How Tutti Frutti Clothes are Safe for Your Children

Like most parents, I like to make sure that the things I buy my children are safe.

When my children were younger, we baby proofed our house with stair gates, cupboard locks and making sure our home was a safe environment for them to be in.

Now they are older I might have removed the stair gates and I trust them not to pull all the plates out the cupboards but I am still responsible for my children and need to make sure that what I give them is safe.

In day-to-day life this means that I have to put a lot of trust in retailers that the products they are making and selling meet safety regulations and requirements.

*DISCLAIMER* This article is not legal advice. Please contact your own trading standard office to ensure that your own business complies with all regulations relevant to your business. This article focusses on Tutti Frutti Clothing and handmade childrens clothing. If you want information on toy making or other children’s products please contact your local trading standards office.

Can Clothing Really Hurt My Child?

We out our trust in retailers that the clothing sold for our children is safe. But there are always risks and sometimes things go wrong. 

Perhaps you have never thought of it before but there are numerous ways that clothing can hurt our children that we should be aware of.

Cords and drawstrings, particularly in the neck area can present a risk of strangulation. It is possible that fingers and other small parts can get caught in mesh fabrics and fabrics with holes in. Fastenings can come loose and if swallowed by the child are a choking hazard. 

Whilst accidents are rare, they do happen and it is always good to be aware of them.

How Can You Tell Something is Safe?

It is really hard to know that something is completely safe and we often have to put our trust in the places we buy from that they have done their research.

We know that toys should be CE marked and we know there are stringent regulations for things that are sold for babies and children.  They need batch numbers on the packaging so products can be traced if need be.

Brands like Fred and Noah and Gummee have found cheap copies of their teethers available on website like Ali Express and EBay.

You know why these copies can be so cheap? They aren’t tested to the EU and UK safety standards that the originals are.

Jodine from Gummee recently wrote that getting her products tested costs in excess of £8000 a year.

Quality products cost more for a reason.

Raising children can get expensive and it is a good idea to shop around to get the best bargains. But we should be aware that cheap isn’t always best and that often that can compromise our children's safety.

Are Tutti Frutti Clothing Items Safe?

YES!

Tutti Frutti Clothing might be made in small batches in home studios but it is just as safe as things made in factories. 

Since starting my own clothing brand in 2016 I am more aware than ever of the importance of making sure things are properly researched ad safety tested.

Over the 5 years that I have been making and selling clothes for babies and children I have researched the regulations surrounding childrenswear and answered many questions from other handmade sellers asking for safety and labeling information for their own businesses.

I’ve written this article to share my knowledge and to reassure you, as someone buying baby and children’s clothing, that handmade clothes – Tutti Frutti in particular – is just as safe as the bigger brands

How Is Tutti Frutti Clothing Safe?

In the 5 years that I have been trading, I have made several changes to my products and collections to make sure they are safe for your children.

Tutti Frutti Clothing Organic Farm Print T-Shirt

Fabric – I use only fabric organic fabric that is either GOTS certified (or equivalent). This means that it has been tested for harmful chemicals and is safe for babies. If I can’t find out if it does not have one of these labels I do not buy it and use it.

Read More: 

Why Tutti Frutti Only Uses Organic Cotton 

Why Should We Care About Buying Ethical Children's Clothing

Thread – the thread I use to sew up your garments is polyester Oeko-Tex certified thread. Again, this makes sure that the thread does not contain harmful chemical or dyes. I use Gutermann thread which is strong and reliable too so it won't snap or break and will withstand children's rough and tumble in their clothes!

Machinery – I use good quality machines that are regularly serviced. If a needle breaks when sewing I unpick that seam and start again.

Processes – I use sewing clips, not pins, to eliminate the risk of pins being left in a garment.

Designs – I have taken the decision to remove from my collection any garment which has a cord or drawstring – functional or otherwise – along with any garment that uses snap/popper fastenings. This means that I don’t sell dungarees. I used to and I get lots of requests for them but I am not happy that I can test the strength of the poppers in my home studio correctly and so I do not make them for sale.

