Posts Tagged ‘baby clothes’

Merino Kids

Posted Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 by Agnes Aubert in our brands

MerinoKidsLogo

Merino Kids was founded by Amie Nilsson in New Zealand in 2003.  It is now an international, award winning, textile company specialising in using 100% natural fibres, for the design of newborn, baby, infant and toddler sleepwear.

 

A lovely Merino Sheep, courtesy of http://animaladay.blogspot.ie/2012_03_01_archive.html

Merino Kids make garments using 100% natural superfine, bleach-free merino, 100% natural organic cotton and nickel-free zips and domes/poppers.

We especially love their Merino wool, because though it is warm and breathable - as always with wool - its fine knit give it the feel of soft cotton, thus giving children the best material to live and sleep in! 

You'll be glad to know that Merino Kids' superfine merino top is spun, woven and finished in India in a sweatshop-free environment.  

Swaddle-honeyoat-baby-hands_LRG

When looking at Merino Kids' clothes, it's easy to see that they are created by a mother with care for children and practicality in mind.  Design features such as fold-over scratch mitts, fold-over feet, cross-over necklines and elastic backs are brilliant for easy dressing and changing.

Environmentally friendly packaging is also something Merino Kids care about, so they use 100% cotton organdy fabric and recycled tissue paper.

These things make Merino Kids a good fit for us, and we're happy to be stocking them.  We hope you enjoy their wraps, sleeping bags and clothing too.

 

 

Merino Kids Favourites

Swaddle-honeyoat-baby-hands_LRG

All-in-One in Very Fine Merino Wool by Merino Kids
Pyjamas-green-baby_LRG


My son slept through… for the first time

Posted Friday, November 30th, 2012 by Rachel King in sleeping
My little boy is 19 months old. He doesn't do sleeping through. Which means its a very long time since any of us had an undisturbed night of sleep. Many people, including me have said its a good job he's cute.

Luckily for me my husband is a saint and since I stopped feeding him in the night he's done the brunt of the night missions. But I still wonder if I had undisturbed sleep whether many of the daily mishaps could be avoided. Every night two or three times a night we hear plaintive cries of Mama, Dadda, and most of the time he is sitting or standing in the cot. If you don't go to him immediately (no chance to get warmly dressed) he gets worked up into a frenzy. Sometimes patting works, sometimes you've got to make the chilly trek to the fridge to get some milk and then you're really awake. What worked getting my daughter to sleep through hasn't worked for my son. We've tried most things, but at the end of the day he just loves cuddles. My neighbour wisely said you just need to work out why he's waking up in the first place. However, there seems to be no pattern. We've tried all combination of bed clothes. Cotton pyjamas, Baby grows, fleecy baby grows but still no luck.  Having heard all the claims of children sleeping through with Merino wool sleeping bags  I was going to buy him one. But he's not used to sleeping bags and cried "stuck, stuck" when I tried one.  Helen suggested Merino wool all-in-one-Pyjamas.

They are brilliant. A beautiful ruby red colour with a little  embroidered sheep. On the first night I dressed him in a merino wool/silk vest underneath and then the pyjamas on top. He then poured goats milk all over himself....  argh!!...  but it just brushed off without soaking in.  And so I learnt first-hand about wool's water-resistant qualities.  Another amazing thing about Merino is that although it has liquid repellent qualities, it can also absorb up to 35% of its own weight in liquid without feeling wet. Making it perfect for dribbly teething children! Anyway the best bit is that he slept all the way through - the first time ever!  What luxury for me to get rest until 6am... and my husband... and my little boy too. Whether it was the comfort, warmth or breathability of Merino I'm not sure but I cannot recommend Merino wool Pyjamas highly enough - so lovely, such relief for us all.

Disana’s secrets of success

Posted Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Helen East in our brands
TheDisana organic Merino wool dungarees and jumper News is in, and it is official...  the best seller this Autumn/Winter season has been the Merino Wool Trousers or Leggings by Disana. Disana is one of our all-round top brands - so what are they doing right, and what makes them so special? Disana began 25 years ago - in a garage.  When they started their company, Dieter and Imma Sautter combined their initials D and I with the word Sana, which is the name of the ancient goddess of health and healing – very apt for Disana's natural ethos. Disana now supply shops around the world with organic wool baby and children's clothes and is still growing steadily, carrying with them this vision of health and healing through clothing.

