Today I wanted to share some of our favorite organic clothing for kids!
Before a few months ago I would have never considered organic clothing for my kids – just because I didn’t know that much about it. Sure, organic sounds nice, but what does it mean? What do GOTS or OKEO-TEX mean also? So many acronyms!
Well fast forward to the now and we have been dealing with our son’s severe eczema for 18 months. We have eliminated all his food triggers and changed out as many environmental factors as possible. We knew pretty quickly that he had to wear only 100% cotton – he would react *immediately* in blends or synthetic fabrics. But despite switching to 100% cotton he still had rough areas we couldn’t get under control.
Additionally, we had noticed that wearing blue and green seemed to break him out more – which sounds insane, but it was really true! One day I put him in a 100% cotton shirt with a blue collar and he had a red ring around his neck. This was despite washing in our favorite detergent, with an extra rinse (essential), so I couldn’t figure it out.
At our most recent dermatologist visit I mentioned the color issue and she brought up a textile dye allergy. Some people with *very* sensitive skin can react to certain dyes in conventional clothes. It was a lightbulb moment. Maybe just 100% cotton wasn’t enough because we hadn’t considered the chemicals in the dyes themselves!
So that sent me down a rabbit hole – starting with this post, recommended by our doctor, written by a real dermatologist! I realized we needed to change to clothes with safe dyes. We could find those clothes by looking for the GOTS certification. Just “organic cotton” doesn’t mean the dyes themselves are safe. There are a million posts about GOTS but this one from Q for Quinn is a great quick read.
Basically, I wanted to buy clothes where the entire product was GOTS certified, not just the cotton itself (more on that distinction here). That meant a whole new wardrobe for my son and I wanted to share our favorite brands! And a month later we have already seen a huge improvement in his skin that got us to that “last mile” we could never improve.
Note – not every product on these sites is GOTS certified. The vast majority are but I would still read each item description to ensure it is 100% cotton and meets the criteria you need.
Hanna Andersson
One of our tried and true brands is Hanna Andersson. Their clothes are truly hand me down quality and I only buy gender neutral PJs now because they last so long! We also love their sweatshirts and pants for everyday. I love their quality and they wash so so well.
You can buy their brand at Amazon as well but the quality is a bit different – so I usually wait for a sale at the “main” Hanna Andersson (happens frequently) and stock up then!
Polarn O Pyret
Funny story – I have shopped at Polarn O Pyret for years and had *no idea* they were GOTS certified clothes! They only have one store in NYC now but they used to have a store in Minnesota and we shopped there frequently. I love their striped PJs and shirts! The clothes are pricey but super high quality as well. They tend to run large so just be aware of that when shopping!
Colored Organics
We love their basic shirts!
Makemake Organics
I love these henleys for my son – they are so adorable.
Parade Organics
We love their pajamas! They are very thick so not for a super hot summer night. But the fabric is cute and they are great quality.
Q for Quinn
The most life changing item we purchased were these socks from Q for Quinn. We have struggled SO MUCH with eczema on my son’s feet! Nonstop itching and scratching so we had to have him in footed onesies all the time to prevent him from scratching until he bled. His feet are now ECZEMA FREE which is shocking and makes me so happy. We have these and these and love them both!
I also want to make a note about eczema care in general. We could not have improved his eczema without our dermatologist and the medicine she has prescribed. Following a specific skincare routine using products she recommended (not that the internet recommended) made the difference. Changing his clothing helped us get to that final stretch.
All that to say I would not recommend tackling any eczema care on your own or via the internet. There is so much horrible information out there about steroids, elimination diets, and how to “cure” eczema. If I got a dollar for every time someone told me to cut out dairy from my son’s diet and his eczema would magically disappear I would be rich! (He hasn’t had any dairy since November 2021 because he is severely allergic to it – and shocker, he still has eczema.)
There is no magical cure for a systemic condition that flares randomly. It takes strict maintenance and following a medical plan. There’s no easy fix! So if you are in the thick of it – find a doctor who you trust and be willing to put in the work. It will improve! I also want to acknowledge that we have time and money to buy new clothes, get doctor appointments, and have expensive prescriptions – and I cannot imagine how tough it would be if we were not as lucky. So I know that this is coming from a place of extreme privilege that we could even buy him a new wardrobe!
Also learning about the dye process in conventional clothes makes me want to only buy organic clothing for my kids…so we’ll see if I buy only that going forward. It truly is eye opening to read about the dyes, chemicals, formaldehyde etc etc in clothing.
I hope you enjoy some of these brands! Half are new to us, half are tried and true, but all are becoming essentials in my son’s wardrobe. Happy shopping!
