Your baby spends 50% (or more) of his or her time sleeping. Since they spend so much time in their cribs, it’s important that their crib is safe and non-toxic. That’s why we’re looking at the best organic crib sheets today.
{You may also want to check out our lists of favorite crib mattresses and toddler pillows too!}
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I could be compensated if you decide to make a purchase. You can read my full disclosure here.
The Best Organic Crib Sheets
Here are our top picks! If you’d like to learn more about why you should choose organic sheets (and other products) for your baby, keep reading below.
Magnolia Organics Crib Sheets
Magnolia Organics doesn’t have a ton of designs and patterns to choose from, but their organic crib sheets will stand the test of time.
Available in solids and a few prints (like chevron, animals, and dinosaurs), Magnolia Organics uses safe dyes without any heavy metals.
The sheets are GOTS-certified (which you can learn more about below), and they’re ring spun (which makes them softer and more durable).
You can purchase their sheets to fit your baby’s pack & play, bassinet, or crib mattress.
Pehr Organic Crib Sheets
Pehr is a female-founded company that focuses on creating beautiful pieces that your family will enjoy for years to come.
You can choose from a wide variety of beautiful colors and fun prints.
Not all of their crib sheets and other products are certified organic, so make sure to look for the label before you purchase. However, the ones that are organic are GOTS-certified.
Burt’s Bees BEESNUG® Organic Crib Sheets
You’ve probably heard of Burt’s Bees before, but they’re not just for makeup and beauty products. They make a great line of organic crib sheets for baby too.
Their BEESNUG® line is more fitted to crib mattresses, so these sheets are super safe — nothing will be loose! They’re also ring-spun, which makes them super soft and durable.
You can choose from different textures (jersey, flannel, and sateen), and the sheets also come in a variety of solids and prints that are sure to match your nursery decor.
All of Burt’s Bees crib sheets are GOTS-certified.
Naturepedic Organic Cotton Crib Sheet
Made from the same company as one of our favorite crib mattresses, Naturepedic crib sheets are a terrific option for those of you who are interested in something more natural-looking.
These sheets only come in white and ivory, but the sateen fabric is incredibly silky and will be comfortable and safe for your babe.
Naturepedic is one of the few brands on our list that is both GOTS-certified and MADE SAFE (which is a very difficult certification to receive).
Coyuchi Organic Crib Sheets
We absolutely adore this brand for home products and loungewear!
Their organic crib sheets are only available in neutral-toned solid colors, but you can choose from percale, flannel, and sateen fabrics.
Coyuchi uses non-toxic dyes, and the sheets are completely plastic-free. They’re packaged in a reusable organic fabric bag (which is perfect for storing the sheets or storing toys for road trips!).
Coyuchi products are all MADE SAFE and GOTS-certified, so you can trust their fabrics with your baby’s sensitive skin.
Pottery Barn Kids
One of the most well-known furniture stores also sells beautiful and thoughtfully-made organic crib sheets that are GOTS-certified and made in a fair trade facility.
As can be expected with Pottery Barn, these sheets come in a variety of different colors and prints, and they’re extremely high-quality and durable. You’re sure to find an option that will suit your nursery perfectly.
Are Organic Crib Sheets Worth the Higher Price?
Yes! Buying organic crib sheets is absolutely worth the (slightly) higher price. Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. In the U.S., cotton is only 2-3% of the total crops, but it uses 25% of the pesticides, and all of those pesticides and insecticides can stay on the cotton even after it’s processed and manufactured into various products.
Since our baby’s skin is much more sensitive than ours, and they spend so much time sleeping, it’s important that we purchase organic sheets and other bedding when possible.
A baby’s skin is up to 30% thinner than an adults, which means it loses moisture quicker and becomes irritated much more easily.
According to the National Wildlife Foundation, the amount of cotton used to make a single t-shirt takes 17 teaspoons of chemical fertilizers and 1 teaspoon of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides.
These chemicals can cause serious harm to you and/or your children. Research links conventional pesticide usage to allergies, asthma, reproductive issues, endocrine disruption, cancer, and many other health effects.
Organic cotton, on the other hand, is more regulated, and farmers aren’t able to use the same amount of dangerous chemicals on their crops.
This, in turn, makes organic cotton a bit more expensive than conventional cotton because it’s more difficult to grow. Not only are non-GMO seeds often more expensive, but the crop itself creates more work for the farmers themselves because they have to fight off the pests and weeds on their own.
In the end, organic cotton also produces a lower yield than conventional cotton.
During the manufacturing process, organic cotton (depending on the certification it holds) gives people a safer and more hygienic working environment with livable wages too. That increases the price of goods as well, but it should give you peace of mind knowing that you’re not supporting a company that uses forced labor.
What is the Best Material for Crib Sheets?
We prefer using organic cotton sheets because cotton is so versatile and can be woven into a variety of different fabrics. Let’s take a look at organic cotton and organic linen.
100% Organic Cotton. Cotton is usually less expensive than linen because the crop is much more abundant. It’s also much softer and more versatile than linen. As mentioned above, it can also be woven into a variety of different materials, like jersey, flannel, and sateen.
100% Organic Linen. Linen is more breathable and it’s more durable than cotton, but it often has a “crunchy” feel right out of the package because it’s made with a thicker yarn. That being said, it often gets much softer and more supple with age, so if you plan on having multiple kids, your second or third child will be sleeping on much softer sheets.
The Problem with Polyester Sheets
Polyester is a synthetic plastic fabric made from petroleum, and it can cause skin and eye irritation in babies. We’ve talked about some of the issues with plastic in the past, and polyester carries many of these health effects as well. Additionally, polyester simply isn’t as breathable as cotton and linen, which could raise the risk of SIDS.
Polyester also has a huge range of harmful environmental effects. Because it’s made with plastic, it can release microplastics into the environment when you wash it. These microplastics make their way into our water systems. Then animals ingest them and, ultimately, we’ll eventually ingest them too (when we eat the animals)
Polyester isn’t biodegradable either.
Certifications to Look for
There are a number of certifications on organic products, and some of them are better than others. Here are some of the best ones to keep an eye out for.
GOTS. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certifies that a product with their organic label contains at least 95% organic fibers. If a GOTS-certified product is “made with” organic cotton, it must contain at least 70% organic fibers.
GOTS certification goes beyond the cotton crop itself though. Additionally, seeing this label assures customers that a product does not contain heavy metals, chlorine bleach, formaldehyde, toxic dyes, or other harmful chemicals.
It also looks at the manufacturing facility itself, making sure that workers have a safe and hygienic environment and a living wage.
OEKO-Tex. Seeing the OEKO-Tex label on a product doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s organic, but OEKO-Tex is a very popular certification that tests every piece of a product for a variety of harmful substances.
In addition to their STANDARD-100 label, OEKO-Tex also has a “Made in Green” label that certifies the product was made in a socially-responsible and sustainable facility.
MADE SAFE. MADE SAFE tests products for harmful substances, bioaccumulation, persistence, and environmental toxicity. It’s a very difficult certification for a company to receive, but MADE SAFE works with companies from start to finish to make sure that they create a product that will exceed the MADE SAFE standards.
Specifically, they look for potential carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, and VOCs (in addition to many other harmful substances), and they rate more than home and textile products. You can also look for this label on your cosmetics, personal care products, and household essentials (like cleaners and laundry detergents).
If you’re searching for organic crib sheets for your baby, I hope this guide was helpful. Let me know which one you choose!
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