Whether sheepskin is baby safe is not a simple yes or no answer – it depends on a number of factors but there are easy ways to make sure that any sheepskin you use is safe for your little one.
Sheepskin has many great natural qualities – its thermostatic, naturally moisturising to the skin, soothing for sleep and some reports link its use to a reduction in childhood asthma. All this being said it is important to remember that popular tanning methods using chrome are not only harmful to the environment, but they are also potentially harmful to babies. Chrome tanned sheepskins often have a strong chemical smell and are used as home décor rugs. It’s important to ensure that these rugs are not used as play rugs in the nursery for your newborn.
Baby safe sheepskin is usually eco-tanned, always chrome free and any dyes used are vegetable dyes. Medically tanned sheepskin is also a phrase that is frequently used and means that the fleece is not only baby safe but also has some additional qualities. Medically tanned sheepskin is always shorn in length (usually 25mm- 30mm) which is the optimum level for support and even weight distribution. The fleeces are dense and undergo additional quality control whilst the leather is soft and pliable. Our shorn hair lambskins from all our suppliers are medically tanned and all our long hair rugs are eco-tanned. In addition, a number of our suppliers also hold OEKO-TEX 100 certification.
Using a sheepskin pram liner or a baby sheepskin rug for play and tummy time is safe, providing you have taken care over the choice of supplier. Just remember that sheepskin for baby isn’t a fashion accessory and needs to be sourced and produced with safety in mind. When it comes to your baby sleeping on sheepskin we always recommend the advice given by the Lullaby Trust that can be found here. As your baby grows the risk of SIDS reduces dramatically at 6 months and is extremely rare after 1 year of age. Using sheepskin to support natural sleep can then be a benefit at any age for both children and adults alike and is a common natural fibre used for soothing and relieving pressure points.
Our sheepskin baby liners are sourced and produced with safety in mind, they’re great at keeping your little one cool in the summer and brilliant at keeping them warm and cosy in the winter. Browse our range of ethically sourced baby sheepskin pram liners, sheepskin baby booties or pram mittens today!
