Guidelines For Buying Children's Sleepwear

CPSC Document #5075

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sets national safety standards for children's sleepwear flammability. These standards are designed to protect children from burn injuries if they come in contact with an open flame, such as a match or stove burner. Under amended federal safety rules, garments sold as children's sleepwear for sizes larger than nine months must be:

• Flame Resistant -- Flame resistant garments do not continue burning when removed from an ignition source. Examples include inherently flame resistant polyesters that do not require chemical treatment. Or,

• Snug-fitting --- Snug-fitting garments need not be flame resistant because they are made to fit closely against a childÕs body. Snug-fitting sleepwear does not ignite easily and, even if ignited, does not burn readily because there is little oxygen to feed a fire.

**The rules for flame resistance or snug fit do not apply to sleepwear for sizes nine months and under because infants that wear these sizes are insufficiently mobile to expose themselves to an open flame.

Children should never be put to sleep in T-shirts, sweats, or other oversized, loose-fitting cotton or cotton-blend garments. These garments can catch fire easily and are associated with 200 to 300 emergency room-treated burn injuries to children annually.

Most manufacturers are using hangtags on their snug-fitting sleepwear to let consumers know that the product meets federal safety standards. The hangtags remind consumers that a snug fit or flame resistance are necessary for safety.