shorts I've inherited from a family of three and that have gone through my rough and tumble monkeys have endured more than 10-20 washes (and I don't mean cold water, line dry). :ROTFLMAO: They haven't started breaking down though I've had to stain treat and replace as the kids grow.

I think organic cotton is marketed in a very gimmicky way. If the pieces are on clearance and are cute, sure I'll pick up some but I don't go out of my way to find organic vs. "regular cotton".

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

The reason to buy organic cotton or textiles is if you want to use your money to support organic farming practices and companies who produce organic goods, versus having your money support large industrial agribusinesses. I don't think the point was ever safety or softness. It is an ethical decision.

I don't mean to sound preachy, I buy Carter's myself, but I can completely respect the choice to buy organic & I don't think it means the person who bought it was hoodwinked or wasted their money.



I agree. Something like 10% of pesticide used in the world is used on cotton, which in turn gets in water, farm workers get cancer, etc. I also try not to buy genetically engineered crops. I do not think those buy organic are being scammed, and find it a bit insulting to my intelligence. The benefit is not having pesticide next to your skin and polluting the earth, water, and farmers and farming communities. I try to buy organic cotton within my budget. If the cost was identical, I would chose organic every time.You don't have to agree with me, but to think I am just buying into it because of the label VS buying it because I choose to try to limit chemical exposure to my family and try to support ethical farming isn't giving me much credit. It isn't about it being softer, it's about it being safer.

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/cotton_for_printing_long_report.pdf

[Leeannpk]

I agree. Something like 10% of pesticide used in the world is used on cotton, which in turn gets in water, farm workers get cancer, etc. I also try not to buy genetically engineered crops. I do not think those buy organic are being scammed, and find it a bit insulting to my intelligence. The benefit is not having pesticide next to your skin and polluting the earth, water, and farmers and farming communities. I try to buy organic cotton within my budget. If the cost was identical, I would chose organic every time.You don't have to agree with me, but to think I am just buying into it because of the label VS buying it because I choose to try to limit chemical exposure to my family and try to support ethical farming isn't giving me much credit. It isn't about it being softer, it's about it being safer.

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/cotton_for_printing_long_report.pdf

Oh, I didn't mean to come off as insulting, Belle! The OP specifically asked, "Aside from the obvious environmental impact, is organic clothing really that beneficial (to the child)?" The environmental impact is indisputable and I don't fault anyone for buying organic cotton clothes for that reason, nor do I think they're being scammed. I just haven't seen compelling evidence that after a few washings a Carters undershirt is any less SAFE or soft than an organic one that costs twice as much, but I see a lot of marketing that purports otherwise. In those cases, I DO think that the fears of parents are being wrongly capitalized upon, and I DO think that if one is purchasing all organic undies because you (and by "you", I mean the great, universal "you" ;)) have been led to believe that they are inherently safer for your kid to wear, then, yeah, you're being scammed.

There are LOTS of very good reasons to buy organic goods. I just don't think that in the case of organic cotton children's clothes that safety is one of them.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Oh, I didn't mean to come off as insulting, Belle! The OP specifically asked, "Aside from the obvious environmental impact, is organic clothing really that beneficial (to the child)?" The environmental impact is indisputable and I don't fault anyone for buying organic cotton clothes for that reason, nor do I think they're being scammed. I just haven't seen compelling evidence that after a few washings a Carters undershirt is any less SAFE or soft than an organic one that costs twice as much, but I see a lot of marketing that purports otherwise. In those cases, I DO think that the fears of parents are being wrongly capitalized upon, and I DO think that if one is purchasing all organic undies because you (and by "you", I mean the great, universal "you" ;)) have been led to believe that they are inherently safer for your kid to wear, then, yeah, you're being scammed.

There are LOTS of very good reasons to buy organic goods. I just don't think that in the case of organic cotton children's clothes that safety is one of them.

The old hag AF is visiting, so I may just be overly sensitive! :waving4:

[cdlamis]

Thank you for all the replies. I feel better about not always having organic clothing. I would love to buy 100% organic clothing all the time but just can't afford it. We are a pretty "green" family so I will have to let this one go. :)

FWIW- the HA pajamas last such a long time and can be passed down and have a good resale value. I always buy mine during their super sales or at the outlets so I don't pay more than $20/pair.

[cdlamis]

I would rather buy a chemical-free/low chemical mattress. I don't think I have ever seen anything that shows residues on conventional cotton clothing after washing (might be out there, but I haven't found it). Mattresses, however, are known to off-gas for years. ETA: This is just my take on the impact to an individual from organic/non cotton - the environmental impact of conventional cotton is pretty bad and has been documented.

I completely agree! If I had to do it over again, I would have invested more into organic crib mattresses. We bought the girl's big bed mattresses from Ikea where I "hear" they have a lower amount of chemicals in them. Definitely not the same as organic but close enough for our budget right now.

[AnnieW625]

My opinion: Organic clothes = big 'ol sales pitch that capitalizes on modern parents' current obsession with everything being "natural". Sometimes organic is worthwhile (organic dairy!) and sometimes it's a load of bologna (organic reusable bags!). I have noticed that organic cotton is very, very soft right off the rack. But no softer than plain old Carter's clothes after being washed a few times.

This is how I feel too. DD has a variety of clothes and most of them are not organic and it doesn't bother me one bit. If I have to buy something that is imported why should I pay more for organic cotton that comes from another country where I am not familiar with what the organic standard is for that country, kwim? I know you can play the flipside of the argument too with the non organic imported cotton too, but that's just my thoughts.

I will say DD does love her organic Hanna pjs, and I think I have created a monster with the Hanna hipsters (she has 12 pairs!) as she now much prefers those to the regular Dora unders we bought her a year ago (although still wears the Dora panties), but I have just learned to wait for sales at the outlet or peruse ebay for deals on the PJs. I got two pairs of long johns for $15 (one at outlet/one at end of year sale online), and the short johns I got from the outlet were $12 (I think). The ebay short johns were $8 or $10 IIRC. Much more reasonable than say $40 for long johns.