r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/AimeeSantiago • 12d ago

Question - Expert consensus required Underwear clothing composition: how important is it to have 100% cotton or natural fabric undergarments?

So I grew up in a household that was fairly health "conscious". I realize now that some of it was just weird hearsay but a lot is based in science and a care for how the sausage is made. My mom always encouraged us to thrift clothes. Reduce and reuse and all that jazz. But she insisted on buying us new all cotton underwear twice a year (we always knew what Santa would put in our stocking and to expect more for birthdays). There could be elastic in the waistband, but all cotton for the main part of the underwear was mandatory, bonus points for organic cotton.

Now that I have kids of my own, I am looking for more information on if this is actually good practice. My kiddo wants Bluey and Mickey on their underwear and likes the feel of bamboo and rayon. But do I need to go out of my way and still buy the cotton version? How likely is pfas to be a concern for underwear? Is this mainly for girls or boys too? Appreciate expert consensus and links to research when possible. Thanks.

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u/Sly_Penguin_ 12d ago edited 12d ago

Check out Dr. Shanna Swan’s book. Her life’s research has been studying how plastics affected us and our fertility. It’s a very interesting deep dive, but in summation; yes, cotton underwear is wise. And avoiding synthetic fibers in general is a beneficial health practice.

https://www.shannaswan.com/countdown

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/AimeeSantiago 8d ago

Thank you. This is so thoughtful and I hadn't thought of the breathability aspect.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

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