Why Bamboo Yarn Is a Great Choice for Babies

Looking for a yarn ideal for babies? You can’t get much better than bamboo

Say you’re on the hunt for your next knitting project.

You’re in need of some instant gratification, so you decide to knit something for a baby: a hat, booties, a blanket.

Your next question might be, “Do I have yarn suitable for babies?”

This is a wise question, because baby knitting has one very stringent requirement: the yarn you select must be suitable for babies.

You might roll your eyes at me–well, obviously, if I’m going to knit for babies, the yarn I choose has to suit them! But if you think about it, this isn’t really necessary for all types of knitting. When you’re knitting hats for homeless folks, for instance, you’re probably not asking yourself whether your yarn is suitable for homeless people. The important thing is to warm those heads.

In a sense, knitting for babies is a bit like knitting for someone fighting cancer. Babies, like cancer-fighters, have sensitive skin. So the yarn you use needs to be something that won’t irritate that sensitive skin.

Qualifications of Good Baby Yarn

Let’s face it: not all yarn advertised as “baby yarn” is actually good for babies.

This is especially true when the yarn in question is acrylic. Now, some sorts of acrylic yarn are suitable for babies (so long as they aren’t sleeping overnight). They’re soft and won’t bother a baby’s delicate skin. But other types of acrylic are rough, scratchy, and entirely wrong for a baby.

And you should never use acrylic for an item baby will sleep in overnight, because acrylic yarn isn’t flame-resistant.

You should also not use acrylic yarn for a situation in which baby might get wet, because acrylic yarn will not stay warm when wet, the way wool does.

Wool has some properties valuable for baby knitting; unlike acrylic yarn, it is both flame-resistant and able to retain heat when wet, making it valuable for baby blankets and outer wear.

But if you’re cringing at the thought of using wool for baby clothes, you’re probably on to something! Wool can have the same problem as acrylic in that certain varieties are far too rough to be suitable for a baby’s delicate skin.

Cotton yarn is often used for baby clothes. While it can be far more forgiving against a baby’s sensitive skin, it’s also heavier and inflexible. It’s probably not the best choice for baby blankets for this reason.

So let’s recap: a good yarn for baby knitting ought to have the following qualities.

1. It should feel great against a baby’s delicate skin.
2. It should be hypo-allergenic, or at least as close as possible to it.
3. It should hold maintain body heat when needed, but also not trap body heat.

As it turns out, a yarn fiber exists that offers all these benefits and more: bamboo!

Why Bamboo Yarn Is Great for Baby Knits

What makes bamboo yarn ideal for baby knit? Here are five qualities.

1. Bamboo yarn can hold 3 times its weight in water, so it’s a great fabric for summer clothing — it will wick away moisture nicely.

2. It is the rare fiber that will not only keep you cooler in the summer, but also warmer in winter.

3. It’s hypoallergenic, perfect for a baby’s sensitive skin that may not appreciate wool. (It’s luxuriously soft, too.)

4. It also offers UV protection when used in garments, again making it a great choice for summertime wear to protect babies’ sensitive skin.

5. Finally, it has antimicrobial properties.

You may notice that bamboo lacks two qualities that wool offers: the ability to hold in heat when wet, and flame retardation. That’s why bamboo-blend yarns are a great choice, too.

Bamboo and Bamboo-Yarn Blends to Try

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Bamboo has been making a comeback in yarn lately! Here are some yarn brands to try. Note that many of these are not 100% bamboo, but bamboo blended with another fiber to allow you to get the best of both (or multiple) worlds!

Lion Brand: Lion Brand has a delightful array of bamboo yarn. They offer two varieties of 100% bamboo yarn, including TruBoo and Bambu 7. They also offer two bamboo blends: LB Collection Cotton Bamboo Linen and CoBoo (a cotton/bamboo blend).

Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo: This lovely yarn blend combines bamboo with wool for a delightfully warm yarn that lives up to its “snuggly” name!

YarnArt Jeans Bamboo and Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop: These are the two biggest brands of bamboo yarn available on Etsy! Jeans Bamboo is a blend of bamboo and acrylic, while Bamboo Pop combines bamboo and cotton.

Lovecrafts’ Bamboo Offerings: Lovecrafts offers an enormous variety of bamboo and bamboo-blend yarns! Brands include King Cole, Valley Yarns, Berroco, Takhi, and more.

So, the next time you’re ready to knit some cuddly, adorable baby projects, why not reach for bamboo or bamboo-blend yarn? Few yarns are as equipped to be such a baby workhorse!