Why Warmth is Not What Makes a Good Base Layer

All thermals are NOT created equal.

You may have been told that a good thermal is one that is designed to keep your child warm. And while that is true, it is not what makes a great thermal garment.

In fact, the best thermals are designed so that your child does not get cold.

Isn’t that the same thing?

In one word, no. Obviously, you want your child to be warm. But keeping them warm and preventing them from being cold is not just semantics, it requires an intelligent design.

Smart people sweat less

You probably don’t think about your clothing as smart. But in fact, the best clothing is intelligently designed to solve problems for the wearer.

In the case of a great thermal top, in order to keep a child from getting cold, its number one job is to prevent their body from sweating.

Many brands would have you believe that the more layers you pile on, the warmer you will be. But this is not how the body works. Layering multiple layers in fact, at some point will make a body sweat. 

Sweating is how our body cools itself when we are warm. It uses evaporation to keep the body at the average temperature of 98ºf (36.6ºc). When the body is too warm, it sweats to cool the skin.

Exactly the opposite of what a great thermal top should do. 

Instead, to keep your child from getting cold - and in fact keeping them warm in the process - at Nui we use premium quality organic merino wool, which naturally wicks any sweaty moisture away from your child’s skin, and THAT keeps your child toasty warm.

With super fine fibers, the organic merino wool creates tiny air pockets that allows their skin to breathe while retaining their body’s heat. 

It's all about the base (layers that is)

So now that we know what makes a great thermal great, let’s talk about base layers.

Base layers are often referred to as “the second skin”, with its main purpose to “get cold” so you and your child don’t have to.

This means, the base layer should be:

• BREATHABLE: So it prevents your body from sweating
• MOISTURE WICKING: Pull any sweat away from your skin and let it evaporate into thin air.
• ANTIMICROBIAL AND ODOR FREE: Just say no to odor-causing bacteria.
• LIGHTWEIGHT: Merino wool thermals make a great base layer without bulk.
• DURABLE: Enjoy the natural resilience of merino wool, combined with the addition of extra durable knee patches in the leggings

At the core of the Nui Organics thermals, are the natural qualities of premium merino wool. And not just any wool, superfine merino wool, measuring 17.5 microns.

Apples to oranges, there is no comparison to a cotton or synthetic thermal garment. And to top it off, merino wool is durable and resilient, and because it requires less washing, it lasts longer while saving the planet’s precious water sources.

Designed for growth

Let’s face it, buying clothing for a growing child can be expensive, and spending less for every item does not save you time or money in the end.

No busy parent wants to spend time shopping for their child’s clothing, only to have it tear or become unwearable after a few weeks of wearing. And at the same time, it’s hard to justify spending a lot for clothing if they are going to outgrow it in a few months.

And this may just be what makes Nui premium quality organic GOTS certified thermals the BEST - because we design for growth.

We’re smart cookies over here - make that smart-we-are-moms-too cookies, and we certainly didn’t want to spend time shopping for quality clothing for our children when we could be out enjoying a day hiking or playing with them!

So we intelligently designed our thermals and all Nui long sleeved tops and bottoms to grow with them. That means you can roll up the sleeves and legs in the beginning, and roll them down as they grow.

We even put extra durable knee patches in our thermal leggings - because kids are tough, but our Nui Merino Wool Thermals are tougher!

And because organic merino wool is so durable and resilient, you have clothing that retains its shape and resilience, wash after wash, year after year.

 

Thermals in the summer?

No, we haven’t lost our sustainable minds. In fact, one of the best things about organic merino wool is that it can be worn all year round.

As we discussed earlier, the purpose of thermals is help your child’s body maintain its natural temperature - not too cold, and not too hot. Otherwise known as homeostasis, your body has the natural ability to maintain its set point temperature of 98ºf (36.6ºc).

The purpose of intelligent clothing is to help your body do what it was designed to do. So in the summer when the temperature outside rises, Nui’s Organic Merino Wool Thermals are:

 

• Breathable - allowing your child’s skin to breathe
• Moisture-wicking - wicking away sweat from their skin so they stay dry
• Temperature-regulating - Keeping your child at their set point 98ºf (36.6ºc)

 

Good for your child, good for the planet

Do we have the best damn children’s thermals? We think so, but the final decision is up to you. Because what makes the best damn anything in our view, are things that make you and your family’s lives better.

Things that are good for you (GOTS certified organic for your health) AND good for the planet (regenerative and biodegradable merino wool), to us, make all of our lives better.

So this year, don’t let your child get cold, stay warm, and enjoy more time outdoors!