Let's be honest: when buying baby clothes, few of us probably pay attention to what material they’re made of. Especially with those first little outfits, we’re often so full of anticipation that we grab them without first finding out what baby clothes actually need to withstand. To make sure your little explorer’s skin is pampered with only the best materials in the future, we’ve put together a selection of suitable fabrics for baby clothing.

What should you consider when choosing baby clothes?

Delicate baby and children’s skin deserves only the best. Why is this necessary, you ask? Baby skin has no sufficient protective barrier yet . This makes it very sensitive, and it reacts more strongly to external influences. That’s why choosing the right clothing is an important step in ensuring your little explorer feels comfortable at any time of day or night. Baby clothes are available in a wide variety of fabrics—however, not all of them are suited to babies’ special needs.

Based on these criteria, you should choose baby clothing:

• When buying baby clothes, pay attention to skin friendliness and make sure the fabric doesn’t scratch or irritate your child’s sensitive skin.

• Baby clothes must be movement-friendly because once your little explorer starts to explore, clothing needs to do more than just look good.

• Check whether the fabrics you’ve chosen for baby clothing are easy to care for . This can be a real advantage in everyday family life!

• It’s also important that children’s and baby clothing can regulate body temperature . This helps your child’s skin breathe and also means your little explorer won’t get excessively cold or sweaty.

Fabrics for baby clothing: What makes them special

Five fabrics and materials are particularly suitable for baby clothing, and you can find them in most children’s clothing stores and online shops. Here’s an overview we’ve put together for you:

Cotton

Cotton clothing for babies and children is extremely popular—especially in the form of bodysuits, T-shirts, or pants. It allows your little explorer’s skin to breathe, absorbs moisture well , and helps keep the body dry. GOTS-certified cotton clothing is particularly suitable because of its anti-allergy effect for babies with sensitive skin or Neurodermatitis . Be sure to buy only certified organic cotton pieces to avoid skin contact with harmful substances. What you should know about cotton:

• Cotton is a renewable raw material grown in tropical to subtropical countries. The longer and finer the cotton fibers are, the higher the quality of the material.

• The natural color of cotton ranges from creamy white to dirty gray.

• Organic cotton from controlled organic cultivation (kbA) is the more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cotton.

• You shouldn’t wash cotton garments at a temperature higher than 40 ° C—check the care label for more information. If time permits, it’s best to dry cotton outdoors in the fresh air.

Silk

Clothing made of silk works wonders, especially in summer, because it is soft on the skin, allows it to breathe , and has a cooling effect. Your little explorer will surely appreciate this on hot days. A blended fabric is also popular for baby clothing: wool-silk , which combines the advantages of both materials. The fabric is therefore very skin-friendly and smooth , while also being temperature-regulating at the same time. You’ll most often come across wool-silk blends when buying bodysuits or rompers.

This is what makes silk so special:

• Silk fibers are obtained solely from the cocoons of silkworm insects, with a high-quality cocoon yielding around 2,500 meters of silk fibers.

• Silk can be composted.

• When purchasing silk clothing, it’s also worth , for the sake of the environment and animals , ensuring that the silk comes from organic animal husbandry.

• You should wash silk clothing as infrequently as possible—preferably by hand at a maximum of 30°C. If the garment has no heavy stains, you can simply air out the silk.

Wool

Do you think baby clothes made of wool are only suitable for winter? Then let us convince you otherwise, because wool—and also virgin wool—is breathable, moisture-regulating, and temperature-regulating and therefore keeps your child comfortable in both cold and warm temperatures. For everyday family adventures, wool is also a great choice because it rarely needs washing and should instead be aired out. Baby clothes made of wool are most commonly found as outerwear, for example jackets or sweaters. If your baby has particularly sensitive skin or tends to neurodermatitis, make sure the wool clothing doesn’t come into direct contact with the skin.

What makes wool special?

• Wool clothing primarily consists of natural fibers from sheep.

• The color of wool fibers can be white, brown, and even black.

• Merino wool is especially popular for baby clothing because it is softer than regular wool and particularly gentle on the skin.

• Clothing made of wool has a self-cleaning effect. You only need to wash garments if they are dirty or smell unpleasant. Be sure to check the care label. For mild odors, airing out the wool clothing is sufficient. For example, hang the garment in the bathroom after a shower or outside after a rain shower.

Linen

In linen clothing, your little explorer feels especially comfortable in Summer , because the material is lightweight and breathable . It’s also comfortable, and your baby can move freely without feeling restricted. When choosing linen clothing, keep in mind that newborns shouldn’t wear it directly on the skin. The coarse, rough texture of the fabric can irritate the skin. It’s therefore best to opt for a jacket or pants made of linen.

Here are a few facts about linen:

• Linen is a flax fiber and is cultivated in temperate climate zones, for example in Northern Europe—flax is also grown in Germany.

• The color of linen fibers ranges from creamy white to brown to gray.

• Linen is especially valuable because the fiber is scarce and entails high production costs.

• Linen pieces will last a long time if you wash them on a gentle or delicate cycle with a low spin speed and a low temperature. For this fabric as well, you should ideally follow the care instructions on the label.

LILLYDOO diapers: skin-friendly without perfumes and lotions

Just as important as choosing the right baby clothes is selecting the appropriate diapers. Since they come into direct contact with your baby’s delicate skin day and night, you should also make sure the diapers don’t contain unnecessary additives that could cause skin irritation.

Our LILLYDOO diapers completely avoid perfumes and lotions that can cause allergies, because less is more for us . In addition, they are certified according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, which means they have been thoroughly tested for pollutants and chemicals of health concern . As we continue to develop as a company and always keep the well-being of our environment in mind, you’ll also find our more environmentally friendly LILLYDOO green diapers in our online shop. They are just as skin-friendly and also avoid perfumes and lotions. For this diaper line, we use as little plastic as possible and neutralize the remaining amount in collaboration with Plastic Bank® by removing the entire plastic content from the environment that is still present in the product.

We hope this article has given you an even deeper insight into the best fabrics for baby clothing, and we wish you lots of fun choosing the most beautiful garments for your little explorer! :)