Yet another children’s wear company has run afoul of America’s product safety watchdog.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled about 550 children’s pajamas and nightdresses from UK-based Little Cotton Clothes for failing to meet the federal flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children.
Filed on June 8 in conjunction with Health Canada, the recall involves Little Cotton Clothes’ Angelica nightdresses, Pippa pajamas and Traditional pajamas in a variety of prints. The 100 percent cotton pajamas were manufactured in India and were sold in sizes for ages two to three years and eight to nine years online and in stores from September 2022 through January 2023 for between $30 and $45.
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While no incidents have been reported, consumers should immediately take the recalled products away from children, stop using them and contact Little Cotton Clothes for instructions on how to dispose of the pajamas (the company recommends cutting up the items so they cannot be used) for a full refund. Little Cotton Clothes is contacting all known purchasers as well.
“We have become aware that our nightwear is not sufficiently tight fitting to the body to pass U.S. federal flammability regulations; posing a risk of burn injuries to children,” Little Cotton Clothes said in a statement on its website. “As a small business who always looks for ways to minimize waste, it is heart-breaking to ask our customers to take this action, but sadly in this situation we have no option.”
The CPSC urges parents to make sure their children’s sleepwear is either flame-resistant or snug-fitting, requiring hangtags and permanent labels on snug-fitting children’s sleepwear—made of cotton or cotton blends—to remind consumers that because the garment is not flame-resistant, it must fit snugly for safety.
“It’s safer to put your children in flame-resistant or snug-fitting sleepwear, not in other types of loose-fitting cotton or cotton-blend garments,” CPSC vice chairman Thomas Moore said at the time. “Look for the new yellow hangtags. They tell you that the garment should fit snugly and they warn that a loose-fitting garment is more likely to catch fire.”
As of February, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) have been developing a strain of cotton that’s naturally less flammable than common varietals, negating the need for flame-resistant additives.
That research couldn’t come soon enough: in January, sleepwear brand PJ Salvage recalled thousands of children’s pajamas, sold on Amazon and Zappos, for failing to meet federal flammability standards. In February, Amazon recalled about 2,000 kid’s robes from BTPEIHTD, a China-based Amazon seller, for also failing to meet standards, while U.K. brand Selfie Craft Company violated federal standards for flammability and burn hazards.
