Nick's been a massive fan of Merino Wool ever since his sister discovered the benefits of Merino in New Zealand 15 years ago. This year the whole extended family was wearing Cambridge Baby base layers.
The best thing about wool for skiing is that it helps you cope with large temperature changes by reducing the heat transfer between the body and the environment. His woollies kept him warm in freezing blizzard conditions but when the sun came out he didn't have to strip off and carry any layers. He was even able to keep some of his layers on for a bit of apres ski dancing!!!
Another benefit of Merino (especially untreated wool like Engel's) is that it doesn't get smelly. Merino wool reduces the opportunity for odours to develop because it absorbs sweat and evaporates it into the air. Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool doesn't retain odours and freshens up just with airing out. In addition, the outer layer of wool fibres have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties. The inner layers of wool fibre bind with acidic, basic and sulphurous odours that make up body odour. Nick was able to wear all his gear even his pants for the entire week.
Archive for the ‘All about’ Category
Head to Toe: Wool is wonderful for Skiing
Posted Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 by Rachel King in dressing for the outdoors, our fabrics
Nick went to St Anton skiing and came back singing the praises of wool. He was dressed head to toe in wool including his pants.
Nick's been a massive fan of Merino Wool ever since his sister discovered the benefits of Merino in New Zealand 15 years ago. This year the whole extended family was wearing Cambridge Baby base layers.
The best thing about wool for skiing is that it helps you cope with large temperature changes by reducing the heat transfer between the body and the environment. His woollies kept him warm in freezing blizzard conditions but when the sun came out he didn't have to strip off and carry any layers. He was even able to keep some of his layers on for a bit of apres ski dancing!!!
Another benefit of Merino (especially untreated wool like Engel's) is that it doesn't get smelly. Merino wool reduces the opportunity for odours to develop because it absorbs sweat and evaporates it into the air. Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool doesn't retain odours and freshens up just with airing out. In addition, the outer layer of wool fibres have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties. The inner layers of wool fibre bind with acidic, basic and sulphurous odours that make up body odour. Nick was able to wear all his gear even his pants for the entire week.
Nick's been a massive fan of Merino Wool ever since his sister discovered the benefits of Merino in New Zealand 15 years ago. This year the whole extended family was wearing Cambridge Baby base layers.
The best thing about wool for skiing is that it helps you cope with large temperature changes by reducing the heat transfer between the body and the environment. His woollies kept him warm in freezing blizzard conditions but when the sun came out he didn't have to strip off and carry any layers. He was even able to keep some of his layers on for a bit of apres ski dancing!!!
Another benefit of Merino (especially untreated wool like Engel's) is that it doesn't get smelly. Merino wool reduces the opportunity for odours to develop because it absorbs sweat and evaporates it into the air. Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool doesn't retain odours and freshens up just with airing out. In addition, the outer layer of wool fibres have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties. The inner layers of wool fibre bind with acidic, basic and sulphurous odours that make up body odour. Nick was able to wear all his gear even his pants for the entire week.
Alpaca – why is it so good for your family?
Posted Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 by Rachel King in our fabricsBaby Alpaca wool is soft and warm and is one of the best natural fibres for your skin. Because of its unique structure, it's exceedingly gentle for your baby and child, and yet it's better for you than even Merino sheep's wool in several ways.
How can Alpaca wool be so special?
For thousands of years Alpacas have grazed the high plains of the Andes and the local people have sheared their fleece to make clothing for protection against the cold conditions. Today, traditional techniques are still being used to make the finest ranges of alpaca knitwear from this unique fibre. (more…)
Why I Buy Organic & Competition
Posted Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 by Rachel King in competitions & offers, who we are
I live in lovely village called Horningsea and one of my greatest pleasures is cycling to work. I was zooming along thinking how lucky I was on this bright blue September day... when suddenly I saw a tractor spraying and I felt sick. The dark side of agriculture was brought home.
You'll find a personal post from me below, but to celebrate Organic September we're running an organic competition!
We have 8 pairs of Demeter-quality organic cotton socks to win! To enter, tell us, why do you buy organic? Comment below - each comment will count as an entry. Plus, if you share this link anywhere online, we'll give you not one but two bonus entries - simply comment and tell us where you've shared - twitter, facebook, forums, all are good for us!
Why I feel lucky
I hope you're entered the competition and are feeling lucky. After passing the spraying tractor, a moments reflection and I felt lucky too. I was briefly exposed to a bit of herbicide. Nothing in comparison to what a conventional cotton farmer has to deal with daily.
Many chemicals used in cotton farming are acutely toxic. Some are so dangerous that 120 countries agreed at a UNEP conference in 2001 to ban them - unfortunately many are still being used. The World Trade Organisation estimates 20,000 deaths and three million chronic health problems annually are the result of the use of agricultural pesticides in developing countries.
I feel very lucky to live in Britain, where we are at the forefront of change, even if it is slow.
Meet Wendy from the Cambridge Baby Team
Posted Thursday, September 6th, 2012 by Helen East in who we areWendy's In the Pink!
Wendy's favourite mornings at Cambridge Baby is when she's picking and packing pink clot
Her love of colour ties in with her own natural well-being business which she's enjoying growing - take a look at her website, WhatYouReallyReallyWant.co.uk.
