Green Baby Fashions

The recent birth of my second daughter prompted a shopping frenzy among my friends and family. “I love shopping for baby girls!” and “Girl clothes are so cute!” were the sentiments echoed from auntie to auntie (and the occasional uncles).

Sure, I’ll admit it. It’s fun shopping for baby girls. The relatively recent proliferation of clothing boutiques and chain stores dedicated to dressing baby girls (and boys!) do a fantastic job in eliciting an “awww….that’s so cute!” from the most hardened shopper.
However, there is a not-so-cute side to the world of baby fashion.

Most baby clothes are made of cotton because of its versatility and relative softness to baby’s skin. However, conventional cotton clothes bear a heavy environmental footprint because of all the synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used to grow the crop. Conventionally grown cotton consumes roughly 25% of the insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides used in the world.*

What’s the alternative? Organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems enhance and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.  By choosing clothes made of organic cotton over those made of conventionally grown cotton, you are also improving the health of the workers who harvest and process the cotton.

So next time you have the urge to buy some cute baby clothes, go to retailers that sell organic cotton baby clothes. Nowadays, virtually any store worth its salt has them. Happy shopping!

*Organic Trade Association (www.ota.com)