Clothing for Children: Chapter 3, part 3

Essentials in the Layette

This section discusses what is needed in an infant layette. Diapers are considered one of the most important layette items to have, especially cloth diapers. Disposable diapers were available in 1949 but they were bulky and used mostly during travel. Disposable diapers have certainly improved since 1949 and many people use them. However, do we want to trade convenience for landfills brimming with diapers that don't decompose? It's past time to return to cloth diapers.

I will be the first to admit that I haven't paid much attention to cloth diapers. I have designed special occasion dresses for several years. When I think of cloth diapers, I think of diaper flannel. It's soft and absorbent. But there are many more choices today, not only in fabric but print and design. Suzanne from The Good Mama gave me a rundown of fabrics used in her diapers. Bamboo velour and organic cottons are both renewable resources, and soft, comfortable fabrics. The prints are adorable too.

In 1949 the typical diaper was a large rectangle of flannel fabric that was folded a certain way and pinned on with diaper pins. The diaper was then covered with rubber pants, wool soakers, or water-repellent batiste pants. The authors encouraged limited use of diaper covers because they did not breathe, especially the rubber pants. Wool soakers were preferred because they kept the baby dry and breathed. The wool soakers were made from a knit fabric.

The cloth diapers of today are engineered much better. They have closures like snaps and velcro - no need for diaper pins. They are absorbent and rarely leak, so no need for plastic diaper covers. They are constructed to withstand lots of washing. The fabrics are soft and more durable. The price may be a little higher, initially, than disposables but they will last a long time.

The rest of the chapter discusses all the rest of layette essentials, which is pretty common knowledge.

Clothing for Children: Chapter 3, part 2

The next section discusses safety. Imagine my surprise by the following statement:

A drawstring should not be used in the neck of a baby's garment. Such a string is dangerous, for it may get pulled too tight about the baby's neck and strangle him. Long ribbons, sometimes used as trimming on babies' clothing, are undesirable for the same reason.

This statement came from a publication published about 1949. The only difference between then and now is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued guidelines (links to a PDF) for children's outerwear (2T-16). Drawstrings are not permitted in clothing for this age group. While the agency does not include infants, it is almost a given that the same guidelines would apply. The drawstring issue is a continual battle. The CPSC issued a recall notice as recently as April 2007. So please be careful.

The chapter also mentions oft over-looked safety issues such as snaps and buttons. Snaps or buttons which easily pull off are considered choking hazards and the CPSC will issue recalls for items that fail. Buttons can break during laundering. If the wrong type of snap is used or the snaps are improperly applied, they can fall apart or pull out of the fabric. So test, test, test.

Finally, the chapter mentions the use of safety pins. In the past, safety pins have been used with cloth diapers. But any trimming attached with a safety pin is a big no-no. They are not only a potential choking hazard, but also a poking hazard. And yes, I have seen manufacturers try to use regular safety pins to attach trims. This is a picture of an acceptable pin back which may be used to attach removable trims such as silk flowers:


This pin back is nickel and has a safety latch. The sharp point is covered. It can either be hot-glued or stitched securely to an item.

A Word on Handford and Children's Sizes

I have previously blogged about Jack Handford's book Professional Pattern Grading (I like this grading book!). I just graded my basic infant bodices using Handford's grading charts and I just wanted to pass on a few insights.

If you read my blog on children's sizing (Too Many Sizes!), then you will know that there is a lot of variety in how manufacturer's lay out their size ranges. Handford is not really any different. His sizing breaks down like this:

3M, 6M, 12M, 18M, 24M, 36M

You will notice that the 9M size is missing. A 9M is considered a half size between 6M and 12M. Some manufacturers include it and others skip it. After studying dozens of measurement charts, I tend to favor skipping it. Children grow really fast in the first few months of life, so there is no need to include lots of possible sizes.

Another thing to consider is his 24m and 36M sizes. His toddler sizes break down like this:

1, 2, 3, 4

Except for boutique/specialty shop stores, you don't really see toddler sizes denoted like this. Normally, the toddler range is 2T, 3T, and 4T (some throw in a 5T). Anyway, there may be some overlap between the infant and toddler sizes with your patterns. This doesn't mean you can grade all of the infant and toddler sizes together. You will still need an infant block and a toddler block. You may have some shaping differences between the two.

It took me some time to wrap my brain around his grading instructions. I could look at the diagrams and see that this was the type of grading done in the industry. Even computer grading takes it's cues from this method. The actual grading process, however, varies from computerized grading.

I am accustomed to working with all of the pieces nested together. I can select a grading point and enter in the X,Y changes. It really is pretty simple. Handford has you grade one size at a time. After grading one size, you cut it out and use it to grade the next size. Precision is absolutely key because mistakes gradually increase with each size. I eventually got the hang of it and found it to be pretty easy. Once I had all of the sizes, I nested them on top of each other and I could see how well it worked. And it did work well.

So now I have two sets of infant bodice patterns using the Handford method and an adaptation of Aldrich's measurement charts. I am going to compare the two to see which I like better. So far, there doesn't seem to be too much disagreement between them. I am also trying to decide if I should add in a 9M. Right now, I am leaning toward Handford.