organic clothing - Stuff Parents Need

4 Reasons to Buy Organic Clothing, and A Great New Store! (Giveaway!)

May 31, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 69 Comments

I have talked many times over the last few years about striving to purchase more organic products for my family, and in particular, for my children. There’s no doubt about it: buying organic and eco-friendly products, in general, can be pricey. But I believe making a few key investments is completely worth it.

The trouble is, I don’t know WHICH products to choose and which ones to pass on. It can get really overwhelming to try to research EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that will touch your baby (clothes, diapers, baby wash, toys, bottles, etc.) and honestly, there have been times when I have just decided to go with whatever is the cheapest, or whatever I can find the fastest. And any time I take either of those roads, the end result is often that I DON’T get the product that was truly the best fit for me and my family.

Buying Organic and Eco-Friendly Products on a Budget

So what to do? I want to make a good choice, but now that I have 2 kids, I have even less time to spend hours and hours researching products. This, my friends, is exactly why I am really loving Organic Treasure. This is an online eco-boutique run by Vivian, the mom of an 8 month old infant, who has decided to put her passion for and knowledge about all things eco-friendly to work for other parents who want to make great choices for their children, their homes and their gardens. She has great picks for every family, whether they can purchase an entire wardrobe of organic cotton and an entire nursery of eco-friendly toys, or if they can only buy one thing. Organic Treasure has already done the hard work for you, and each item in the boutique has been hand-selected as being truly outstanding amongst its competitors. On the site you will even find a baby registry to help make the process of preparing for your new baby easy, as well as a great registry checklist. I appreciate that it is a bit more streamlined than many of the checklists I have seen, and sticks more to the basics; what you REALLY need!

At Organic Treasure, you’ll find brands such as Aden & Anais, Baby Soy, Miyim, Green Sprouts, Under the Nile and Finn + Emma. You will also find that Organic Treasure was awarded the Green America Bronze Certified Business Seal. This award comes after a rigorous certification process, and is presented to small businesses that show a clear commitment and dedication to positive social and environmental change. Vivian shows her dedication to environmental stewardship not only in the products she carries, but also in how she runs her business, right down to running on 100% wind energy and using recycled paper products and soy based non-toxic inks. Organic Treasure is truly a model for what the future could look for all businesses!

As I was perusing the site, I also read a great article that listed several reasons we should all strongly consider purchasing organic clothing. I wanted to share some of them with you today because they are really eye-opening!

4 Reasons to Buy Organic Clothing

1. Bamboo is a great alternative to cotton, as it is VERY sustainable (the fastest growing plant in the world!). This product also grows easily without pesticides or fertilizers, and it is naturally antimicrobial. It is the perfect choice for people with sensitive skin! And if you have never worn it, let me tell you…it is super soft!

2. Conventional cotton is the most widely sprayed agricultural crop in the entire world. Washing the fabrics only eliminates a fraction of the toxic chemicals found in the clothing made from it. I personally have actually researched how to get pesticide residue out of clothes and the short answer is this: you can’t. 🙁

3. Organic cotton is free from these toxic chemicals. It is also not treated with formaldehyde (all conventional cotton contains this nasty chemical, which gives the cotton a smooth finish and color). This chemical is known to absorb into the skin. Yikes!

4. As demand for organic materials increases, so will the supply! Businesses and farmers will change farming practices and switch over to more sustainable products as more people start purchasing them. We are voting with our dollars!

I found Organic Treasure to truly be a treasure trove of fantastic products and helpful information. I also love that it is run by a mom with a real passion and desire to help other parents make great choices for their families. You will receive impeccable customer service from this company and can even reach out to Vivian with any questions you may have about which products to choose for your family. She would be delighted to help you!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win one item of your choice from Organic Treasure with a value of up to $35!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.
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Special thanks to Vivian at Organic Treasure for partnering with Stuff Parents Need for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always.

bamboo photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

New Jammies (Organic!) Review and GIVEAWAY!!!!