[edited on 31.1.21 to clarify that Tutti Frutti own brand garments do not have poppers/snaps as I am unable to test them correctly in my home studio. However, I do stock and sell products with snaps from other ethical manufacturers who have all the correct safety procedures in place]

Embellishments – I make simple clothes without embellishments or frills. Having spent a Friday evening in A&E with a child who stuck a craft pom pom up her nose (fun times!) I avoid pop poms and sequins at all cost.

Insurance – While not a legal requirement I am fully insured with both public and products liability insurance. This covers me for claims brought against me for damage to third-party property or bodily injury to any member of the public.

Labelling – I make sure that all the clothing I sell is labelled with KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE. As everything I make to sell is made with stretch fabrics I am happy that this covers me if your child decides to wear their rainbow leggings to bed!

Quality Control – Every single garment is check by me, inside and out, to make sure that there are no lose threads, hole, sewing clips or anything else left in the garment and that I am happy it is safe for your baby or child to wear.

What Regulations Do Tutti Frutti Clothing Follow?

There are a number of relevant regulations that I adhere to.

As a small handmade businesses I am classed as a manufacturer and need to comply with the relevant guidelines that the larger companies comply with.

The regulations that I have found relevant to children’s clothing are:

1. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 - covering ALL products
2. BS EN 14682: 2014 - Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing
3. PD CEN/TR 16792:2014 Safety of children's clothing - Recommendations for the design and manufacture of children's clothing - Mechanical safety

I want to look at these in a little more detail and let you know how Tutti Frutti Clothing adheres to them,

1. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 

A "safe product” is any product which under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use presents no risk or only the minimum risk compatible with the product’s use and which is consistent with a high level of protection for consumers.

This regulation covers all products that are made and intended to be sold to consumers. It also covers the products packaging and labeling.

General safety things to consider when making children’s clothing might include:

Fabric – mesh or crochet (has holes in!) Could fingers get trapped?

Thread – don’t have any loose threads in any garments. Take time to make sure these are timed and finished properly.

Buttons – don’t use sharp buttons and make sure they don’t look like food! Sounds silly doesn’t it but if it looks like food a child is more likely to put it in their mouth so maybe avoid these altogether?

Poppers/Snaps – did you know that some large retailers insist that if a jersey garment has snaps then they are not the plastic prong type but are metal prong type. And that they are not used on uneven fabric thicknesses. This is so they do not come loose easily.

I am also really aware of my entire manufacturing (sewing!) processes from start to finish. Where can you eliminate risk? I use sewing clips rather than pins, I make sure sewing needles are stored securely away from the pile of finished goods. I also turn each item inside out and check the item in its entirety before you post it out to a customer

2. Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing

Have you ever wondered why small kids’ clothes don’t have functioning draw strings?

I have always found it really frustrating that my slim children didn’t fit clothes and the drawstring was just for decoration so I couldn’t pull the trousers tighter!

Frustrating as that it, that drawstring isn’t real for a reason. And that reason is that it can be a chocking and strangulation hazard.

I don’t make garments with drawstrings for this reason.

For more information on drawstrings you can find brief guidance on the Hampshire County Council website. Or more details can be found in the BS EN 14862 regulation guidelines.

3. Mechanical Safety in Children's Clothing

When designing clothing for Tutti Frutti I have always made sure that the clothes are comfy and easy to wear.

Organic Rainbow and Star Leggings - a simple, easy to wear style

This isn’t just a design preference but is because I believe it is important to take into consideration the behaviour of children, whose need for exploration and challenge drives them to use clothing in new and different ways. One common factor children share is that they are unaware of cause and effect and are therefore substantially less cautious than adults in relation to hazards.

You can guarantee that at some point in life your small child will do something unexpected. Perhaps they will cut their own hair (surely not just mine?!) or draw on the walls of their room (again, I can’t be the only one?) and so when making things for children we must always expect the unexpected!

If you want to read more about standards surrounding designing children’s clothing then the EU standard CEN/TR 16792:2014 – Recommendations for the Design and Manufacture of Children’s Clothing, which was introduced in 2014, covers the mechanical aspect of kids clothes.

Phew…Is That It?

That’s quite a lot to take in isn’t it!  

I love designing and making children’s clothing and am passionate that it is *better* than big brands! Tutti Frutti Clothing is really safe, fun clothing – and I am really thrilled that you are here to learn more about us!