What Wool Does for You
You and your baby will sleep better with wool.

Why
In adults, sleeping under or on top of a wool blanket has been found to improve sleep. In fact, researchers found that sleeping on wool resulted in 25% more deep sleep, the sleep that we need for regeneration. Several factors explain this: diffusion of pressure points by fleecy pile, insulation due to air pockets in wool fibers, and ability of wool to absorb and diffuse moisture.[1]

For babies, a series of studies found that low birth weight babies who slept directly on wool bedding thrived, showing greater weight gain. These babies spent less of their time fussing because they calmed more quickly, cried less, and ate longer. Babies who slept on wool spent more of their energy on growth because they slept better.[2][3][4]

Wool bedding brings naturally better sleep to the whole family.

What Wool Does for You
You are less likely to experience allergies or sensitivities with wool because wool is hypoallergenic.

Why
Hypoallergenic products provoke fewer reactions; no product is non-allergenic. For our customers concerned about whether they or their children will have sensitivity to our wool products, we happily send swatches that can be tested next to the skin. Write or call for swatches.

Those with sensitivities to dust mites will be happy to know that wool is an inhospitable environment for dust mites, which prefer heat (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity (above 75 percent), both of which wool lowers. Dust mites can trigger asthma symptoms, so it is important to lessen their effects. “A s many as 10 percent of the general population and (in some regions) 90 percent of people with allergic asthma are sensitive to dust mites.”[5]

Those with sensitivities to coarse wool will find fine Merino wool much softer and easier on the skin. Many who think they have an allergy to wool aren’t actually experiencing an allergic reaction but a mechanical effect of rigid fibers. That is, coarse wool is more likely to prickle. Finer individual fibers, like our Merino wool, are far less likely to cause even sensitive skin to itch. This effect isn’t specific to wool. Very few people have an allergic reaction to wool itself, and even wool allergy tests may give an accurate indication of what to expect from actual wool for anyone except shearers since those tests include salts and lanolin that are removed from wool during processing. [6]

Those with sensitivities to lanolin can easily care for their wool products without adding lanolin. Most or all lanolin is removed from wool during processing. The idea that lanolin is a significant allergen itself, though, is a misinterpretation of research on dermatologically sensitive patients. Purified lanolin, which is used in lanolin wool wash and lanolin cosmetics, is used for hypoallergenic cosmetics. Only 1-10 per 1 million people in the general population have lanolin allergy.[7]

What Wool Does for You
You are less likely to experience allergies from mold and mildew because wool inhibits mildew, fungus, and rot.

Why
Wool has a higher resistance to bacteria and fungi than other proteins because of the water repelling membrane that covers the fiber and the chemical structure with sulfur crosslinks. This is also why wool biodegrades more slowly than other material you might compost.[8]

• Why Merino Wool Is Perfect for Puddle Pads
• Stay Dry with Wool as a Moisture Buffer
• Keep Cool as Wool Regulates Temperature
• Rest Easily with Soft & Comfortable Wool
• Stay Safe Naturally with Wool
• Sustain Health Naturally with Wool
• Save Time with Easy Wool Care

• Wool Diaper Changing Mat
• Wool Puddle Pad
• Washable Wool Mattress Pad

[1] P. R. Dickson, “Effect of a fleecy woollen underlay on sleep,” The Medical Journal of Australia (1984): 87-89.

[2] Stephen Scott and Martin Richards, “Nursing low-birthweight babies on lambswool,” Lancet 313 (1979): 1028.

[3] Stephen Scott and Martin Richards, “Lambswool is safer for babies,” Lancet 317 (1983): 556.

[4] S. Scott, T. Cole, P. Lucas, and M. Richards, “Weight gain and movement patterns of very low birthweight babies nursed on lambswool,” Lancet 317 (1983): 1014-1016.

[5] “Dust Allergy Management,” Allergist from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies/Types/dust-allergy-information/Pages/indoor-allergies-relief.aspx

[6] “Managing Fabric Skin Comfort of Wool Fabrics,” The Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

[7] “Lanolin Allergy: Facts and Fiction,” Lanolin.com from Imperial-Oel-Import. http://www.lanolin.com/lanolin-basics/lanolin-refinement.html

[8] “Renewable & Biodegradable Wool,” The Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).



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