April 14, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 155 Comments

Darah is really starting to enjoy picking out her own clothes. She still chooses to wear dresses 6 out of 7 days of the week, pretty much. She likes to experiment with different colors and patterns and to admire her fashion creations in the mirror each morning.

Bed time is yet another opportunity for her to demonstrate her budding fashionista skills, and she insists on picking out her own pajamas. Lately she has had a clear favorite: her New Jammies. She has a shirt and shorts set (so nice for our unseasonably warm weather right now!) that has adorable Flower Girls all over it. Even though her jammies aren’t a dress, she likes that the characters on her jammies are sporting cute dresses.

Let me tell you what I like about these jammies (adorable print aside). I like that they are made of organic material. When they arrived in the mail, Darah wanted to put them on immediately. I didn’t have to tell her to wait until they got washed, first. That was nice!

I also love the bold colors in the fabric. The set is just so vibrant; I can’t help but smile when I see her in it. And of course, the fabric is super soft to the touch, which means that these jammies are quite comfortable.

Finally, I love the fact that this company was created by a woman with a background in chemistry, who has a true love and passion for the power of chemicals in our life, but at the same time, saw a need to reduce exposure to some of them in our day-to-day lives. The company also supports a variety of nonprofits, which is something I ALWAYS love to see. That means a portion of your purchase is going back to the greater good. Woo hoo!

New Jammies make a fantastic birthday or holiday gift option for little ones, or just a special treat. I can tell you from experience that they hold up beautifully in the wash, and we aren’t yet experiencing any color fading. They have a great variety of short and long-sleeve organic pajama sets from which to choose. They also have onesie sleepers and options for preemies. The set we reviewed retails for $31.00

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of New Jammies in your choice of size and style!

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Slow Fashion Movement: Ecoland Organic Toddler and Baby Socks (GIVEAWAY!!!)

May 7, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 47 Comments

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Did you know that it takes roughly 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to grown enough cotton for just one T-shirt? I had absolutely no idea! I think I’ll always carry this fact with me, now that I know it, and I hope it will encourage me to buy organic cotton any time I possibly can.

Today I’m highlighting a company that is committed to bringing you quality cotton products, minus all the pesticides. It’s called Ecoland, and they have wonderful basics for every member of your family. All products are proudly made in the USA, as well.

We had the opportunity to review a new addition to their collections: toddler girl flower socks! One of the things I love about these socks is that they come in a package of 3, and they are all identical. Now, before you go thinking that this is kind of boring, I want to let you in on a trick my mother-in-law taught me…it is ALWAYS great to have at least 2 pair of the same sock, so that when one of the socks goes missing (and you KNOW) it will, you will be able to keep going with other matching pairs until that rogue sock shows back up!

If you look around the Ecoland website, you’ll see that all of their products are in classic colors and styles that never go out of fashion. This is part of what is called the Slow Fashion movement, with the goal to be able to wear clothing for a longer period of time, and thus reduce the overall use of natural resources.

When perusing the site, I saw several wonderful natural baby gift ideas, especially for someone who is drawn to eco-friendly products and/or gender neutral color schemes. This is a very cool company to support, not only because they offer quality products, but also because they really walk the walk, with their products being made less than 20 miles from their home office, and their commitment to recycling even down to the level of reusing cardboard boxes they receive in their facilities to ship out orders to customers.

Buy it!: Ecoland is committed to offering their customers good value. For example, the toddler socks I reviewed are $12 for a package of 3, but if you buy 2 or more packs, the price per pack drops to $10.50! Also, new customers can take an additional 15% off their first order (if you buy multiple products, this could add up to real savings!). Use code GRLFLW15 at checkout! Coupon code expires May 31.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of baby girl socks, in your choice of sizes 0-12 months, 12-24 months or 2-6T. The contest will run until May 17th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT (FOUND ON MY SIDEBAR) TO WIN A GIVEAWAY HERE!!

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other product on the Ecoland website that you’d love to give to someone (or even have yourself!).

My answer: I most definitely want a pair of organic socks for myself!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Ecoland on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas a Minneapolis SEO and Web Design firm. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.