100% cotton school uniform dress free of chemicals

[Zara75]

I am desperately looking for 100% cotton school pinafore dress for my daughter, who starts reception this year. Our school supplier has got only polyester mixed ones and this non-iron, teflon coated and chemically treated fabrics. M&S and JL sell also only chemically treated uniforms. I am not sure why this is actually allowed to use for children wear still - knowing how bad this is for children.

I was able to get at least the shirts and cardigan in cotton but struggle with the pinafore dress. So far I've found only one supplier but they have sold out the size I'd need. Anymore suggestions would be very much welcome. :-) thank you.

[BlueChampagne]

Can the supplier you've found not get it to you before the start of next term?

[Zara75]

thanks for the reply.

I've contacted them days ago - but haven't replied so far. I'll try again :-( It's just so frustrating that they should be the only one.

[Zara75]

No joy, they've sold out and won't get anymore. Seems impossible to get. :-(

[insanityscratching]

Have you tried Cotton Comfort?

[insanityscratching]

Only £2 here

[Zara75]

Yes this is the only one I've found and they've sold out on the size I need and won't stock anymore. Knowing how many children have got eczma I am surprised that there are not more suppliers to choose from.

[Zara75]

Thanks you very much. I will order this one!!

[insanityscratching]

At that price I'd be tempted to order and see how it looks tbh. Have you tried the one above?

[orangeandemons]

I teach Textile Science. Why are these treatments bad for children?

[PureDeadBrilliant]

Have you got a tinfoil hat?

[orangeandemons]

Most cotton fabric goes though about 40 treatments using bleach and chemicals. Teflon is a drop in he ocean

[Zara75]

@insanityscratching....I will let her try it on and send it back if it doesn't fit. But it seems to be the only choice for me as it is quite a niche market.

@orangeandemons ..That is exactely my point. The treatments common fabrics go through is a mix of many different chemicals. Children are extremely vulnerable when they are exposed to toxins as their bodies still develop. Never ever have there been so many chemicals used treating fabrics like we to today as a result an increasing number of children suffer from eczma, asthma and allergies. I believe there is a link. And unless proven the opposite I am not willing to take any chances.

[Molecule]

From my days involved in the textile finishing industry I can assure you that an untreated cotton shirt would be a vey rough garment indeed.
In fact I imagine it would be pretty much impossible to weave untreated yarn, though possibly hand-loom weavers can, but not on an industrial scale. As orangeandemons says all textiles go through enormous amounts of treatments. However I have no idea what effect these have on sensitive skin, so cannot comment on whether they are problematic (my involvement was on the engineering side of things).

[NoComet]

I too would love links (proper science ones) as to why people want to make life difficult, expensive and hard to iron.

[Molecule]

I started my working life nearly 30 years ago, and there were just as many treatments then as now (though of course some may have changed) and treating textiles was not new then. What caused all the pollution in the Lancashire rivers? effluent from the textile mills. If anything the treatments will be safer now than they were 30, 50 or 100 years ago.

[orangeandemons]

But op, Teflon is probably the last of hundreds of different processes. All of them use loads of chemicals and lots of bleach. Why pick on Teflon? An untreated garment would be unwearable, so why is Teflon worse than all the rest?

[noblegiraffe]

Increasing numbers of children suffer from asthma and eczema since we all switched to unleaded petrol, stopped using mercury thermometers, stopped CFCs in aerosols, stopped building schools with asbestos and painting them with lead paint, and on and on. Correlation does not equal causation!

[orangeandemons]

I thought asthma and eczema had come from washing ourselves too much and living with central heating.

Not sure it's anything to do with Teflon, which has been around for years and has never hit the headlines to my knowledge

[Pyrrah]

My degree was in Textiles and I worked in various parts of the Industry for 12 years and agree with orangesandlemons and Molecule - all fabrics go through many chemical processes before they are even made into yarn/cloth. They've been doing this for thousands of years - we just don't use mango-eating horse urine so much these days. Some of the ancient plant dyes are as natural as you like but not what you'd necessarily want next to your child's skin.

Have you looked at finding some made of bamboo fibre? I've heard that that can be good for children with eczema.

[colditz]

Just buy a normal one, and wash it. Don't be silly. If you are absolutely frantic about her being exposed to chemicals, you are goingtobraise a frightened little girl into a frightened young woman.

[xylem8]

I suspect ashma is on the increase because in the past sufferers would have died before having the chance to pass on their genes

[xylem8]

what have you dressed her in up to now?

[citybranch]

Teflon contains PFOA, a likely human carcinogen. DuPont were fined millions of dollars a few years back, for covering up studies which showed links between PFOA and cancer, birth defects etc. it is pretty toxic stuff. I'm going for cotton options for the children, just in case.

[lljkk]

The pesticide residues on cotton have to be high, need to aim for organic fabric to avoid. Better would be linen or hemp fabrics.

The lovely thing about teflon is it wipes clean, does not stain, so clothes last. All this idealism preserve of the wealthy, methinks.

[Ixia]

H&M have cotton pinafores in store, m&s have a 75% cotton pinafore with no teflon. Teflon does have a bad health rep, the fumes given off by cookware can kill pet birds.
I'm always a bit suprised at how uniform has to be synthetic and non-stick, when kids clothes are normally cotton.