Wool from Nøstebarn  

While most companies use wool that has been treated with chemicals, our wool is untreated. Our coloured products are dyed using environmentally friendly dyes, but they are not bleached. The wool is not treated with a moth repellent or chemically coated to ensure that it is approved for machine washing. This makes it extra safe for children’s clothes and underwear. 

Safety and comfort

Our skin absorbs substances that it comes into contact with. Using untreated wool is therefore particularly important for underwear worn next to the skin and for baby’s and children’s clothes. It is ideal for use in nappy pants. Untreated wool also provides a unique feeling of comfort, as all the natural properties of the wool are retained. In combination with windproof clothing or rain clothes, it ensures great freedom of movement, and many combinations are possible. The garments are soft and stretchy and insulate against the cold and heat – even when they are damp.

Environmentally friendly from start to finish

Choosing untreated wool means that you need few garments that can be used a lot. Our wool takes the environment and people into account from start to finish – during production, use and when they are finally ready to decompose in the environment. IVN certification*), fewer garments and less frequent washing is good for the environment and good for us!

IVN certification

While most other environmental certification schemes only take parts of production into account, e.g. that the raw material is organic or that the end product is non-toxic, IVN certification applies to the whole production process. Good husbandry, safe working conditions, as little impact on the environment as possible and a safe end product. The products are therefore safe and environmentally friendly, and we are safe in the knowledge that no one has suffered for our children to enjoy the garments’ comfort. 

Clothes for somersaults

Children are not small adults. They are supple and on the go practically all the time and therefore need clothes they can somersault and stand on their heads in. No one somersaults in jeans.

Nøstebarn – a brand?

Sometimes expensive goods are better, but people often pay more because a product is a recognised brand. Nøstebarn is not that kind of brand. With Nøstebarn, you pay what it actually costs to produce garments from safe, chemical-free wool in an ethically and environmentally responsible manner. That’s why we put the labels inside our garments. 

We play safe

Creating clothes is a complex process. Preferably the garments should be both functional, comfortable, good looking and produced in a manner which ensures that both the environment, the animals and the people along the production line, are kept safe. We value all these criteria, which is why we, when having to choose between pretty and safe, or between trendy and safe, always choose the safe option. This means that all of our clothes are dyed without the use of heavy metals. Creating a bright turquoise requires heavy metals, therefore we opted for the lovely ice blue color instead. Some times having to eliminate options results in a prettier solution than what we first had in mind.

Safe clothes is what matters the most.

Wool and consumption

Wool is an environmentally friendly fabric. Large-scale consumption of cotton has a strong negative impact on the environment, both with respect to its production and washing. It also has an impact at home, with large piles of clothes that have to be washed, given to friends, given to the Salvation Army shop or put away in the attic – and they take up space in cupboards and drawers. 

As untreated wool needs less washing and woollen garments are soft and stretchy and children can grow into them, the pile of clothes is reduced drastically if you choose woollen garments instead of cotton. Instead of tidying away piles of clothes that have hardly been used, most people find that woollen clothes are used and patched until they are completely worn out. It is a good feeling to wear one playsuit out completely rather than to wear many out slightly. 

Boy’s clothes and girl’s clothes

We do have pink clothes for pink princesses, but we also always have gender-neutral alternatives. Boys often want red and girls can look great in blue. That’s why we don’t add girly or boyish motifs to our garments, That way everyone can choose the colours they like and that suit them, and clothes can be handed down. 

Wool expensive?

Wool is a more expensive raw material than cotton, and it is therefore more expensive to produce the garments. The fact that the wool is produced under good ethical conditions, without child labour or other exploited labour, also affects the prices. However, using wool is not necessarily expensive. You don’t need nearly as many garments, and with a patch or two over the most worn areas, the garments will last much longer. If you prioritise, you can get by with a few good basic woollen items. 

Wool and wear

Wool can mean few garments that are frequently used. This means that while cotton is worn out by washing, wool is worn out by use. Exposed areas on the garments, such as knees and feet, are often the areas that get worn out. If you patch these areas, you can multiply the useful life of a garment. If a pair of woollen socks is worn out after a couple of months, they have probably been worn as much as a pair of cotton socks would be in the course of a year!

Who can wear wool?

Everyone can wear woollen underwear all year, but it is particularly important when we are exposed to cold, damp conditions or fluctuations in temperature, for example when people alternate between activity and rest in sporting activities. Cotton is also a natural fibre that is comfortable and warm – but only while it is dry. On warm summer days, wearing a wool/silk blend is very comfortable. 

A dry and warm body

Children quickly alternate between periods of activity and periods of rest, and they often get wet or clammy either from the inside or outside. Children are also often exposed to fluctuations in temperature. Babies are lifted from warm beds and pushed in and out of warm shops. Older children are active for a while and then sit quietly and play. If the child gets sweaty or wet, the wool ensures that the skin dries and does not become cold. Adults are good at putting on or taking off clothes if we get too cold or too hot. Children are not. With woollen clothes next to the skin, children don’t get clammy. Their bodies stay dry and maintain an even temperature. Our experience is also that children who wear wool are less prone to respiratory infections.

How wool works

Wool insulates

Wool insulates in the same way as a thermos flask as it is made up of 80% air. Stationary air is the secret behind all insulation. 

...including when it’s wet

Untreated wool does not absorb running liquid, only water vapour. This reaction creates heat. As soon as cotton becomes damp (3-6% of its own weight), it uses energy (body heat) to dry. Wool, on the other hand, insulates just as well when it is damp. 

Wool on hot days

As untreated wool breathes and acts like a thermos flask at the same time, it protects against both heat and cold. In hot countries, wool is used to keep heat at bay. 

Wool and fire

Wool is not flammable unlike cotton and synthetic materials. Woollen clothes do not therefore pose a fire hazard. This is a natural property of wool, while other textiles must be treated with controversial fire-retardant chemicals in order to gain this property. 

Wool and allergy

Very few people are allergic to untreated wool, as it contains no harmful chemicals. If you suspect that you may be allergic to wool, we recommend that you try periods of wearing and not wearing wool for a while. Children who have eczema, but are not allergic to wool, often find a wool/silk blend very comfortable to wear. Wool-silk is a smooth fibre that is cool and prevents the skin becoming clammy and thereby more itchy. You can also use pure wool if the child does not have a reaction to it. Unfortunately, many children who suffer from eczema are advised not to use wool. This is a shame for the children who find wool comfortable despite their eczema. (People are not advised to not eat fish just because a few people are allergic to it.) If a child is allergic to the wool itself, he/she can use other textiles next to the skin and wool on top. Mites do not like untreated wool. 

Is it itchy?

Many people are surprised by how comfortable woollen clothes are when they are made from the finest untreated merino wool – the softest wool there is. Children who wear wool as babies usually love their woollen clothes and often don’t want to take them off. Children who are not used to wool may find that pure wool is a bit itchy until they get used to it. Sensitivity varies from person to person. It is therefore a good idea to choose a wool/silk blend for older children who have not worn wool before as it is smoother than pure wool and does not therefore feel very different from what they are used to.