Best Baby Blanket Material Choices
Here are some of the best options for eco-friendly baby blanket material available on the market today. Picture, right: a good handmade baby blanket or shawl can easily become an heirloom Comfy cottonCotton has a long history and if you buy organic cotton or cotton fleece you can be sure that your baby's blankets were made without using earth-damaging chemicals. Not only that, it's reassuring to think that the cloth from which the blanket is made is free from any chemical residues. If you are opting for a coloured blanket you will want to source ones which are dyed using safe and eco-friendly dyes, particularly non-synthetic and azo-free dyes. Organic cotton can be a superb choice of baby blanket material and there is plenty of variety to choose from.
Cotton comes in many forms - cotton terry towelling, cotton jersey, cotton fleece and brushed cotton are popular types which are all suitable for blankets, either alone or in combination with other materials. One of the advantages of cotton is that it is and easy to clean - just pop it into a normal wash. Cotton is also generally relatively cheap.
Drying in a tumble drier with a drier ball also will help some. If you like to line-dry your baby blankets you will get better results if you dry cottons in the shade. See Laundry tips for more greener laundry ideas. The wool & organic cotton comforter shown in the illustration, above, is a quality item from Green Nest which should last through years of use.
Amazon has a fairly extensive collection of organic baby blankets, including this Miracle Baby Swaddling Blanket Cotton fleece is fairly soft and lightweight and quite desirable as a cuddly baby blanket material. It may need a more careful approach to washing and drying than other cottons. A low temperature "woollen" wash cycle is sometimes recommended. Cotton fleece may also suffer from fluffing and pilling.
Where to buy: In the UK you can get such cotton blankets from Hippychick and GreenEyedFrog. Because it is breathable, antibacterial and hypo-allergenic it tends to stay fresh for longer than other fabrics - meaning that you probably won't even need to wash it quite so often (barring spills, of course). It's only real downsides as a baby blanket material, from the view point of parents, are that it can be a little slow to dry. And some parents find that the material, (when used in such products as the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe You can get organic bamboo blankets from several on-line suppliers, including Amazon Bamboo is a good choice if there is a history of allergies in your family. As it is hypo-allergenic and naturally resistant to moulds and other pathogens and highly breathable, as well as warm and snuggly, you will be giving your baby the best of all worlds.
They wash well and are hydrophobic - meaning that they do not soak up water easily. This also means that they have great breathable qualities - good for warmer conditions when your baby or child may perspire. Yet they are light and warm in chilly conditions too. A low temperature wash is all that's needed usually. Fleece dries quickly and does not need ironing. Fleece does tend to pick up dust, fluff and hairs because it easily picks up a static charge, so it can look a little scruffy. Fleece is comparatively light - wool is generally much heavier, for example. Most authorities now advise parents to use lightweight blankets to reduce the risk of cot death.
Microfibres are similar to polar fleece in some respects but also have some distinct properties. Microfibre blankets will absorb water more readily than fleece - they are super-absorbent which is why microfibres are used in some nappy systems. Microfibre blankets are made from a non-renewable resource - petroleum - and they are not biodegradable. However, you can use them as cleaning cloths as their excellent absorption and fine fibres make them especially suited to this! They are easy to care for and they wash well on a low temperature wash programme. They do not even need detergent as it can impair the subtle properties of the fibre. Here are the downsides: microfibre baby blankets could pose a toxic hazard. Microfibres are highly flammable and release toxic gases when burnt, so perhaps not the best of baby blanket material! Less important but annoying, microfibres will embed animal and human hairs into their surface; it's a tease to release them. Microfibre is sometimes found in blankets as "microfibre suede". Microfibre suede is a super-fine type of microfibre material which is both hard wearing and soft and pliant to touch. It is entirely man-made. It is sometimes used as the outer surface of travel blankets. The super microfibres can be as fine as .001 denier, which makes them very absorbent as well as tough.
However, there are some good points to wool. If it is spun for lightness and woven to achieve a light open structure, wool blankets can be very desirable. Some of them even become heirlooms - that is unless a teething baby decides that this particular heirloom is their favourite "Linus" blanket! Some of the best woolen products for small babies are from specialty wools such as cashmere and alpaca. Return from Baby Blanket Materials back to Green Parent
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Whether you are making a homemade baby blanket, or looking for a good baby blanket to buy for your new baby or grandchild, or for a gift, you'll want comfort, durability and a baby blanket which is easy to care for. 
which apparently lives up to its name!
), tends to stretch a little more than wanted. This should not be a problem with more conventional baby blankets made from bamboo.
. It is sometimes mixed with other fibres, such as silk. Personally, I'm very impresses with bamboo as a material. Yes, it does take a little longer to dry - but the additional softness makes it worth it.
