questions & answers

Welcome! We hope you'll find some useful information on this page, where we've responded to some frequently asked questions. Click on those you are interested in:


The Wool Helper!
       Aaargh! It's shrunk! Why?
       Aaargh! It's shrunk! What can I do?
       What's this Merino wool stuff?
       How does wool (and Merino wool) achieve such wonders?
       What other ways is wool great for your baby?
       Where does Cambridge Baby's Merino wool come from?
       Can you really wear wool in Summer?
       Do you do Merino wool vests for me too?

What is so special about silk?
       What is Bourette silk?
       How can your silk be certified organic?

New baby?
       What does an Autumn/Winter baby need?
       What does a Spring/Summer baby need?

Hmmm, I realise we haven't yet answered that many questions, so if there is something else we can help you with, please contact us.







The Wool Helper!

The Wool Helper is here to provide tip-top tips and information on this wonderful fabric.

1. Aaaargh! It's shrunk! Why?

A wool fibre is a very clever thing, which makes wool the best fabric to keep a body healthy and warm. But it is a bit complex, and here's why wool shrinks:

On the outside of the wool fibre are tiny, tiny scales. These scales do several jobs. First of all, they help repel water, keeping you and your clothing dry. Secondly, they help get rid of dirt, by rubbing together and pushing it off. They also protect the keratin core of the fibre and respond to changes in humidity, allowing water to pass in to the core if necessary.

However... if they are heated or cooled too quickly, or if they become too hot, or if they are made wet and are rubbed too much, they jam up - they lock in upon themselves.

Ooops!

That that lovely elasticity starts to go, and your garment will become thicker and smaller.



2. Aaaargh! It's shrunk! What can I do?

All is not lost! You can re-size your wool to some extent by gently stretching and re-shaping it before it dries. In fact, you should do this each time it is washed. You may be surprised how much it will stretch back into shape.

You can also use your own hair conditioner to help the fibres slide apart.

  • Pile on the conditioner, and gently work it through the fabric.
  • Ease out the garment to its original proportions.
  • Air-dry, away from direct heat.

    Finally, if you have bought your woollen item from us at Cambridge Baby, and you feel it has shrunk unacceptably, we do offer a no-quibble guarantee!







    What is this Merino wool stuff?

    Merino wool fabric is fantastic! It is considered the finest of all sheeps wool, with good cause.

    First of all, it has all the properties of wool...

  • it's breathable, wicking moisture from the skin to the outside
  • it's water resistant (think sheep)
  • it's especially designed to be both an inner and outer layer (think sheep)
  • and it's very light for its warmth (brilliant for little ones).

    ...and its fibres are extra-fine, so that it doesn't itch. Merino wool can therefore be worn right next to the skin, creating a responsive microclimate around the body which helps to keep the body's temperature stable. This temperature-regulating property is particularly great young babies, who find this hard to do themselves.

    Wool in general is particularly brilliant for babies.

  • Wool stays warm when wet
  • it's naturally anti-bacterial (yes, really!)
  • and naturally dirt-resistant. It rarely needs washing - a quick wipe down is fine.
    So when your baby possets, dribbles or sicks up, you don't need to run and change him/her yet again - he'll stay warm and cosy. Making for a stress-free day.



    How does wool (and Merino wool) achieve such wonders?

    Wool consists of three layers.

  • The first, keratin, is a moisture-loving protein that all animal hair has. It is designed to maintain a stable body temperature. Think how useful this is to babies, athletes and your own day-to-day living.
  • The second layer is a scaly covering. The overlapping scales are tiny, but as they rub against each other they push off the dirt. So it is self-cleaning, as anyone who's put their baby in wool knows.
  • The third layer is a filmy skin which keeps the rain out. Wool is quite water-resistant, as duffle-coat wearers and sheep can testify.

    You can see already that it's pretty amazing, and a healthy thing to have next to your skin.

    Now, the two outer layers have tiny pores which allow moisture to pass through to the keratin core, which absorbs it. So, if the temperature increases or the wearer becomes more active and begins to sweat, the moisture is wicked into the central core. Your body heat then wicks it out towards the surface, where it is released into the atmosphere.

    So, it helps you and your baby maintain a stable temperature and keeps you and your baby dry and comfortable by absorbing and releasing sweat.

    It even does this "dynamically", which means it does it more when needed, and less when not needed. Wow. It's just the best thing, don't you think? No man-made fibre can equal this.

