Who thought shopping for pjs for a 4year old could be stressful? I unassumingly walked into a store with my son giving him carte blanche to choose some warm jammies for the upcoming cooler months. He immediately gravitated to a pair with a fire engine print. I picked it up to look at it and noticed several tags hanging from it, one of which declared that the garment was flame resistant. Why had I never noticed this before? Have I been innocently putting my son to bed wrapped up in chemicals? I needed answers.

If you’ve never heard of PBDE (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether), you should acquaint yourself, after all you’re living with them, we all are. Household products ranging from kids’ pajamas to computers release these brominated flame retardants according to the Environmental Working Group. The obvious goal of these chemicals is to reduce the risk that the product will catch fire. The problem however, is that these chemicals via dust and off-gasing enter the body and accumulate. These same chemicals have recently been turning up in tests done on breastmilk. In fact these same tests have found that toddlers and preschoolers typically had 3 times as much of these hormone-disrupting chemicals in their blood as their mothers. Why are our children more polluted by these chemicals than us? Because these nasty PBDEs stick to kids’ hands, toys, furniture or other objects that they put in their mouths.

The Green Guide reports that in the United States, children’s sleepwear is required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to be flame resistant and self-extinguishing. According to Mothering Magazine most children’s sleep clothes made of synthetic fabrics will contain flame retardant chemicals in one way or another. In some cases, the material is treated after it is woven or after the garment is finished; in other cases, the flame retardant is actually bonded into the composition of the fabric, so it won’t wash off. In Canada, Health Canada States that Flame retardants are not necessary in order for a garment to meet the flammability requirements for children’s sleepwear. Compliance can be achieved through proper design following specific guidelines and testing (p.44), yet every product treated with a flame retardant shall have a label that is permanently affixed to the product and that displays in a clear and legible manner the words “flame retardant”.

Now that I’m completely disgusted, what are some alternatives?

The most chemical-free (as well as comfortable) option is untreated, snug-fitting cotton stretchies. But it’s crucial to note that they must be snug-fitting in order to comply with government safety rules (Mothering Magazine). The choices from worst to best are:

1. Nylon or acetate treated with fire retardants
2. “Inherently” flame resistant polyester with fire retardants built into the polymer
3. Snug Fitting Cotton Garments-The healthiest safe choice with the lowest embodied energy and lowest ecological impact would be snug-fitting, organic cotton, long johns or union suit-style pajamas with the “Wear snug-fitting. Not flame resistant” label. These common sense choices also give the environment a break!

If I could sum up my research in a sentence or two it would be: Buy organic cotton, snug fitting jammies for your precious children. Doing so helps your child(ren) and our precious environment.