Check your child's PJs have the correct label

Winter is coming, they say.

That means it’s time again to think about pyjamas and nightwear that keep our children warm and snug.

It’s also time to think about the safety of those items.

You may not realise it, but all children’s nightwear is required to have a fire hazard label sewn into the item to warn about the dangers of contact with fire.

It’s important to bear in mind that all clothing and fabric will burn.

When we use heaters or light fires, we have to be extra careful about the safety and suitability of our children’s nightwear.

With winter knocking on our door, we’re taking the time to get the word out that Trade Me expects all sellers of both new and used items to make sure they are meeting the safety standard.

The Commerce Commission has released guidance for parents and traders on new safety regulations for children’s nightwear.

The Commission has this advice: 

The regulations and the standard they enforce are intended to reduce the number of serious or fatal burn injuries to children by informing consumers of the relative flammability hazard of children’s nightwear.

The regulations came into force in April 2016, but a one-year transition period was allowed, so that suppliers and retailers could sell existing stock and ensure new stock meets the regulations.

The key change was around labelling, with a reduction from three types to two:

• White label: low fire hazard fabrics
• Red label: higher fire hazard risk
• Orange label: now phased out, and must no longer appear on nightwear

The Commission has produced guidance for both traders and consumers which can be found on the Commission’s website.

The consumer information is also available in brochure format,  contact the Commission to request copies. 

The types of childrens' wear covered includes:

• pyjamas and pyjama type over-garments;
• nightdresses and nightshirts;
• dressing gowns and bathrobes;
• infant sleepbags with sleeves or arm openings;
• knitted all-in-ones in sizes 00 to 2 where more than 80 per cent of the item is closely fitted, these can be styled for either daywear or nightwear;
• woven all-in-ones in sizes 00 to 2 and all-in-ones over size 2 that are styled for nightwear;
• loose style boxer shorts normally used for nightwear; and
• any other children's wear recognisably and exclusively designed as nightwear.

Trade Me welcomes these guidelines and enourages members to be familiar with them.

When members list in the children's clothing category we send an automated reminder email so that they are alerted to the requirements and can make selling decisions accordingly. 

These regulations apply to both new goods AND second hand nightwear.