The idea of organic cotton underwear and sleepwear for toddlers is no longer a fairytale. Now, thanks to the likes of our Lily collection of organic underwear for children, you can get high-quality, yet affordable, organic clothing for your child. However, some customers are still on the fence regarding the use of organic cotton. While the premise of having an environmentally friendly cotton in children’s underwear is novel, is it really necessary? Here at Lucky & Me, we say “YES,” absolutely, and here is why.
Conventional Versus Organic Cotton: What’s the Difference?
One of the main concerns with conventional cotton is what it contains. Here at Lucky & Me, we use only organic cotton for our organic kids’ underwear. Why? Because conventional cotton is harvested by industrial-scale, diesel-powered harvesting machines. In order to do this effectively, the cotton plant must be defoliated to prevent the cotton leaves from being harvested, thereby killing the plant itself. The key ingredient for defoliation is a chemical defoliant, the most common of which is called paraquat.
The Poison Called Paraquat
According to the National Institutes of Health's Medline Plus, Paraquat is a toxic chemical that causes a deadly lung disease called paraquat lung among farmers who use it. The chemical damages any exposed parts of the body. If you have a cut or abrasion and paraquat gets into that wound, it will make you sick. Esophagus, liver and kidney damage are all results of paraquat contamination. A cousin to Agent Orange, as noted in The New York Times, paraquat is also linked to cancer and birth defects. These are just some of the reasons that we here at Lucky & Me choose organic for our Lily collection line of organic girls’ underwear. We do not want any child, including yours, to be exposed to any fiber that has been treated with paraquat.
Understanding Lucky & Me Organic Cotton
Our cotton is never harvested conventionally with machines or sprayed with poisons. Harvested by hand, the organic and chemical-free cotton sourced for Lucky & Me is not endangering the farmers and field workers who pick it. Who exactly harvests the cotton for our children’s organic underwear lines? Not children who should be in school. We only source organic cotton for our products from farms that refuse to use children as laborers. We avoid countries, such as Uzbekistan, where everyone, including the government, sends children out of their classrooms and into the fields for work. It is our mission to reduce the health and safety concerns associated with the use of cotton fabrics for you, our customer.
Lucky & Me fully supports Main Street America's decision to purchase high-quality and affordable sleepwear and underwear for children that is also super stylish and soft as a cloud. Continue learning about the environmental and health benefits of choosing organic cotton underwear for children in our educational organic cotton series. And watch this video below to learn more about the benefits of organic cotton.
Benefits of Organic Cotton | Lucky & Me from Lucky & Me on Vimeo.
By Rochelle Perera. Rochelle is Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Lucky & Me. Rochelle is a mom who believes all children deserve comfy clothing. She grew frustrated with buying scratchy, badly-fitting underwear her daughter hated to wear and decided to take matters into her own hands. Rochelle has 20 years of experience in fashion, so she created Lucky & Me to offer parents comfy, quality, durable basics your kids will love. Rochelle enjoys bringing her expertise to our blog.