Eczema - should I only buy organic clothes?

[Jostones]

I have a one year old who suffers from bad eczema (although it is under control after seeing a specialist). I have been trying to only buy organic clothes for him (mainly from H&M, Frugi and Green Baby) after reading that it is important for eczema sufferers to wear organic clothes, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience of organic clothes making a difference compared to non organic clothes. I need to buy my ds an autumn/winter wardrobe and I'm a bit put off by organic clothing prices but want to do the right thing and would hate for his eczema to come back. I also find the range of clothes quite limiting. Also, is it also about the quality of the material? I have a friend who has a dd with eczema and she finds that buying clothes from Boden helps (although these aren't organic as far as I know) and that clothes from cheaper shops makes the eczema worse. Is there any sense in that?

[thisisyesterday]

i suppose it's possible that a child could be so sensitive to chemicals in fabric that an organic cotton would help.
do check labels though, because some that are labelled as organic cotton only have a small percentage of organic in them and the rest is just regular cotton

only buying clothes from Boden however is possibly one of the most ridiculous thihngs i've heard! much as I love boden, cotton is cotton!!

[debivamp]

My little one had really bad eczema - i think you might be better off considering which washing liquid etc you use. I stopped using fabric conditioner all together and that helped. You might also try wraping your little one in cling film - around the knees and elbows. Sounds dramatic but it actually does work as it keeps the cream from rubbing off and stops little one rubbing and itching.

[Jostones]

Thanks for your replies. His eczema is really under control at the moment, it is changing anything that I am worried about. I couldn't stand going back to having flare ups. I used to use liquid soap flakes and soda crystals to wash (the best way to wash without any detergents, but not great on getting stains out) but have been brave enough to move on to surecare as it is also supposed to be good for eczema sufferers. I don't use softener and always put his clothes back in and do a rinse wash.

Nearly all of his clothes are organic cotton so I'm just wondering if I should stick to what I am currently doing (which is really quite expensive) or whether I'm wasting my money and should just buy non organic clothes. I'm not very good a testing things for myself, I just worry that things will make him bad again.

I'm guessing the Boden thing is an excuse to buy lots of Boden things! I bet the materials they use are pretty good quality and not thin and scratchy so it could be that. Your advice makes sense bran, I bet it is more about how they feel against his skin. I have bought a few Gap T shirts in the sales to put over long sleeved bodies. He lives in bibs so that should stop the tops getting in contact with his neck.

[strictlovingmum]

I would be looking more closely at the detergent and quantity of it that you use, so nothing to perfumed, or too strong, also I doubt that organic cotton can have huge impact on flare ups or non flare ups of eczema, one thing I know it helped us was switching DD's cows fresh milk to fresh goat's St. Helen milk, she is five now and her eczema is non existent, she has lovely skin, and not a dry patch in sight, good luck

[Jostones]

Thanks, we are booked in for skin prick tests in a few weeks time. My ds is on normal formula but if he has cows milk or anything dairy he has an eczema flare up. He is definitely allergic to egg. He just has eczema on his chin at moment thanks to a strict cream regime prescribed by our dermatologist. We'll know after the tests whether he needs to be on a different kind of milk. I'm suspecting they will suggest an alternative.

[youarekidding]

Not sure, but my DS and I know another posters DC both have had hives reactions to new dark/bright t-shirts bought from supermarkets. Found washing them first helped though as strict said sometimes it's the detergent etc.

[Parly]

Hiya ? I?ve had eczema pretty much all my life and my kids had a touch of it when they were younger. As others already suggested, make sure your washing powder / conditioner is suitable for sensitive skin, try sticking with clothing that?s less likely to irritate such as cotton and try not to keep the problem areas covered up unless necessary. Keeping dry skin uncovered and exposed to some sunlight (within reason obviously), does it the world of good.

Shower gels and bath soaks can also wreak havoc with skin conditions so again, it?s worth double checking what stuff you buy. Pets can also be a problem.

Personally, I?d be tempted to think the organic clothing lark is a load of shite and likely to do little more than make your life harder work and your purse lighter.

[Bijin]

I always had the biggest problems with washing powder and liquid. Since I buy a natural washing powder (I think I first found it on www.purenature24.co.uk/) it is very much better. And I avoid very colourful clothes, because some of them caused bad eczemas.

[Jostones]

Thanks again for the replies. My ds's skin is absolutely brilliant at the moment (which I never thought was possible) so I think we're probably doing the right thing with detergents, soap alternatives etc it's just a question of whether I'm brave enough to stray away from organic clothes. As some have suggested, I'll make sure that the clothes are soft cotton material, not scratchy and not really cheap supermarket clothes. I'll probably still buy organic bodies and nightwear but I could also find some decent non organic clothes to go on top.

[ConfessionsofaMumpreneur]

Both my boys had eczema as babies and i did a lot of research into organic clothing. It helps as its grown without the pesticides so it helps the skin breathe. Its also these pesticides that are used to grow regular cotton that irritate the skin as the pesticide residue is left behind. Also just wanted to mention that even though the price of organic may be slightly more expensive (however some brands are price comparison wise with Next/ marks& Spencer) it has been proven to last longer. Standard cotton begins to break down after 10/15 washes where as organic doesn't begin to break down until over 100 washes.
Budget wise - you can get Organic clothes from the following places.
Zara and H&M do a great budget basics organic range
Frugi
Ava & Luc
KyNa Boutique
Green Baby
Little Shrimp
Organics 4 Kids

Hope this helps

[Maz007]

I'd back what's been said before. Initially went for all organic cotton clothes but have swapped to non-organic and found no change in DD's eczema - which is also well controlled - touching wood...
I use surcare, no softener and do an extra rinse and do notice a change if these change.

[loula8]

I think the the whole organic cotton debate really comes down to the pesticides used in the production of non-organic cotton. I've researched this extensively and found that children exposed to pesticides either in utero, or during other critical periods face significant health risks including higher incidence of:

Birth defects
Neurodevelopmental delays & cognitive impairment
Childhood brain cancers
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)
Endocrine disruption

Many of the worst pesticides, known as “persistent organic pollutants,” or POPs, contaminate our water and soil for years. They move on the wind and in streams, rivers and oceans and concentrate as they move up the food chain. Other pesticides are so widely and heavily used that they contaminate our food and water supplies (chlorpyrifos and atrazine are good examples). It's just disgusting.

So I'm definitely a big organic cotton fan, these are my fav places to get my kids digs:

supernaturalcollections.com/
www.welovefrugi.com/