Safety Tips For Styling Children's Knitwear

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NEVER put drawstrings in children's clothing, especially around the neck or on hoods. Children can catch drawstrings on swings, slides and when getting off the bus. A hat with ear warming flaps or an extra button under the chin (with a hood) are much safer alternatives. If you do have children's clothes with drawstrings PLEASE remove them, at the LEAST you should remove any beads or knots on the ends of these cords to lessen the risk of them becoming caught. Many clothing companies across the US have banned the use of drawstrings on their designs but unfortunately other countries are not so well informed.

For winter wear in houses that have open fireplaces or radiators with exposed heaters it is a good idea to make clothes with cuffs at the wrists and ankles to avoid clothing catching fire. Also it is a good idea to make dressing gowns with buttons instead of belts. A little extra time spent doing them up is worth the peace of mind IMO.

Also a good idea for any celebrations that include fireworks or bonfires is to dress your kids in natural fibres only, such as 100% wool or cotton. They will not burn as easily as synthetic yarns and if they do burn, they won't melt onto the skin.

For babies clothing never make and ties longer than 30cm. For mittens with ribbons that thread through the sleeves, make sure you sew the ribbon to the back neck of the cardigan so that it cannot tighten around the back of baby's neck.

Babies should not wear, or have blankets etc, made from mohair or any other 'fluffy' yarn, just as they should never use a sheepskin without a sheet over the top. The risk is not from them eating the fluff, but from being smothered by it. (This tip came from a mohair grower with 6 children so I'm inclined to believe her).

ALWAYS make sure that buttons sewn on garments for babies are sewn on VERY firmly. It is preferable to use short ties, velcro or zippers. Even putting the buttons on the back of garments so that small children cannot pull them off is a better alternative although this may be uncomfortable for babies when lying down for long periods of time.

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