Baby clothes

rachel10488

So I'm really not trying to start drama here since a previous thread got shut down for this topic but before it escalated to that point I really wanted to ask this question...

What baby clothes are flame retardant? I had no idea this even existed in any kind of clothing so now I'm generally curious, is it any kind of cotton item, items with screen printing, or polyblends m? I have no idea and googled it but couldn't find the answer. I never even thought to check...

Anyways, again not trying to bring up a topic I'm not supposed to I just really want to know what is or isn't flame retardant.

*edit to say: I'm not trying to bring back the previous discussion, I would just like to know the answer to my question since I can no longer post on that thread since it's closed*

spottedginger

rachel10488

@spottedginger hahaha yes I'm afraid I'm opening a can of worms I'm just so curious now since it's something I've never heard of!

Court11152325

Note to self... never stop reading a seemingly boring thread.

Court11152325

This first one is a little old, but here are two articles (the second is linked in the Huff Post article):

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/toxic-flame-retardants-children-products_n_1324412.html

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es2007462

I honestly am too lazy to check whether these are reputable sources, but they appeared to be informative (although we should always consider our sources!).

https://www.pediatricsafety.net/2009/10/childrens-pajamas-and-flame-retardants/

https://www.toxicsinfo.org/kids/toys/FireRetardantSleepwear.htm

All I can find is "80% of baby products are treated" - although it looks like this could vary by state since some states have moved towards making it illegal on some products.

TomekiaB

My understanding is it is most required for pajamas as far as clothing (I don't know how they decide what is pajamas for a baby versus what is not). 

My understanding is a lot of kid favorites like the "character pajamas" were made out of artificial/synthetic fabrics and they burned/melted much hotter than regular cotton or other natural fabrics which caused the tragically severe burns leading to the laws (as I mentioned before the concern is how life threatening significant deep burns can be). Synthetic fabrics probably always turned into toxic chemicals when burned because it is an unintended chemical reaction occurring in the product. 

It isn't just clothing however that is treated many things such as mattresses are also treated--it is these other types of products that can be much more expensive to buy while avoiding flame retardants. Flame retardants are also a good reason to air out your baby gear because it is one of the things that can be off-gassing. I think it is important to know why certain decisions have been made for safety when making your choices as a parent (whether you decide to agree or disagree it's good to understand both sides).

Cotton and natural fabrics aren't without their critics, most cotton is produced with lots of toxic chemicals too, which are really bad for the environment, farmers and the people who actually make the garments and fabric (the documentary "Saving Faces" currently on netflix discusses how in Pakistan many women are abused by their husband when they are attacked by having very strong acid poured on their faces which is often the weapon of choice because the acid is so widely available within the cotton farming many of these families work in).

I feel like this issue is similar to prescription medication while we recognize there might have side effects someone has determined that the benefit outweighs the risks. While over time those attitudes can change either by societal beliefs or research. The laws were made because we were trying to avoid tragedy. 

Daphneh28

@spottedginger ROLF when I needed it the most. Thanks!

ssn109

@Court11152325 you never know what innocent comment will cause a discussion to devolve into total chaos!

rachel10488

Thank you for the info @Court11152325 and @TomekiaB !
The thought of what is in our kids pjs had literally never occurred...now it makes more sense why there are "organic cotton" clothing lines at the baby store. I never in a million years would have thought a major danger facing my baby would be him catching on fire...especially when we don't even smoke and one of the articles mentioned that was a leading cause of home fires. I don't know, my family has worked in the disaster remediation business for decades so sees a lot of home fires...none where people were caught on fire.
It's crazy that such a seemingly small risk changed the entire clothing industry for children!