If an item of child’s clothing has a drawstring attached to it on the upper half of their body then this is illegal. It does not matter if it is on the hood, around the neck or attached to the waist. Children have died recently because of drawstrings which has prompted the ban. Children have been strangled by the string as they play on slides or get tangled up. This does not mean that all children hoodies should be banned however. Without the drawstring they are good clothing for children.
Back To The Ban
Landmark decisions against retailers and clothing manufacturers have been after links to serious injury or death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission made tops with drawstrings illegal as they pose a serious risk to the safety of the child wearer.
The tragic death of a three year old boy whose string got attached on a slide and he suffocated made these rulings more open to the public. Retailers are slow to be caught when they break the law because so few people know which items are banned by law. Now that more people know it is easy for the CPSC to find lawbreaking retailers and prosecute them.
Nordstrom the Seattle retailer was fined ,000 for selling banned tops. The same ban led to four more retailers getting a collective fine of over 0,000. They include Hills Sportswear and Kohl’s. Yet again another little girl suffocated when het top got caught at the playground.
Every parent should make sure that the clothing they buy their child is safe to be worn. The risk that clothes pose to children needs to be addressed all the time. If they go on a bike you do not want their trousers to get caught in the pedals for example.
Hoodies should not be banned all together. When they are designed safely they can look super cute. Children love to wear them because they are comfortable which is a bonus. For autumn and winter they are wardrobe staples.