Secrets of success

Disana are committed to high quality, natural raw materials and specialise in organic Merino wool.  They are a founding member of the International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN) and are proud of its guidelines for natural textile production; these are recognised as the most comprehensive, strictest guidelines in the world. In fact, Disana was one of the very first companies to have most of its clothing certified by IVN as BEST, indicating organic textiles of the highest ecological quality.  Its range is also GOTS certified as organic too at a time when organic wool is still hard to come by.

Fairly made and traded

DisanaDisana's commitment to high standards includes fairness throughout the supply chain and their excellent craftsmanship shows throughout their organic clothing range. The fabrics used in Disana’s wool clothing are produced either at their premises or within a 100km radius in long-term partner factories, ensuring good working conditions and making for good relationships and excellent quality control.  This is Herr Heinz Munz in the workshop, who is very proud to be in our blog 🙂 And as you can probably guess, everything that goes into each piece of clothing is is subject to strict regulations, from the sewing thread and buttons to even the lubricating oil in the knitting machines - everything must be environmentally friendly.

Designed for little ones

Disana Boiled Wool Fabric

Each Disana piece is designed to keep a little one comfortable and healthy, which makes Disana stand out from the crowd when it comes to design.   For them it's all about the baby, the baby's comfort, health, freedom to wriggle, crawl or walk. Disana's clothes allow the skin to breathe and the body to relax, and parents to know that their little one is being looked after by real living wool.

So, thank you to Disana for providing us with the choice of natural, healthy and sustainable clothing.  We at Cambridge Baby and Good Natured Clothing love what you do, you're totally in accord with our ethics and we are proud to carry your organic wool clothes.   ♥ ---------------------------------- Win a £20 Gift Voucher!  Comment on this or any of our blog posts in March, and we'll randomly select a winner on 1st April.  Share or link to a blog post for bonus entries! ---------------------------------

The Little Touches

Posted Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 by Agnes Aubert in our brands, our ethics, who we are
Often it's the little touches that make all the difference.  When choosing which clothes to stock, we look at attention to detail and particularly like little ideas that make life easier. Here are 5 little touches that we love.  You can WIN a £20 Cambridge Baby voucher by leaving a comment, and saying which is your favourite! 1.  The extendible bodysuit Babies grow quickly, so helping things last longer as your baby gets bigger is a great idea.  This wool/silk sleeveless bodysuit by Iobio has two rows of poppers so it's extendible and lasts longer, and is even better at handling cloth nappies.

Extendible Sleeveless Baby Body

Iobio's wrap-around bodysuit also has sleeves which can either be down as scratch mitts, with little hands tucked into them, or folded up as your baby grows.

2.  Leggings with a perfect fit This perfect touch is even simpler.  On all their wool and wool/silk leggings, German company Engel has included an opening on the inside of the waistband, which allows you to tighten or change the elastic without having to un-stitch anything.

Leggings with adjustable waist

So if you have a narrow-waisted child, you can easily shorten it as much as you need to for a perfect fit - and should the elastic break (not that that has happened yet!), it's easy to replace.  Simple - why doesn't everyone do it?

3.   Hand-stitched invisible seams Comfortable fabrics, comfortable cut and comfortable finishing create clothes that keep babies and children happy.  Comfort is at the top of the list with us - from top to toe.

Wool tights with seamless toes

Groedo hand-stitch the toes and heels of most of their organic cotton and wool socks and tights, creating "invisible" seams that can't be felt.  So these socks and tights never rub nor feel uncomfortable!  The German word for this is handgekettelt and we love this attention to detail. 4.  Removable labels Youngest Good Natured Team member, Connie (aged 4) always needs labels taking out, and it is annoying when they're stitched right into the seam, making it impossible to take them out cleanly.  Swiss brand Alkena make this so easy.  Alkena's biodynamic silk clothes have labels lightly stitched at each side, so that they can easily be removed.  Because it's so easy to do, it gets done sooner and little Connie is happier.  They do the same for adults too - thanks, Alkena!

Twist biodynamic silk top with removable label

5.  Stay-on hats "My little boy Phillip has worn it all day today in the park, and it fits so nicely he forgot he had it on. The design is brilliant ... and it really stays on." Mirjam, Cambridge.

Organic Sun Hat with Ties under the Chin to Stay On

Whether they're sun hats or woolly hats, baby hats really need to stay on.   We have always loved Pickapooh for making sure they do just that, with soft ties or poppers under the chin for long-lasting stayonability. "The best bit is that she forgets she's wearing it!" Lauren, Redhill, UK. And that's how all children's clothes should be. ---------------------------------- Win a £20 Gift Voucher!  Comment on this or any of our blog posts in March, and we'll randomly select a winner on 1st April.  Share or link to a blog post for bonus entries!