Tots’ Sleepwear Gets Safety Exemption: The Consumer...

Tots’ Sleepwear Gets Safety Exemption: The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted this week to exempt sleepwear for children age 9 months or younger from federal standards requiring that garments to be flame resistant. Also exempted are tight-fitting, cotton sleepwear. The amendments will take effect 18 months after they are published in the Federal Register, the government’s listing of its rules and regulations. Currently, children’s sleepwear Size 14 and under must be chemically treated to resist fire, with the exception of polyester garments. Polyester doesn’t catch fire as easily as other materials, such as untreated cotton. The commission’s vote was based on staff findings of next to no injuries linked to tight-fitting sleepwear--such as a one-piece, footed pajama--or to night clothing worn by infants younger than 1 year old. The staff found that tight-fitting sleepwear was less likely to come into contact with an open flame. Even when ignited, the commission found the sleepwear less likely to burn rapidly because there was less air trapped by the garment, as with a nightgown, to feed the fire.