My “What DOESN'T Work for Me Wednesday” tip isn't so much a tip as it is a warning. While many people buy kid's clothes from consignment sales, thrift stores and yard sales, you should never buy children's pajamas from these places. Children's pajamas are treated with a flame-resistant chemical that gradually wears away through repeated washings. That being said, if your kid has a lot of pajamas that you bought new and the pajamas haven't been washed too often before the kid outgrew the pajamas, the pajamas are probably okay to keep for the next kid or pass on to someone else. However, when you buy used pajamas from a store, there's no way of knowing how many washings the pajamas have been through. If the garment has been washed repeatedly, the efficacy of the flame-retarded material could be in question. So buying used regular clothes cheaply = good; buying used pajamas cheaply = not so good. For more “What DOESN'T Work for Me Wednesday” tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer.
UPDATE - Just to show I'm not the only one who says this, check out Mrs. Nesby's post here.
Crazy...I posted something similar to this today for the WDWFM! Great minds think alike, right? =)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the Link Love! I will reciprocate!
ReplyDeleteI make most of my girls' nightgowns, but hadn't thought about the flame retardent issue. In fact, it's kinda hard to find fabric that's been treated if you want to sew your own.
ReplyDeleteBlessings--
Dana
This is something that *doesn't* work for me. The flame retardents (PBDEs) in new PJs (and foam mattresses, electronics, etc.) would be the very things driving me to buy second-hand. It is something that builds up in our systems, and doesn't go away. Not only can the substance cause damage to human nervous and reproductive systems, but it shows up elsewhere in the environment because of our use of it, and ever increasingly so. Some countries have banned its use for certain industries, but North Americans seem slow to jump on the bandwagon. Please read up and come to your own conclusions on the risks associated with flame retardents or lack thereof. I'm sure the thought of your child catching fire is terrifying, but the thought of mine not being able to have healthy children of their own bothers me more.
ReplyDeleteEight: There is definitely a fine line that must be walked between how much we allow technology to "help" us, especially with chemicals. Yet I personally know someone who was horribly burned because she wasn't wearing flame retardant clothing. All it took was one birthday candle and she is forever horribly scared. I'm far more concerned with hormones in milk and meat and pesticides on my produce.
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