So the big question here is, do your concerns about fire safety outweigh the use of chemicals and their effect on the environment and your child?
Children's sleepwear has been the center of controversy since the 1970's when the now titled group Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) specified that sleeping garments must self extinguish when exposed to an open flame for 3 seconds. The garment must also pass the test after 50 wash cycles!
It's hard to say it better than this article on the flame-resistant baby pajamas controversy.
Polyester and cotton and the most common materials used to make children's pajamas. Most synthetic fiber sleepwear has a flame retardant inserted into the fabric fiber, including most polyester fabrics, as opposed to the fabric being “chemically treated” with a flame retardant. If they are treated with flame retardants, they must be labeled as such. Depending on the company, chemicals used on pajama fabrics could include chlorinated and brominated flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants such as antimony oxides, and phosphate-based compounds. Like I've mentioned before polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) accumulate in the environment and our bodies and have been linked to compromising the function of our nervous, reproductive and endocrine systems. North Americans have the highest body burden of PBDEs in the world.
The CPSC recommends that children's pajamas be either flame resistant or snug-fitting. Snug-fitting sleepwear does not have to be treated with flame-resistant chemicals. The idea is that snug-fitting pajamas have less air spaces and therefore less oxygen that can accelerate flames. Pure wool sleepwear would also be exempt from mandated treatment.
I think it is crucial to ask not only what is important for your child but what will best benefit our home, planet Earth. By purchasing organic or natural fiber clothing you are supporting companies that are investing in the healthy future of this planet and all its inhabitants.
Additional Pages of Interest:
Guide To Less Toxic Products
5 Minutes For Going Green
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