Throughout a child's growth, plush toys become constant companions, while children's pajamas serve as intimate garments for peaceful sleep. When selecting these items, parents often prioritize softness and adorable designs, yet overlook a hidden, deadly risk lurking behind their “gentle” appearance—flammability. As a company dedicated to developing and servicing textile testing instruments, we firmly believe: flammability testing is not an “unnecessary industry requirement,” but an essential safeguard for children's safety.

I. The Unique Vulnerability of Children to Flammability Risks

Children, especially infants and young children aged 3-12, possess physiological characteristics and behavioral habits that leave them virtually defenseless against flammable items. This is one of the core reasons why mandatory flammability testing is essential for related products.

Behaviorally, children exhibit strong curiosity, often manipulating objects or touching open flames (e.g., lighters, candles, gas stoves). They may also inadvertently bring plush toys or pajamas near heating devices (e.g., radiators, electric blankets) during play. Contact with any ignition source can readily trigger combustion. Additionally, children's slower movements and weaker emergency response capabilities prevent them from quickly escaping danger during a fire. Lacking self-rescue awareness, even brief exposure to flames can cause severe burns.

Physically, children have delicate skin with a thin stratum corneum. Burns not only cause more intense pain but also increase susceptibility to complications like infections and hypertrophic scarring. In severe cases, burns can be life-threatening. Moreover, infants often chew on plush toys or sleep with them, while children's pajamas are worn close to the skin. Once ignited, flames rapidly reach the skin, causing far more severe injuries than when adult clothing burns. This inherent vulnerability necessitates significantly higher safety standards for children's products compared to adult items, with flammability testing being paramount.

II. Flammability Hazards in Plush Toys and Children's Sleepwear: Material Characteristics

Both plush toys and children's sleepwear inherently carry flammability risks due to their core material properties. Without professional testing and control, these hazards can erupt at any time.

(1) Plush Toys: Dual Flammability Risks from Stuffing and Fabric

Plush toys consist of two main components: outer fabric and internal stuffing, both typically made of flammable or combustible materials. Common outer fabrics include polyester plush, acrylic plush, cotton plush, and woolen fabric. Natural fiber fabrics like cotton plush and woolen fabric burn rapidly, spread flames quickly, and produce heavy smoke and toxic gases during combustion. Synthetic fabrics like polyester and acrylic pile melt and drip when burning. These hot molten droplets can directly burn children's skin while releasing pungent toxic gases that exacerbate injuries.

Internal fillings pose significant hidden dangers. To ensure softness and loftiness, manufacturers often use materials like PP cotton, pearl cotton, and shredded foam. These fillings are loose and highly breathable. Once exposed to fire, they burn rapidly, and the flames can spread covertly within the filling, making it difficult to detect promptly.

(2) Children's sleepwear is form-fitting yet loose, accelerating fire spread

While prioritizing softness, breathability, and skin-friendliness, children's sleepwear primarily uses cotton, cotton blends, silk, and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers like cotton and silk are flammable, while synthetic materials are combustible and produce melting droplets when burning. Compared to adult sleepwear, children's pajamas are designed to be looser for ease of dressing and movement. This loose fit increases the garment's surface area exposed to air. Once ignited, flames can rapidly spread, instantly engulfing the child's body.

More critically, children's pajamas are worn close to the skin. Once ignited, flames directly burn the skin, while the heat and toxic gases produced by combustion cannot dissipate quickly. This can lead to severe burns or poisoning within a short time. Furthermore, children are unconscious during sleep. If pajamas accidentally come into contact with fire sources like bedside lamps or electric blankets, they cannot react in time, making severe fire accidents highly likely.

III. Flammability Testing: The “Passport” for Market Entry

To safeguard children's safety, countries worldwide have enacted stringent regulations mandating that plush toys and children's sleepwear must pass flammability tests before production, sale, or import. This constitutes a legal obligation for enterprises and is crucial for mitigating market risks.

(1) Domestic Regulations

China's national standard “Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products for Infants and Children” (GB 31701-2015) categorizes children's textile products into Classes A, B, and C. Infant clothing (0-36 months) must meet Class A standards, Fabrics and fillings for children's sleepwear and plush toys must pass flammability tests. Specific combustion performance limits are stipulated, prohibiting materials that burn too rapidly or emit toxic gases during combustion. Combustion performance testing must follow GB/T 14644.

(2) International Regulations

United States: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) mandates flammability testing as a core requirement. All textile fabrics in apparel products must meet the burn rate requirements of U.S. Federal Regulation 16 CFR 1610, achieving either Class 1 (normal flammability) or Class 2 (medium flammability) ratings. Children's sleepwear must comply with specific combustion performance standards based on size: 16 CFR 1615 (sizes 0-6X) or 16 CFR 1616 (sizes 7-14). Product labels must clearly indicate “flame-retardant” or related information. In 2021, the La Paloma brand was subject to a recall for children's sleepwear violating this federal flame-retardant standard to prevent the spread of burn risks.

EU: Plush toys must comply with the EN 71-2 toy safety standard (revised version EN71-2:2020+A1-2025 published in 2025), which explicitly requires toy materials to be difficult to ignite or to burn slowly. Specific combustion rate requirements apply to the filling materials and fabrics used in plush toys. Children's sleepwear must comply with EN 14878, which mandates flame resistance after 50 washes and uses vertical burning tests to control flame spread.

Additionally, countries like Japan and Australia have distinctive standards. Japan enforces mandatory flame-retardant requirements for children's sleepwear through its Consumer Product Safety Act, utilizing the JIS L 1091 combustion test method. Australia follows the AS/NZS 1249 standard, emphasizing the durability of flame-retardant properties in children's sleepwear. It mandates that flame-retardant characteristics must persist after 50 washes, further raising market entry barriers.

IV. Professional Flammability Testing Instruments

The accuracy and professionalism of flammability testing rely on high-quality textile testing instruments. As an enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, and sales of textile testing instruments, we have deepened our expertise in the industry for years. We thoroughly understand the core requirements for flammability testing of children's products. Targeting the material characteristics of plush toys and children's sleepwear, we have developed a series of professional flammability testing instruments, providing enterprises with precise, efficient, and reliable testing solutions.

Our flammability testing instruments strictly adhere to domestic and international standards such as GB, ISO, ASTM, and EN. They precisely measure critical indicators like burning rate, burning time, and molten drip formation for plush toy fabrics, fillings, and children's sleepwear fabrics. By simulating real fire scenarios, we deliver scientific and accurate testing data to help enterprises swiftly identify potential flammability hazards and ensure product compliance with regulatory standards.

Additionally, we offer comprehensive technical support to assist enterprises in interpreting domestic and international regulations, guiding standardized testing procedures, and efficiently completing tests. This reduces compliance costs, mitigates market risks, and empowers businesses to produce safer, more reliable children's products.

Summary

The softness of plush toys offers children a warm companion throughout their childhood; the comfort of children's pajamas ensures peaceful sleep. Yet this “gentleness” must never be compromised by flammability risks. Flammability testing is not an “extra step” but the “final line of defense” safeguarding children's lives. It represents companies fulfilling legal obligations and social responsibilities, and is an essential requirement for the industry's standardized development.

As a textile testing instrument manufacturer, we remain steadfast in our commitment to deepen expertise in testing technology. We continuously develop more specialized and precise testing equipment while delivering superior, comprehensive testing services. This empowers businesses to rigorously control product quality and safeguard children's safety.

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