New Safety Regulations for Children's Clothing
How Will it Affect Us?
I often shop at consignment and thrift stores to buy clothes for my children and the new safety regulations are bad news for them. If these stores don't pay the many thousands of dollars to have their clothing tested for lead, my understanding is that they will literally have to throw out their merchandise because it will be considered hazardous. Either way, these stores will likely go out of business because they will not be able to afford to test their clothing for lead. According to the LA Times article, it could cost over $50,000 for one small consigment store to have everything tested. For those of us who shop at these types of stores, that is terrible news! Not to mention how the business owners must feel.
And what about garage sales? I am a mother of twins and count on being able to sell my kids gently used clothing at our Mothers of Multiples rummage sale. I certainly can't afford to have my kids' clothing tested! If you sell clothes on e-Bay or Etsy, you're out of luck, too. I also love finding great bargains and am sad to know that, unless something changes, I won't be shopping at garage sales or on e-Bay for kids' clothes.
The new safety regulations on children's products sound like a horrible idea for the economy. If I can't buy cheaper clothes, that's bad. If I can't sell the clothes I currently own, that's bad. On a larger scale, it seems inevitable that thousands of thrift and consignment stores will go out of business causing the loss of thousands of jobs. For larger retailers, if all clothes need to be tested, the cost of clothes wil go up making them even more impossible to afford than they were before. Do you see the trend?
What is also shocking to me is that this new law is supposed to go into effect next month and I had never even heard of it before today! The LA Times article states that many of the local consignment shops they contacted had no idea that this was even a law. I called my local consigment store and they were also unaware of the law until they were contacted by a local news team who was reporting on the new safety regulations.
What can we do to try and change the new safety regulations? It would literally take an act of congress to over turn the law, so the best thing to do is to contact your state senator and your congressman. I also contacted the local TV news stations to see if they had heard of it and if they would do a story on it. I want to make sure that as many people know about this as possible, because people who don't know about the new regulations won't call their senator or congressman to make a change. I'm anxious to see what will happen next month - will my kids be wearing what is consider "hazardous material?"
Published by Kathy Carr
I've been happily married for eight years. I'm the mother of a sweet boy and twin daughters. View profile
New Law Provides Improved Access to Medical Treatments and InformationThe FDAAA will provide consumers safe and timely access to effective medicines, safe medical devices, and enforcement of lawful medical advertisements targeted to consumers.- Schwarzenegger Signs New Gun LawCalifornia passed a new law that will require guns to stamp bullets with unique information that will make it easier for police to identify guns used in crimes.
- Suggestions to Organize Your Children's ClothesOrganizing your child's room can seem daunting. Here are some suggestions for finding an effective method to organizing their clothing.
- How to Make Your Children's Clothes Last LongerOutfitting your children can take a huge bite out of a family budget. Learn some tricks and tips for extending the life of your children clothes while saving you money.
- How to Find and Sell Used Children's Clothes on EbayTips to making more money reselling kid's clothing on Ebay.
- My Advice for Selling Children's Clothes on eBay
- New Law: Car's Headlights Must Be On When Raining in Pittsburgh
- New Law for Amateur Car Mechanics in California
- New Law Rectricts Firework Purchases in Tipton County
- Farmers Can Grow Their Own Marijuana, Says New Mexico's New Law
- New Law on Storm Shutters Helps Homeowners in Connecticut
- OSHA and Ergonomics: Industry Specific Guidelines Vs. Specific, Mandated Regulations
- Will your kids be wearing hazardous waste after next month?
10 Comments
Post a CommentI think the most important word in this article is SAFETY. Lead is found in so many articles of clothing made overseas and so many children have gotten sick or died from it. I can't blame the government for passing any law that makes our children safer. I know it's difficult and more expensive, but for me, there is no price that can be put on the safety of my child.
my mother and i own a resale shop. we have lots of custemers that come in and we trade them for there old clothing for what we have in the store. we take all the clothing we sell home and wash it before it ever comes into the shop. we live week to week just like everyone else we do not make alot of money on what we do. We also help with red cross when disaster comes and with family services. this will not only hurt our business but will hurt our costmers as well. thank you and god bless
The new regs are not being upheld for thrift shops. It has kids crafters tied up in knots, though!
Well-written article and thank you for the update on re-sale items as well.
Nicely written :)
This is just stupid! Lead? In Clotbes? I don't think so!
;-);-)
I want to add that since this article was written, the CPSC has explained that RESALE items won't all need to be tested - just the manufacturers will need to test which will likely still increase prices but at least won't destroy resale businesses.
This new law is way too broad. I'm all for making sure products are safe, but congress cannot expect that EVERY single item sitting on store shelf will miraculously be "tested" by February 9th. Considering that this law is retroactive.....has there been anything done about the testing of newly made products since congress passed this law last year?
I think this is a good thing - protecting our children is well worth the cost and hassles.