Do You Know What’s in Your Baby’s Blanket?

by Susan Doris

You scrutinize every baby food label and carefully choose only lotions and shampoos that don’t have harsh ingredients for your child. Hopefully you’re doing the same with your baby’s blanket.

“Most parents probably have no idea what goes into the fabric that they swaddle their baby in, day in and day out,” says Robbie Mahlman, who co-founded Robbie Adrian luxury organic blankets with me. “We started Robbie Adrian luxury organic blankets to educate parents and provide them with a stylish, eco-friendly alternative to the typical baby blankets on the market.”

What To Look for on the Labels

Because of the many chemical concerns in the news, parents are starting to ask questions about the types of fabrics they use around their baby, and they’re learning that many fabrics used in baby blankets contain some very un-snuggly ingredients. Chemicals in the finishing agents, bleaches, and dyes used on many fabrics can cause reactions in people and babies with sensitivities; the pesticides in conventionally grown cotton (many of which are listed by the EPA as known or suspected carcinogens) may end up in the air, water, or food chain; and the many petroleum-based chemicals in man-made fibers including those in the popular polyester fleece baby blankets can be toxic. Most parents probably don’t know that polyester is made from the same petroleum-based compound as plastic water bottles, of which one ingredient is anti-freeze.

What’s a Parent to Do?

First, read the labels on the blanket! What is it made of? Ask the store buyer or owner where the product comes from—is it imported, is it a natural fiber, or man-made? The more you know as a parent, the better choices you can make for your family.

Next, do some research. Hit the Internet, and learn more about how these fabrics are made. “I was shocked to find out that polyester is so bad for the environment,” says Sharon Kunin, mother of two boys, with one on the way. “I never knew that the cute polyester fleece blanket I was buying was made from the same compound as plastic bottles and would take forever to biodegrade in a landfill.”

Choices

“I guess the perfect choice for both a child and the environment would be to go completely organic and no chemicals,” says Robbie, “but that is not realistic for most of us. We launched our company to help parents take baby steps to be green. As designers, we felt strongly that more mainstream parents would buy organic for their children if there was more color and style.”

The trend for buying green is growing. Demand for organic cotton products has risen significantly in the last several years. The Organic Trade Association estimates that sales of non-food organic products grew 27.5 percent, to $938 million, in the U.S. in 2006. The good news for parents and consumers is that more demand means wider choice in products that are better for the environment. Consumers can make a big statement by choosing green or organic products when they buy. Industry listens when dollars are involved.

Susan Doris  is a member of the Sacramento, CA, Incubator and co-founder of Robbie Adrian luxury organic blankets.