What baby items contain flame retardent?

[citymama]

I might be wrong. But I heard somewhere that Carters had no FR up to 9 mos cloth. After that, they do use FR for their PJ.

I think you're right, but I don't know for sure. I'm not sure how Carters could get away w/o flame retardant when Hanna and Gymbo and LLBean have to treat their looser fitting and poly night wear.

And yes, sunshineandme, the mattress is almost certainly treated. Not much you can do now - the off-gassing has probably already taken place and it's probably less toxic now than it was new.

[Sweetum]

I think you're right, but I don't know for sure. I'm not sure how Carters could get away w/o flame retardant when Hanna and Gymbo and LLBean have to treat their looser fitting and poly night wear.

And yes, sunshineandme, the mattress is almost certainly treated. Not much you can do now - the off-gassing has probably already taken place and it's probably less toxic now than it was new.

The PJs I bought from Carter's came with a tag (18 mo ones) that said that only loose-fitting sleepwear need to be treated with flame retardant and that these are not treated since they are tight-fitting.

I did leave the mattress to gas out for a bit, and we periodically leave our windows open for fresh air to cirulate in and to remove stale air. Hope that was enough.

[citymama]

The PJs I bought from Carter's came with a tag (18 mo ones) that said that only loose-fitting sleepwear need to be treated with flame retardant and that these are not treated since they are tight-fitting.

Yes, this is the fire safety standard: sleepwear must be snug fitting or treated with fire retardant. So snug fitting cotton 2 piece pajamas or footies don't need to be treated - you can get these at Carter's, Gap, Hanna, Gymbo, etc. The baggier fleece/poly footed PJs and nightdresses are the ones that are treated, and I would assume at all stores/brands across the board.

[moonsky]

[QUOTE=daisymommy;2686655]
Most mattresses unless you buy an organic one have all sorts of flame retardants and chemicals in them, including PVC--yuck.

Any other questions? Then I'll know what to post next

Not all organic ones are free of toxic chemical. You need to go in detail and ask what type of material they put in the mattress. Some may still use vinyl or urethane for waterproof purpose or boric acid instead of PBDE. I am not sure whether boric acid is truly bad but it may not be good for a little body as it could also be used as insecticide.

Things in a house can also be toxic for baby not just the baby products. I found these two books helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Baby-G...0676582&sr=8-1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hom...home+safe+home

[Edensmum]

Thanks for the responsese. The concern with the acrylic/marshmellow fabric I had heard was a link to breast cancer.
Hwo does Formaldehyde and FR get through with the exo tec standard?
It's maddening that we have to know the ins and out of how everything is manufactured in order to avoid poisoning our families.

[amm40]

I've been following this thread wondering about sleep sacks. For summer, I'm thinking of moving DS into the Halo XL cotton. I don't think that size is available in organic. Since it's loose-fitting, does that mean it's been treated?

[edurnemk]

I've been following this thread wondering about sleep sacks. For summer, I'm thinking of moving DS into the Halo XL cotton. I don't think that size is available in organic. Since it's loose-fitting, does that mean it's been treated?

I'm pretty sure it is. My mom, sweet angel that she is, bought some fabric and made a bigger sleep sack for DS.

[daisymommy]

Q: How does Formaldehyde and FR get through with the exo-tec standard?

A: It doesn't. If something is organic, it is illegal to put that stuff on it.

FYI: Most companies if you call them will tell you if their products are treated with a FR. I think they figure we'll be happy if they are

When I'm talking about an organic mattress, I don't mean one that is "fake" meaning they say, "Made with organic cotton!" and when you look into things further you find out it has a 1/2 layer sheet of organic cotton batting inside and thats all thats different about it (it still contains FR, PVC, etc.) This is what's known as "greenwashing". Here's a perfect example:
http://www.kolcraft.com/products/cri...s-and-pads/182

Thats the first crib mattress I bought. Then I realized it smelled funny. So I started making phone calls to the company. Yep, made with PVC vinyl outer and other junk in it. I was so mad! I returned it to the store and continued my search. That's where my craziness began We ended up buying a Naturepedic: http://www.naturepedic.com/?gclid=CM...FSFy5Qod8DEKwQ

[DrSally]

I really wish I would've known about the mattress thing when I was mattress shopping. I bought the standard BRU mattresses for both kiddos. Looking back, I would've bought an organic mattress. They spend so much time in their cribs. At least I bought them many months in advance, so hopefully they offgassed some before the baby came.

[moonsky]

Q
When I'm talking about an organic mattress, I don't mean one that is "fake" meaning they say, "Made with organic cotton!" and when you look into things further you find out it has a 1/2 layer sheet of organic cotton batting inside and thats all thats different about it (it still contains FR, PVC, etc.) This is what's known as "greenwashing". Here's a perfect example:
http://www.kolcraft.com/products/cri...s-and-pads/182

Thats the first crib mattress I bought. Then I realized it smelled funny. So I started making phone calls to the company. Yep, made with PVC vinyl outer and other junk in it. I was so mad! I returned it to the store and continued my search. That's where my craziness began We ended up buying a Naturepedic: http://www.naturepedic.com/?gclid=CM...FSFy5Qod8DEKwQ

Funny. I got the Naturepedic one for DC#2 too after a long research on an organic crib mattress. I am expecting DC#3 and have been thinking about LA Baby crib mattress sold on Costco. Unfortunately, they don't provide much info on the Company's website and their CS has not been knowledgable. I have called back several time on the material used. Did you come across this brand during your shop? I paid $300 on my Naturepedic and hope to save money if it is also good.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...3187&search=LA BABy&Mo=11&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=4001713&whse=BC&Dx=m ode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogNa me:BC&Ne=4000000&D=LA BABy&Ntt=LA BABy&No=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&s=1&topnav=&Nt y=1&s=1