Wendy is a joy to have on the team, being very good natured and positive. As well as preparing orders she delights in keeping the boxes of Cambridge Baby clothes clearly labelled, for quick and accurate picking. When the need arises she is also on hand to answer phone queries, answer e-mails, process returns, and unpack incoming deliveries.
Music to Your Ears
She sometimes entertains the rest of the Cambridge Baby team with whistling renditions of the latest orchestra pieces she is rehearsing. She plays the cello in the Cambridge Graduate Orchestra, who give concerts four times a year at the renowned West Road Concert Hall. A few weeks ago they performed The Planets by Holst to a sold out audience as part of the Cambridge Science Festival.
Another highlight of her week is running a local Brownie Pack for girls aged 7-10 years. The girls love the games, action songs, and all the new skills and crafts they do. A few weeks ago they made some great owls out of fir cones that made it to the Cambridge Baby desk to be admired!
If you're local to Cambridge and your girl would like to join Brownies, phone Wendy on 01223 515470.
Her Other Side
When she’s not at Cambridge Baby she’s helping people who are overwhelmed by stress, depression, or fatigue, with the natural wellbeing business she is growing. Her clients are often extremely grateful for the support she offers, which can include herbal supplement recomendations, dietary recommendations, and chakra and meridian balancing treatments.
She also loves helping people become truly alive using a fabulous colour system that combines the energies of colour, plant extracts and crystals. If your looking for something to quench your spiritual thirst then this could be for you. Help more of your 'true colours' shine through with solution treatments.
To find out more visit WhatYouReallyReallyWant.co.uk - it's Wendy's website, and you'll see it's a little pink.
Meet Agnès from the Cambridge Baby Team
Posted Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 by Wendy Peck in who we are
Being Part of the Team
Agnès loves being part of the team here at Cambridge Baby. She works with Rosy and Wendy in the Good Natured shed and is pictured here in her favourite Engel top sold here at Cambridge Baby.
Before working at Cambridge Baby Agnès never expected to work in retail.What attracted her to Cambridge Baby was the care that is put into the clothes that we sell (see her blog post The Little Touches). What makes her job so worthwhile is her passion for high quality, ethical, and eco-friendly clothes that have the comfort and practicality of the wearer in mind.
Her Cambridge Baby Roles
Agnès loves the variety of her roles in the Good Natured shed.
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When receiving your Cambridge Baby clothes it is likely to have either been picked or packed by her....
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When you phone up with a query you may be helped by her...
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And when you found Cambridge Baby on the first page of google Agnès's computer skills helped it get there.
She is also the lucky person who gets to share customer quotes with the world. It makes her day receiving lovely comments from people like you who really appreciate the difference these natural fibre clothes make to the comfort and happiness of their little ones and themselves. In her own words “Feel free to keep sending them in!”
French Teacher Extraordinaire!
After leaving the Good Natured Shed at lunchtime she zips around Cambridge giving French lessons to children and adults alike, both in person and over Skype. Her 
Disana’s secrets of success
Posted Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Helen East in our brands
The
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.
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.
Disana'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.
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. ♥
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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!
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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
Disana'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
Why is wool good for you?
Posted Friday, March 2nd, 2012 by Helen East in dressing your baby, our fabrics
You've probably noticed we use expresssions such as "breathable" and "regulates body temperature" a lot at Cambridge Baby. Wool is naturally an amazingly clever fibre and here you can find out how and why.
- breathe, absorbing water vapour from the body and releasing it into the atmosphere
- dynamically respond to the environment
- help regulate temperature
- clean itself (oh yes!), and
- repel rain (think: sheep).
The magic of wool
The magic of wool lies in its structure. Wool consists of three layers.- The inner layer or core is keratin, a moisture-loving protein that all animal hair has. It is designed to maintain a stable body temperature - to keep the body at a comfortable and stable 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.
- A wool fibre's third layer, the top layer, is a filmy skin which keeps the rain out. Wool is quite water-resistant, as duffel-coat wearers and sheep can testify.
Wool breathes for you
Now, the two outer layers of the wool fibre have tiny pores which allow moisture to pass through to the keratin core. The keratin core can absorb this moisture. So, if the temperature increases or the wearer becomes more active and begins to sweat, the moisture is wicked from the skin through the outer layers of the wool fibre into the central core.
Then, your natural body heat then wicks it out towards the surface, where it is released into the atmosphere.
In this way, it helps you and your baby maintain a stable temperature and keeps you and your baby dry and comfortable by absorbing and releasing sweat.
And wool is dynamic
Wool even does this breathing process "dynamically", which means it does it more when needed, and less when not needed. It responds to the environment around it and does what's needed to the best of its ability. It's just the best thing, don't you think? No man-made fibre can equal this.Looking after your wool
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, and set the temperature on your wool cycle to 30C and dry away from direct heat.
Because wool is self-cleaning, wool clothes that haven't been treated can be hung out on the line and "aired" and will start cleaning and de-smelling themselves.
In the next blog articles, I'll explain more of the wonders of wool: how wool is also naturally antibacterial, how it absorbs water without feeling wet, why it's stretchy and easy to wear, why it's fire-resistant and more.
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.
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.
