ProudGrandma Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Have any of you ever thought that the flame retardant chemicals on children's PJ's could be dangerous to your kids? I just heard this and I am not sure what to make of it...what do you guys think?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 That's why my kids sleep in sweatpants and tshirts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Yes. To the extent that I special ordered beds that also were free from chemical flame retardants. I also try to avoid polyester and such, just in general but particularly for nightclothes. We've always shared a bed and being all snug against one another sometimes makes for a particularly sweaty night - we need breathable, natural clothes! Most nights my kids sleep in underwear and tee-shirts. In winter, add socks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Yes. The tight fitting kind of pj's are generally not treated, so those are the kind to get when trying to avoid flame retardants. That said, I don't like the boys wearing pj's that are too constricting and I've found that the pjs from Hanna Andersson are great! They are 'looser' than some other brands and they are also made from organically grown cotton. They are pricey, but I've never paid full price for them. They have sales periodically throughout the year and they also have several outlet stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Yes, and I don't buy new PJ's for this very reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 (edited) My oldest is 21 and from the start I rejected flame retardant clothing. So I think/thought a lot about it, and chose against it, a long time ago. If you have a baby, and want to keep him/her warm and don't want to spend a lot on organic PJs, cotton tights and a cotton long sleeve onsie does the job. he was my first hippie baby (born at home, organic diapers and wool covers from an old company called BioBottoms, etc) and I learned a lot. lol For regular PJs, not organic, I have found a lot of CN and European cotton flannel. The US stands alone in it's Flame Retardent pj law. (It's another market for certain chemicals, which probably was spurred by children setting themselves on fire when everyone smoked. That and old memories of little children who die of burn complications when hearths were open. It was a common child death back in the day and tots wore billowy linen gowns). Long sleeve T shirts and cotton sweat pants also work fine in winter. Boxers and t's in summer. Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I don't get the whole thing. I mean, how many children do you know who spontaneously burst into flames? :confused: And, if your house is on fire, are the flame retardant pjs really going to save their lives? They don't prevent smoke inhalation. So, no, my kids don't wear flame retardant sleepwear because it seems like "safety" that isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 thanks for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 (edited) I don't get the whole thing. I mean, how many children do you know who spontaneously burst into flames? :confused: And, if your house is on fire, are the flame retardant pjs really going to save their lives? They don't prevent smoke inhalation. So, no, my kids don't wear flame retardant sleepwear because it seems like "safety" that isn't. In fact, I knew a 4 yr old in my old apartment building (this was years ago) who was playing with her mother's cigarette lighter one morning. Her little polyester flame retardent nightgown did catch on fire and the falling, melting bits burned her further. She might have been worse off than she would have had she been wearing plain cotton, which wouldn't have dumped molten bits of plastic on her skin. Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I don't like the flame retardant PJs either. I don't buy them because they feel weird and plasticy, but I don't believe that any toxic chemicals are getting through my kids skin because of flame retardant. On the other hand... I have the sort of personality where if I were to believe that pajamas were toxic and negatively affecting my kids health, it'd be a slippery slope to wearing a tinfoil hat and building an underground bunker or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 (edited) I don't like the flame retardant PJs either. I don't buy them because they feel weird and plasticy, but I don't believe that any toxic chemicals are getting through my kids skin because of flame retardant. On the other hand... I have the sort of personality where if I were to believe that pajamas were toxic and negatively affecting my kids health, it'd be a slippery slope to wearing a tinfoil hat and building an underground bunker or something. We humans are constantly exposed to toxins, both natural and man made, and when we can easily and painlessly eliminate some of them, I take the opportunity. The chemical retardents in clothing can negatively affect health, both in the people who manufacture them and in those who wear them. That's not myth. As in all things, some will be more affected than others, and some not at all. Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mich311e Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Have any of you ever thought that the flame retardant chemicals on children's PJ's could be dangerous to your kids? I just heard this and I am not sure what to make of it...what do you guys think?? I have never allowed my son to sleep in flame retardant PJ's. We always get the cotton, flannel or fleece PJ's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I buy the tight fitting pjs for DD, cotton t-shirts and shorts or just a diaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 what about older (washed many times) PJ's....even the tags say "to keep the flame retardend guard..." so is there a way to actually wash it out of the fabric...or over time will it wash out?? Is there a size that they draw the line and no longer add it to PJ's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I made winter pjs for my kids this year and all of the patterns called for flame-retardant fabric. When I asked the lady at the fabric store to tell me what the difference was (beside it being more expensive and offering far fewer color/pattern choices) she said that in her opinion it is actually MORE dangerous because it melts instead of burns. If your child does the stop, drop, and roll, they will essentially push the melting fabric into their skin and burn themselves. Nice, huh? I opted for the flannel printed with "not intended for sleepwear" at the top. I don't intend my 5 and 6 year old children to be lighting up in bed, and we have smoke detectors all over the house so I feel pretty safe ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juelle Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 We never buy flame-retardant PJs. My mom even knew they were a bad idea when I was a kid. Old T-shirts become PJ tops and it's super-easy to make the bottoms out of any old cute material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 OK...I am TOTALLY convinced..off to find other options. THANKS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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