Do you let your kids wear pj's w/ flame retardant?

[cornflake girl]

My dd's keep receiving these for gifts and I always feel like the meanest mom if I don't let them keep them. They're always the prettiest, fluffiest, frilliest, pinkest nightgowns that my dd's salivate over and beg me to let them keep. We always exchange them if we can, but so many times we can't. Do you let your kids keep and wear them? I'm just wondering if I'm being too over the top, but whenever they're wearing them all I can think is how they're all wrapped up in carcinogens and other nastiness. I still have some sitting here from Christmas that I can't return and I don't know what to do about them.

Oh, and I've spoken w/ MIL (the main offender and a very intelligent woman, btw) about this many times, and she always claims that she "just can never tell the difference".

[alegna]

No. BUT IME most of the fluffy nightgowns are not treated, instead just made of polyester...

-Angela

[PreggieUBA2C]

No. But we return almost everything given to us in the form of clothing because we also don't wear synthetic fibres, branded logos, or anything depicting violence or implying it or that just looks like something we cannot countenance. The list is loooooong .

Also, our boys are huge, so we rarely receive clothing that fits them anyway.

I am currently disappointed that many clothing manufacturers are adding stretch fibres to cotton and that the organics we were buying are now heavily treated with formaldehyde and other smelly-gross stuff that takes forever to wash out. I am waiting for the day when I have the time to make their clothes myself, or maybe when we can afford to buy handmade by other mums.

[cornflake girl]

No. BUT IME most of the fluffy nightgowns are not treated, instead just made of polyester...

I thought that all sleepwear had to be treated unless it's form fitting? All the gowns I've ever seen have been treated.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by cornflake girl

I thought that all sleepwear had to be treated unless it's form fitting? All the gowns I've ever seen have been treated.

They have to be treated OR be made from non-flammable materials. So you'll find the slippery polyester and polarfleece type stuff that's not treated. Personally I HATE the feel of the slippery nightgowns, but dd has a couple that she loves

-Angela

[junestars]

Wow Cornflake girl I could of written your post. I'm totally in the same boat. Some of the gifts are really nice and warm (fleece types) but I just can't give in to it. Maybe I'm being over the top... but I just don't feel like taking the chance. Call me crazy.

I saw a report on Anderson Cooper a few months ago about a child who had health problems and they found extremely high levels of flame retardants in his system. Apparently his body was not getting rid of the chemical. Scary.

Anyway so it's all form fitting pj's here all the time. Sure it cuts down on our choices and we have to return some mighty cute and soft items but hey.. whataya gonna do?

Oh and if this subject ever comes up with someone who "doesn't get it" they look at me like I'm a lunatic who doesn't care if their kids get burned.

[sarah_bella1050]

We don't allow them. I have them wear cotton sweats or flannel pants I make them, or strechy shorts w/big t-shirts. You could always have them paints and decorate big shirts or make them some nice nightgowns from fabric they choose. You could even make them some really easy pillowcase dresses to use and fancy nightgowns. Doing something fun like that would really help them to not be upset about the loss of really cute nightgowns.

[cornflake girl]

I saw a report on Anderson Cooper a few months ago about a child who had health problems and they found extremely high levels of flame retardants in his system. Apparently his body was not getting rid of the chemical. Scary.

OMG!

Wow, I really expected you all to tell me that I'm a big meanie.

Unfortunately, we have a few that have crept in. MIL likes to buy new pj's for the girls when they go on sleepovers. So they come home wearing the nasties, and they think I'm so cruel when I tell them they have to donate a brand new, beautiful nightgown. I'm afraid I'm scarring them for life, thus causing them to make the exact opposite choices when they grow up just to spite me. I've got a little bit of experience with that.