A baby spends a large portion of its first few months of life sleeping. It's important that the fabrics that surround the baby during his or her sleep cycle be as free from allergens and other irritants as possible. Many parents make the deliberate choice to use hypoallergenic baby bedding in order to avoid triggering allergic reactions in their newborns and infants. Allergic reactions triggered by baby bedding that is not hypoallergenic can last a lifetime in the child. The direct impact of an allergic episode often is manifested in less than restful sleep. Troubles in breathing and in other factors can be directly or indirectly traced to allergies in the infant.

What is it?

Baby bedding labeled as hypoallergenic is developed with the idea of protecting babies who are more likely to suffer allergic reactions from man made materials. Because infants, particularly those who are premature have very sensitive skin, it is important that everything possible be done to remove substances from the materials surrounding the infant. With hypoallergenic baby bedding, infants are less likely to suffer from sleep disturbances due to reactions to allergens in the bedding. Natural fibers such as wool, cotton and silk are the best choice for hypoallergenic bedding. The natural fibers are further treated to remove any irritants that could cause allergic reactions in your baby.

Wool

Wool baby bedding is one of the best choices for pure, nonirritating material to be placed in your baby's room or next to your baby's sensitive skin. In addition to the naturally non-allergenic basis of wool, those farmers raising sheep for the specialized market for non allergenic baby bedding must take special care of the animals so that there are no parasites in the wool when it goes to the factory. Often, it the organic material left from these parasites that causes the reaction in the baby.

Cotton

Cotton also scores well on the scale on hypoallergenic baby bedding materials. Bedclothes made of cotton are naturally free of allergens and the manufacturers go through additional steps to remove any impurities in the cotton fiber that would increase the level of irritants. Cotton baby bedding is not only comfortable against your baby's skin, but it is warm in the cooler weather and cool when the weather turns warm. Cotton bed clothing can be brilliant in color or can be the softest pastel. It can be perky prints or any other style to match the decor you have created for your infant's room theme.

Silk

Another naturally occurring hypoallergenic material is natural silk. One of the reasons silk is an excellent hypoallergenic material for use in baby bedding is that silk doesn't support dust mites. Dust mites in baby bedding is a prime cause of allergenic attacks. In addition to being a great choice of bedding due to its freedom from allergens, silk looks and feels elegant and luxurious. Colors, designs and general appearance of this type of baby bedding is usually certain to be the cause of little or no allergenic episodes according to tests.