As parents, we put a lot of thought into what our babies eat, the products we use on their skin, and how to create a safe sleep environment. One area that is often overlooked however, is clothing, particularly sleepwear, which sits directly against a baby’s skin for long periods of time.
At Bubbaroo, we design baby sleepwear with the understanding that babies spend many uninterrupted hours wrapped in the same fabric. That’s why fabric choice, dye safety, and material testing are considered from the very beginning, not as an afterthought.
How Chemicals in Clothing Can Affect the Body
The skin is not just a protective barrier; it can also absorb substances it comes into contact with. Dermal absorption is one of the main ways chemicals from clothing enter the body, especially when heat, movement, and moisture are involved.
Babies are particularly vulnerable because they:
• Have thinner, more absorbent skin
• Sweat easily
• Spend long periods in the same clothing
• Have immature detoxification systems
• Naturally chew, suck, and mouth fabrics
This is why Bubbaroo avoids synthetic fabrics and unnecessary chemical treatments, instead choosing natural materials that are gentle on sensitive skin and less likely to leach harmful substances during sleep.
Common Harmful Substances Found in Clothing
Many conventional textiles are treated with dyes, finishes, and synthetic materials that can introduce harmful substances, which is especially concerning for babies who spend long periods in close contact with their clothing.
Some of the most commonly identified substances include:
• Textile dyes that have been linked to carcinogenic effects, genetic changes, and developmental concerns, particularly in dark or brightly coloured fabrics
• Heavy metals used in textile processing, which can pose increased risks to pregnant women and newborns
• Phthalates, often added to soften fabrics and prints, which have been found in baby clothing at levels exceeding recommended safety limits — and are not reliably removed through washing
• PFAS (“forever chemicals”), commonly used in stain- and water-resistant fabrics, which persist in the body and environment and are frequently found in children’s clothing
• Bisphenols (BPA), particularly prevalent in polyester garments, with darker synthetic fabrics leaching higher levels when exposed to heat and movement
Studies have also shown that children’s clothing can contain significantly higher levels of chemicals than adult clothing, and that synthetic fabrics such as polyester pose the greatest risk due to their chemical composition and tendency to leach.
Because of these risks, Bubbaroo deliberately avoids synthetic fibres such as polyester, does not use stain-resistant chemical treatments, and ensures all dyes and materials used in our products are independently tested and free from detectable harmful substances.
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Why Sleepwear Deserves Special Attention
Sleepwear is worn for long, uninterrupted periods — often during the warmest part of the night when sweating occurs. Heat, moisture, and movement increase the rate at which chemicals leach from fabrics and are absorbed through the skin.
Synthetic fabrics can also shed micro- and nano-plastics, which act as efficient carriers for chemicals. For babies, who spend many hours sleeping in the same garment, night-time exposure can add up.
This is one of the reasons Bubbaroo sleepwear is made exclusively from 100% natural fibres, helping to reduce exposure while promoting breathability and comfort throughout the night.
How Parents Can Choose Safer Clothing
While it’s not possible to avoid all chemical exposure, there are practical steps parents can take:
• Choose natural fibres such as organic cotton and wool for garments worn close to the skin
• Look for independent testing and recognised certifications
• Wash new clothing before use to remove some surface treatments
• Ask brands questions about materials, dyes, testing, and standards
These are the same principles Bubbaroo applies internally, from sourcing fabrics to final product testing, so parents don’t have to guess what their baby is sleeping in.
How Bubbaroo Approaches Safe, Natural Baby Sleepwear
At Bubbaroo every product is designed with baby safety at its core.
Natural Materials Only: Our baby sleeping bags are made from 100% natural materials, using organically grown cotton and Australian wool, with no harmful chemicals in any of our products, because what touches your baby’s skin matters.
No Harmful Chemicals
Because babies naturally chew and mouth their clothing, all Bubbaroo products are:
• Independently tested for harmful substances including Formaldehyde, AZO dyes and heavy metals.
• Free from harmful dyes and chemicals
• Subject to strict quality control standard
Our baby sleeping bags have no detectable harmful substances, and the same applies across our swaddles and accessories.
Our products have been independently tested in accordance with EN 71 (European Toy Safety Standard), Part 3 – Migration of Certain Elements, which assesses the presence of harmful substances that could pose a risk to children if ingested or absorbed through contact. This testing evaluates the migration of heavy metals and toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chromium, antimony, barium, and selenium, ensuring they are within strict safety limits.
In addition, we satisfy mandatory EU requirements for harmful substances through further material-specific testing: fabrics are tested to ensure they contain no harmful azo dyes or formaldehyde, and zippers are tested to confirm there is no cadmium content or nickel release. Together, these measures ensure that all components of our products are safe for use in baby sleepwear.
All Bubbaroo Joey Sleeping Bags comply with British Standard BS 8510:2009 – Safety of Children’s Sleep Bags, which includes requirements relating to the safety of dyes and materials used in baby sleepwear.
For further information on how Bubbaroo meets these safety standards, refer to our blog on Peace of mind that your baby is safely to sleep. This internationally recognised standard provides added reassurance that Bubbaroo sleepwear meets strict safety and chemical standards.
Choosing Better Starts With What Touches Their Skin
Babies spend more time sleeping than doing almost anything else, wrapped in the same fabric, night after night. Choosing natural, independently tested, chemical-free sleepwear is one of the simplest ways to reduce unnecessary exposure during their most important stages of growth and development.
At Bubbaroo, we don’t just talk about safer sleepwear, we build it into every decision we make. From natural fabrics and careful dye selection to independent testing and recognised safety standards, our approach is designed to protect what matters most: your baby’s comfort, safety, and wellbeing.
The Plastic Detox
The recent Netflix documentary The Plastic Detox, released in March 2026, has brought renewed public attention to something we at Bubbaroo have long taken seriously: the effect of everyday plastics and the chemicals they carry, on human health.
The film follows six couples facing fertility challenges as they work with environmental and reproductive epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan to lower their household exposure to plastic-related chemicals over three months.
While the documentary centres on adult reproductive health, the implications for babies are just as significant. The hormone-disrupting compounds at the heart of the film phthalates, bisphenols, and the plasticisers used to soften synthetic fabrics, are the same substances that can leach from clothing worn against the skin, particularly during long, warm hours of sleep. The documentary also profiles fashion designers working to strip toxic dyes and plastic-based fibres from their supply chains, a shift that mirrors decisions Bubbaroo made from day one.