WHY I ONLY USE ORGANIC PAJAMAS FOR MY KIDS

One of my non-negotiables for my kids is that the pajamas they sleep in are organic and preferably GOTS certified. They sleep around 12 hours a night, which is half of a day! Also, your skin is your largest organ and absorbs so much of what it is exposed to, so I want what they are sleeping in and sleeping on to be fully non-toxic. There are many environmental benefits to using organic cotton in clothing…organic cotton uses significantly less water, no pesticides are used, etc; however, I am going to mainly discuss the personal health benefits here.

The most obvious reason to choose organic cotton over conventional cotton is that pesticides and fertilizers cannot be used in growing organic cotton. Aside from the fact the chemical-free organic cotton pajamas are gentler on the skin, the health risks of these chemicals sprayed on non-organic cotton should be seriously considered. According the the USDA, in 2019, herbicides were used on 93% of planted acres of cotton among other chemicals and insecticides. Of these herbicides, two different forms of glyphosate were most widely applied. Glyphosate is considered “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Wearing non-organic cotton pajamas exposes your skin, and therefore your body, to these potentially hazardous chemicals for 12+ hours at a time every single day. This goes back to the toxic load discussion in the previous post. Is it something to panic over if my kids wear non-organic pajamas for one night? Not really. When it’s something that they do every day for multiple hours at a time, that’s when it could become an issue.

Another big deal is toxic flame retardants. While most companies have been able to stop using flame retardants on pajamas by using polyester (which is a synthetic petroleum-based fabric that I do not recommend) or tight-fitting cotton, there are still some companies out there that aren’t as transparent about this. By choosing organic, you don’t have to worry about this. Lastly, it is important to consider how the clothes are dyed. Azo dyes, which are actually banned in Europe due to their carcinogenic nature, are frequently used to dye clothes and are unfortunately easily absorbed by the body. This is why it is important to look for pajamas that are dyed with plant-based dyes, or that are GOTS or Oeko-Tex certified to avoid these harmful chemicals. You might spend a little more on good quality pajamas for your kids, but I assure you it is worth the price and they will get their use out of them! There are so many great brands out there now, but some of my favorite organic pajama brands for my kids are: HART+LAND, 1212, and L’oved baby. There are some other less expensive brands with organic pajamas like Hanna Andersson and Burt’s Bees, but just check the individual style you like to make sure they are certified as I am not sure they all are. If this does not resonate with you at all or you don’t see the need to change out your kids’ pajamas, that is totally fine. I would make sure to be diligent about washing the pajamas very well before using to try to rid of as much of the chemical residue as possible. This is a good idea with all clothes, organic or not!