Question: What is wrong with this children’s hoodie?
Did you spot the problem?
Answer: It has drawstrings in the hood.
Children’s jackets and sweatshirts should not have drawstrings in the hoods or in the waist. For infants and very young children it could cause a child to strangle. For school-aged children, drawstrings in the hood are a strangulation hazard because they can get caught on playground equipment. Drawstrings at the waist of a jacket or sweatshirt can get caught in car and school bus doors — leading to dragging injuries. Children’s clothes with drawstrings in the hoods or waists are now illegal for stores to sell and should be hard to find. However, I found the one pictured at a local thrift store. You could receive them as a hand-me-downs clothes from friends or family. You might also find them sold by retailers who are not on top of product safety laws. If you do find yourself with a children’s jacket or sweatshirt like this here is what you should do:
- If it is an older hand-me-down pull out the drawstrings to remove the hazard; or
- If it is a new and bought from the store or online, pull out the drawstrings before giving it to your child, or return it. Either way you should report it to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.SaferProducts.gov.
–Janell Mayo Duncan