Why Merino Wool?
While searching for the perfect infant car seat, parents-to-be often have a long list of must-have features. These generally include high safety ratings, durable materials, a 5-point harness, and a simple installation process. And if the car seat lining is Oeko-Tex® Standards 100 certified and easy to remove and wash, then the seat is good to go. However, sometimes it’s important to look a little closer at the car seat’s fabric. After all, your baby will likely spend a decent amount of time in its seat during their first few months. At Orbit Baby, we are really proud of the textiles we use to give your little ones a comfortable ride or snooze across all of our products. And we’re extra pleased to add a new option to our Infant Car Seat: a Merino Wool blend lining. Why Merino Wool, you might ask? Well, we have a few reasons why Merino Wool is so great to work with.
It’s Ultra-Soft and Well-Suited for Baby’s Skin
Thinner and softer than regular wool, Merino Wool is a natural fiber grown by Merino sheep. Its super-fine fibers are 1/3 the diameter of human hair, and provide a velvety, luxurious feel that is well-loved by fashion and performance-wear designers, as well as us! Our particular blend of Merino Wool was developed for extra durability (those ultra-fine fibers sometimes need a bit of poly for strength), as well as colorfastness. Another perk? As a natural fiber, Merino Wool also has hypo-allergenic properties, so it is often a good option for people (like babies!) with sensitive skin or allergies to other fabrics.
It Regulates Body Temperature and Helps Keep Baby Dry
Merino Wool is an excellent thermoregulator in any season or climate, reacting to changes in body temperature. When it’s chilly, the naturally occurring crimps and creases in the Merino Wool fibers trap air, acting as insulation. And when it’s warm, the porous fibers can help keep baby cool and dry by wicking sweat away from their skin. When used on the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat, our Merino Wool Blend offers excellent airflow while absorbing moisture, so your baby rides along comfortably while not being sweaty.
It Reduces Odors
A unique and entirely useful property of Merino Wool is its ability to absorb odor caused by bacteria. The wool fibers trap and keep the smells from building up, so baby’s seat continues to be a pleasant spot for baby to ride.
It’s Stain-Resistant
The protective outer layer of Merino Wool fibers acts as a barrier that helps prevent stains from being easily absorbed. Since babies are a pretty messy business, we thought Merino Wool was a smart material to offer for our Infant Car Seats. Plus, it’s also machine-washable!
It’s Naturally Fire-Resistant
And one of the top reasons we’ve opted to work with Merino Wool is its natural fire-resistance. Thanks to its high ignition and melting points, our Merino Wool Infant Car Seats are flame-retardant free (FR-free), and still pass Federal Fire Safety Testing (FMVSS302).
So now that you know more about the many benefits of Merino Wool, you can see why parents may want to take a closer look at the fabric on their car seats. Our development team has been working hard, and we are all really excited to now offer our Oeko-Tex Standards 100 Certified Merino Wool Infant Car Seat as well as our Merino Wool Infant Car Seat Liner, which can be used to upgrade your current Orbit Baby G1, G2 or G3 seat or to keep on-hand as an extra. We invite you to click through and explore our products and this phenomenal textile.