    To keep these abilities, wool does need to be looked after. But with 99% of washing machines now having a wool cycle, this is quite easy. Just use a liquid detergent for wool, or a drop of your own shampoo.



    What other ways is it great for your baby?


  • Wool is naturally antibacterial. This is due to its lanolin (wool fat) content - as wool becomes moist, some of the lanolin converts to lanolin-soap, which helps keep the fabric hygenically clean! Combining this with it's self-cleaning properties, you can begin to understand why wool underwear doesn't get smelly. It smells fresh for ages.


  • Wool can absorb around 33% of its own weight without feeling wet. This is heaps more than man-made fibres, which typically absorb only 4% before feeling wet and uncomfortable. It's much more than cotton, too. It means that your baby is more likely to stay warm and dry if he/she dribbles or possets, and you can just give a quick rub down rather than having to change him/her so often. Making your baby happier, and your life easier.


  • Wool is a great insulator. It is warm in winter and cool in summer (think vacuum flask). This is because of all the "waves" in the fibre, which lock in air. It may seem strange to us to use wool in the summer, but many Beduins and Tuaregs use wool to keep the heat out! (They use camel and goat hair as well as sheep's wool.) This is why sheepskins are such a great choice for prams, strollers and carseats, keeping your baby comfortable and so making your life easier.


  • Wool is "bouncy" - the springiness of the fibres gives it good elasticity - it stretches really well and goes back into shape well too. This means that it's very easy to put on your baby - and to take off of course too. Much less fiddling around with arms and things. Making your baby happier, and your life easier (did I say this before?).


  • Finally, wool is a very safe fabric and fire-resistant. It's harder to ignite than most synthetic fibres and cotton. It has a low rate of flame spread, it doesn't melt, or drip, and if it does burn it creates a "char" which self-extinguishes.


    (How did sheep do all that?!)



    Merino wool is extra-fine!

    Merino wool has all the properties of wool (above) and just goes that little bit further... it's "crimp" is more intense, so it's warmer and lighter. And it's a much finer fibre than most other wools, so that it can be worn next to the skin without itching - like silk.

    All our baby, child and adult underwear is made from Merino wool, or Merino wool combined with silk for even greater softness and comfort.







    Where does Cambridge Baby's Merino wool come from?

    Merino wool comes from the Merino sheep, mainly found in Australia and New Zealand. However, our Merino wool comes from either Argentinian, Australian or German Merino sheep and the garments are made up in Germany. You can find out more about Merino sheep here.







    Can you really wear wool in Summer?

    There are a lot of people who value a thin layer of wool next to the skin in Summer. Through its wicking and breathing properties, it can help keep you comfortable in warm weather. Sheep, of course, wear it all year long - and it took a lot of evolution to get wool fibres so perfect.

    It's insulating, innit - like a thermos flask, it can help keep things cool and help keep things warm. Mind you, farmed sheep get shorn, so you might want to ditch that woolly jumper come June, but wild sheep keep their shaggy coats all year round - and even shorn sheep have a good few cm to help them keep cool.

    Having said that, we haven't worn wool at the height of Summer...yet! As I write this it's the end of May and both our children have been in wool/silk vests and our 2-year-old refuses to take them off. I'll let you know what happens come July!

    What we 100% do recommend from personal experience in Summer is to use sheepskins. We use these all day every day in strollers, carseats, the pram, in the moses basket, in the cot - 12 months of the year. Sheepsksins are brilliant and really do help prevent sticky sweat, and keep little ones comfortable. Buy your baby lambskins here now!!







    Do you do Merino underwear for me too?

    Being an informed Cambridge Baby customer, you probably already know that Merino wool underlayers are the vests (come on, let's call them what they are - VESTS!! all this "underlayer" business, honestly) of choice for Everest teams and other mountaineers. This high-performance fabric (which, like I say, took a few million years to evolve) is naturally brilliant for you and your baby.

    Luckily for you, Cambridge Baby now stocks adult Merino wool underwear too. Vests and long-johns, to be precise. So your grown-up loved ones (and even your teenagers) can sneak into Merino wool gear and feel refreshed and comfortable all year round. And at down-to-earth prices, too.







    What is so special about silk?


    Silk and silk blend fabrics are our softest, gentlest fabrics, recommended for sensitive skins, eczema sufferers and for whenever extra comfort is needed.

