The benefits of Merino wool for babies are amazing! When it comes to handmade baby blankets and garments, the yarn I always love to use for my knitting or crochet projects is merino wool. The benefits of merino wool are so many that you will look no further when choosing the best yarn for newborn hats, blankets, or clothes. It is much more than just a pleasant to work with, soft and warm fiber. Let’s see what the benefits of merino wool are.

What is Merino Wool?

Merino wool is a wool of the Merino sheep that lives in Australia and New Zealand. It is much finer and softer than regular wool and feels almost like a cashmere. The breed takes its origin from Spain in the Middle Ages. For many centuries the export of Merinos from Spain was a crime punishable by death. After the 18th century, the original breed spread all over the world and evolved.

The Australian Merino so famous for its finest and high-quality wool is called Polled Merino and is hornless. Other merino breeds have long spiral horns close to their head. What makes their fleece different from other wool?

Good for any season

This type of wool is suitable for everyday wear, and it is a four-season yarn. Usually, we associate wool with cold weather, but merino wool is possible to use during spring and summer as well. Thanks to moisture-wicking, insulating, and breathable qualities the garment or blanket made of Merino wool is good for spring and summer too.

Comfortable and soft

Babies, especially newborns, have very delicate skin. Merino wool is so fine and soft. It will give a baby ultimate comfort as it does not itch. Feels soft like a cloud on touch. it is also very lightweight.

My kids never wore wool sweaters or hats till we tried merino wool. It is so pleasant in touch you will not believe it! There are different “grades” of fine merino wool that are marked by microns number.

The most common high-quality merino wool is 19 microns, and the finest and luxury merino wool that is best for newborn babies is 16 microns (usually can be found at artisan yarn artists). The higher the number of microns the less fine the wool is.

These benefits of merino wool for babies are not the most important though.

Thermo regulating

The magic of thermo regulation is another quality Merino is famous for. For newborn babies, this quality is very important, as they cannot regulate their body temperature. Merino helps to keep a comfortable constant temperature and to avoid overheating or burn.

This quality helps the baby to sleep better, keeping a constant and comfortable temperature all night. Though it is not recommended by recent studies to use a blanket to cover the newborn baby for the night, you can use it under the baby. It still will do the job and keep your little one warm and cozy.

Odor and stains resisting

Merino wool is a mama’s best friend because it is easy to wash and look after. Merino is known for its resistance to odors and stains. This means you do not need to wash it as often as other fabric types.

To refresh the blanket or garment you can just air it overnight. Some stains can be just cleaned with a wet towel and left to air. The next day you might see it disappear.

Once I dropped my coffee on a white Merino wool blanket and I could not believe my eyes when the next morning the light brown stain was simply gone.

Some Merino yarns are machine-washable, so check the label. Follow the instructions on the yarn tag and if you need to wash by hand, this blog post has some simple tips on how to do it. Merino also dries faster than other fabrics. This is another win for a busy newborn baby mama who has a lot of laundry to do.

Durable (6 times stronger than cotton)

Thanks to the fine fiber, merino wool is very elastic and able to retain its shape quickly after stretch, wear, and repeated washing. That is why if you plan to handmade a baby blanket or keepsake baby clothes, merino wool is the go-to yarn! It will be perfect for a family heirloom to pass down to the next new family member no matter how long it was used.

Non-allergenic and UV-resistant

Delicate newborn skin like no other needs care. That is why natural over synthetic fibers are always the best choice in my opinion.

The hypoallergenic quality of Merino wool tops with its ability to resist UV rays and create a natural UV barrier. Even cotton does not have this superpower.

Studies show that merino wool impressively reduces infant eczema symptoms compared to other fibers. This means Merino wool treats your baby’s skin softly and with great care.

Gentle to skin and nature

Unlike cotton and synthetic fibers, merino wool is renewable. Its production does not require much water, a lot of manipulation, and energy for growing and processing it into yarn or fabric.

All it needs are grass, some water, and fresh air. The sheep that provide wool freely walk the hills and deliver a new fleece twice a year.

After being used and disposed Merino fiber will naturally decompose in the soil. It will give back to the earth. What does this incredible sustainability have to do with the benefits of merino wool for babies?

Everything! Bringing children into this world we, as parents, ask ourselves what kind of planet we leave to them. Will they be able to enjoy Mother Earth like we did?

A sustainable lifestyle has become one of the most important choices we have to make. By choosing sustainable products for our daily lives we help to improve the impact. We learn this way to do better than we did so far.

And hopefully, our kids will learn from us too. Will learn to care for nature, and the people around them, and learn to do more good. Be kind and gentle, as soft and warm merino wool yarn.