Children's Safety and bedding

I thought I would address a few questions I have received on baby blankets and bedding with regards to flammability issues. The CPSC has issued guidelines on crib safety and bedding. I have searched high and low for any more guidelines on bedding and flammability and did not find anything more specific.

I find this curious because the CPSC has such a strong emphasis on sleepwear and flammability. After all, bedding of any kind will be associated with a sleeping activity at some point with infants. In the soft bedding guidelines, it is recommended that all extra bedding materials (small pillows, decorations, toys, extra blankets, etc) be removed from a crib when a child is there. They go so far as to say a baby should wear a sleeper instead of using blankets or sheets.

Customized baby blankets are a hot item. I have seen them in various fabrics and trimmings. The safest approach is to be sure that the fabrics comply with basic flammability guidelines (links found in my previous post). Also, make sure any attached trims are very secure. Don't have any dangling cords, ribbons, or attachments. As an extra precaution, I include a copy of the soft bedding warning in all of my blanket orders. You may wish to add a sticker or slip of paper that states the blanket should be removed from a crib while a baby is sleeping.

I love making baby blankets. It is a fun and very useful item for new moms. Since I am not a lawyer, I can not advise on liability issues. So while the above ideas make good sense, they may not legally protect you in a burn suit. Just do the best you can in making a safe product and provide a caution statement.

Next time: Children and small objects

2019 note - CPSC links have all changed. The information is still there but you will have to search for it.

Recall : Flammability Issues with child's bathrobe

The consumer product safety commission recently issued a recall for children's bathrobes because they are considered highly flammable. The robes were made of 100% cotton terry cloth. Even though a bathrobe is not technically sleepwear, it is a piece of clothing that is connected to sleeping and thus must comply with the Children's Sleepwear standard.

More information can be found on the children's sleepwear standard (read this letter on loungewear too). It took me over an hour to finally find links to these two pieces of information and I read lots of interesting information on other products. If you go to the CPSC site, be sure to click on the Business link for guides and summaries.

Since you can read the government regulations at the links above, I won't repeat much of it here. Suffice it to say, the actual Flammable Fabric Act applies to just about all fabrics and articles of clothing (there are some exceptions). Some fabrics that consistently fail flammability testing include: sheer rayon or silk, rayon chenille, cotton fleeces, and cotton terry cloth. Synthetic fabrics (polyester, nylon, acrylics) or wool fabrics are generally exempt. This is because these fabrics either simply melt or do not hold a flame once the flame source is removed.

If you design childrenswear consisting of any suspect fabric, you should take the time to send either your fabric or clothing to a testing lab. A flammability test can run anywhere from $200-$500, depending on the lab. Small change compared to a burn lawsuit.

Next time I will tackle children's safety and bedding.

2019 note - The links to the recall and the CPSC are no longer good. If you do click through, you will have to search the database for the relevant information. 

Recall : Hooded sweatshirts with drawstrings

Two recent product recalls on children's clothing prompts me to issue a reminder. There are two major safety issues in relation to children's clothing. The first is drawstrings and the second is flammability.

Drawstrings

It never fails. I have seen drawstrings in one form or another on children's clothing each season. The consumer product safety commission (cpsc) recently issued a recall for hooded sweatshirts with drawstrings. The fact that these products made it into a major department store shows multiple failures along the vendor supplier chain. Nearly all products sold in a department store must pass some form of inspection. If this is a private label for Kohl's, then the failure is even greater. A major department store chain usually has a technical designer and quality auditor over every division. A private label garment must be approved by a technical designer, who is responsible that the garment not only fits, but is safe. A quality auditor is supposed to ensure quality standards and compliance during and after manufacturing. Both individuals should KNOW of the safety guidelines on drawstrings which have been in existence since 1996.

Another layer of failure is at the buyer level. A childrenswear buyer should also know the rule and should not even consider an item with a drawstring. I can guarantee Kohl's will either severely reprimand or fire the buyers and technical designers over that division. Not only is this a major financial issue for the company, but an accident waiting to happen.

Most major department stores are so concerned about the drawstring issue, that they have self-imposed their own safety guidelines. In other words, they have banned any type of item that dangles beyond a certain point. Waist ties on dresses can only be so long. Bibs no longer have bias ties. No knots (trims, pom-poms, flowers, etc) on the end of strings. Those large, pretty sashes found on girls special occassion dresses have to be shortened. Hoodies have elastic in the hood hem instead of drawstrings.

Boutique and specialty stores do not understand this safety issue sufficiently, and I still see drawstrings on childrens clothing. If you are a children's designer, be sure to pay attention to safety issues!

Next time: Product recall on children's bathrobes.