I do like surprises; one which delights me is the cooling properties of sheepskin.
In the heat of the summer some of the wisest professional drivers will be sitting on sheepskin. And some of the happiest babies will be sleeping on them.
The fleece of sheepskin has excellent insulating properties and it is also resistant to flame and static electricity. Wool is considered by the medical profession to be hypoallergenic. Sheepskin is a natural insulator, and draws perspiration away from the wearer and into the fibers. There, it traps between 30 and 36 percent of its own weight in moisture. Wikipedia
This advice about keeping Babies cool in the summer heat (from eczema advice site, Scratchsleeves.co.uk):
“protected from the sun and using sheepskin liner
in the pushchair can really help keep your little one fresher – the open pile of the fleece allows air to circulate under the body so they don’t get as hot and sweaty (but do steer clear of this if your baby’s eczema is triggered by lanolin, which is derived from the natural oils found in wool). On really hot days, we have a couple of cold packs that we slide under the sheepskin to keep the kids cool on the ride into town”
We bought our first sheepskin for our baby girl to sleep on, chiefly because it felt instinctively right, nothing else seemed soft enough for our tender little baby, we only found out later how good our choice had been. It seems that children who have spent time on sheepskin may actually carry benefits for the rest of their lives.
German researchers found babies who had slept on animal skin in their first three months of life were much less likely to develop asthma and allergies by the time they were 10. They say microbes found in animal skin could help protect against asthma and allergies by strengthening the immune system. Mail Online
Here at Dartmoor Sheepskins we can’t choose your motivation for wanting a sheepskin, whether it’s to soften a bed for a loved one who is immobile, whether it’s to keep the driver comfortable on a long journey, or, like us, because it’s the only thing soft enough for new born skin. We can’t even choose your sheepskin – only you can do that, but we CAN guarantee that you’ll be getting the highest quality tanning, on sheepskins as unique and special as your family.