    Silk is very good for the skin. Why is this?

  • Its hollow-fibre construction helps regulate body temperature
  • It's also very breathable, making it a healthy underlayer. Moisture is absorbed and released outwards away from the body.
  • And, as the whole world knows, it's very soft and gentle to wear.

    Because of these properties, and particularly because of its softness, it has been valued highly over the centuries and we're delighted to have it here for you today.

    Wool/silk blend vests, bodies, long-johns and leggings make the perfect base-layer, combining these rare properties of silk with those of Merino wool.







    How can your silk be certified organic?


    We believe that good organic farming is beneficial to the environment and to the finished product. We are excited to be stocking some of the only certified organic silk in the world! The silk worms eat organic mulberry leaves, grown with no chemical input, and because the whole process is organic, our silk is chemical-free. It is certified by IMO. Please note that only our pure silk range (more due in in Autumn!) is certified organic; our silk blend ranges are not certified but are a very natural product of exceptionally high quality, certified as such by IVN.







    What is Bourette silk?


    Bourette silk is spun silk and has a warm, natural feel. It doesn't feel or look silky-smooth, as it is a different kind of silk which is created by spinning together silk strands to create a more earthy look and texture. It is less expensive than filament silk and we prefer its feel against the skin. We have chosen this high-quality, dye-free, chemical-free bourette silk for our range as we believe it represents excellent value for our customers.







    What does my new baby need?

    Ha! How long is a piece of string? On a more helpful note, we have compiled this list based on what our baby used.

    Note that I say 'used', rather than 'had'. What she had was a whole heap of things that had been given to us, passed down, bought second-hand or bought new! Most of these she didn't use at all! What a waste of space and energy. Much better to have a few good things that you really enjoy your little one wearing. See our slow clothes article for more on this!



    What does an Autumn/Winter baby need?

  • 4 x silk/wool baby-bodies (size up if in cloth nappies)
  • 2 x silk/wool undertrousers (these then fit under all the cotton trousers you will be given and stop little legs from feeling chilly!)
  • 2 x Disana dungarees in Merino wool (as he/she gets bigger, you can still use these as roll-top trousers)
  • 2 x Engel baby dungarees (either with or without feet - we preferred with)

  • 2 x Merino wool leggins-with-feet and/or 4 x Merino wool tights
  • 2 x Disana lightweight jumpers or granny's hand-knitted cardigans.
  • 2 x Ruby-Red PJs for nighttime wear (size up if in cloth nappies). Connie also just wore the baby dungarees or normal dungarees as well at night - as long as she was wearing wool, she slept well!
  • 2 x sleeping bags - we had one Disana one and one Engel one. The Disana one we think was warmer, and the Engel one needs the baby to be wearing socks or otherwise to have his/her feet covered, as otherwise they "grab" the inside of the bag with their feet and keep pulling it down! This doesn't really matter, it just stretches the bag a bit. But with socks on it was fine.

  • 1 x Disana delicate wool blanket. Perfect as an extra layer at night, or for wrapping round your baby to go outside. Get your in-laws to give you another one as a gift - you can't have too many of such a good thing.
  • 1 x sheepskin for use in the cot and/or as a playmat to provide comfort, support and good sleeping
  • 1 x stroller sheepskin for use in the carseat/stroller to prevent sweatiness, provide warmth, comfort and support and good sleeping

    When the baby is a few weeks old and you're going out and about, we'd also recommend the Engel snugglesuit which goes over everything.



    What does a Spring/Summer baby need?

  • 2 x silk/wool baby-bodies if in Spring
  • 6 or more x cotton bodies (as you'll need to change these more often than wool ones)
  • Choose silk/cotton bodies if your baby has eczema
  • n x whatever outerwear you fancy! You can opt for fancy gear or go for rompers for a comfortable option.

  • 4 x babygrows to sleep in (wear over a vest when cooler; I'd wear over a wool/silk vest for optimum sleeping)
  • 2 x sleeping bags (I would use wool up until June - you can always put less on underneath)
  • 2 x cotton blankets for layering, sleeping & the pram
  • 1 x sheepskin for use in the cot and/or as a playmat to provide comfort, support and good sleeping
  • 1 x stroller sheepskin for use in the carseat/stroller to prevent sweatiness, provide warmth, comfort and support and good sleeping

    Please contact us if you have suggestions, disagree, etc. as we value your feedback.


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