Drawstrings on Kids' Clothes Dangerous

August 2008

Children's clothing with drawstrings poses dangerous safety risks, like strangulation, when caught on playground equipment, cribs, or other objects. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) fined nine clothing companies for selling clothes with drawstrings, a hazard that has led to the deaths of dozens of children in the past 20 years.

The CPSC recalled 8,000 items of clothing and charged the companies with neglecting to alert the commission that they were selling clothing with drawstrings. Items like coats, sweatshirts, and jackets with neck or waist drawstrings have been considered defective since 2006 and have been automatically recalled.

The CPSC encourages parents to cut any drawstrings around the neck or waist in kids' clothing. The commission also says that drawstrings in pants should not exceed three inches and should be sewn in place so they do not get caught on anything.