Cripes lots of simul-posts!
I know I'm being stupid about the boy/girl thing. And believe me, I'm utterly delighted to be having a baybee. And I'm actually delighted to have a boy. I just want a girl, too, and every time I do this and don't get one reduces the chances of me ever getting one if that makes sense.
LOL ski at the fags!!
Organic cotton reasons:
Conventional cotton is one of the most destructive crops available. To make one t-shirt uses approx 1 cup full of chemicals ? insecticides, herbicides, fertilisers. There?s not the same limits as there are for non-organic food production so a lot more chemical is used. Because most cotton is produced in developing countries where health and safety is really not considered, the upshot is that water courses are poisoned, and the average life expectancy for a cotton farmer is around 20 years less than it should be.
Much conventional cotton is now GM (which is not allowed with organics). In developing countries this ties the farmers into re-buying seed every year rather than using seed grown on the cotton ? and this pushes them further into debt. It also increases the use of some chemicals as the GM used allows it to resist a certain herbicide, for instance, so rather than using people labour (and creating local jobs) to remove weeds, it gets sprayed with yet more expensive chemicals.
Some cotton is produced in the US. Because of the US?s way of controlling its trade (protectionism), when the cotton market fluctuates its farmers are supported, while the world market crashes and Indian farmers starve. The suicide rate amongst cotton farmers in developing countries is around 10x the national average due to the terrible hardships that they go through during market downturns.
Fairtrade cotton is the best option. It supports the farmers financially by guaranteeing that they are paid a minimum amount for sustainability at all times and extra as the market rises, plus a premium which never changes even with the market, which is used for community development projects such as hospitals and schools.
Fairtrade cotton is not organic unless it?s separately certified as such, but there are strict limits on the chemicals which can be used on Fairtrade cotton, so if there?s a choice between Fairtrade and organic, I?ll go for Fairtrade. Organic cotton is a brilliant option from an environmental point of view, and if it?s produced in a developing country they will also have had much support in other areas.
Organic cotton is finished without formaldehyde (a fire inhibitor) which means that it?s less likely to irritate delicate skin. LC wore mostly organic cotton until he went to school, which really helped his eczema, and it flared up terribly when he went to school wearing conventional cotton shirts and a jumper made from artificial fabrics.
Organic cotton is usually hand picked, which leaves the fibres longer than machine picking, creating a super-soft, super gentle fabric which can be easily distinguished from conventional cotton.
So all round it?s better for the producers, better for the environment and better for the wearer. My organic tees are just sooo silky soft and if you could feel the stuff I sell in MAC, you?d immediately tell the difference.
Finally, you mention lotions and potions. We only sell parabens and SLS-free organic toiletries. Clearly there?s no point putting your babe in organic clothing then smearing crappy creams and powders over him.