A little scare from the CPSIA

 

A good friend of mine makes children’s clothes and other goodies, some of which we sell on Alere Modern.  Her line is Mama Meah, and for the last few weeks she has been fretting about the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) requirements, and what this might mean for her handmade baby goods.  At first look, it really seems that the CPSIA standards could eliminate handmade baby goods from the market.   The testing requirements are stringent, and there are no exemptions for small manufacturers/craftspeople.  There are no exemptions for Aunt Ida, or the thoughtful people who knit hats for newborns.  None.

Personally I hate this idea.  The idea that handmade baby goods would just go out the window is horrifying.  As the new-ish mom to a lovely little girl (she is now almost 15 months old!) I truly treasure the handmade gifts that my daughter and I have been given.  Her current favorite is a No-Sew Fleece Blanket made by her nanny.  She loves the soft, soft fleece, and will pretend to take naps on it, and wave “goodnight” to me.  Handmade blankets and other baby gifts – quilts, clothing, and bibs – are, in my mind, inseparable from the experience of bringing a child into the world.  They are an expression of love and devotion to the child, and the kind of carefully crafted life you are introducing them to. I can’t imagine a baby shower where everything is purchased from Walmart. 

So I spent a morning and a half researching the CPSIA standards, and the most helpful thing that I found was an article put out by the CPSIA, and directed at small manufacturers.  Where small businesses are not exempt, there is a list of materials that are exempt.  As long as you, as a craftsperson, a reseller, a grandmother, and a parent, are careful to use only the items in this list, and you sew in a label, it seems as though you are in compliance. 

To be in compliance without sending your pieces out for costly testing is very restrictive, and the testing really doesn’t make sense for a lot of small businesses.  There are groups like the Handmade Toy Alliance who are lobbying for exemptions for small manufacturers. I’m not even sure I want to weigh in – I love handmade, love small businesses, but I also love my daughter.  I try to use common sense in anything that I give her, especially since most of it ends up in her mouth, but I do want to trust that the toys that are marketed to babies are safe for them to use.  Ultimately, I think that there need to be some regulations, and maybe the answer is component certification so that artists/craftspeople could buy child-safe parts, and as long as they only use these (and don’t create crazy small parts out of them) the product would be considered compliant.

I’m by no means an expert on this, but after spending the morning + researching and reading, to find out what it means for me, and the artists that I love and support, I thought I’d share the results!  I was supposed to be blogging about something else, I’m sure, but the desire to continue giving handmade baby gifts seems so important.   I still have the baby quilt that my grandmother made for me when I was born.  My daughter has several beautiful quilts and blankets that were made for her before her birth.  This is a tradition that shouldn’t die, and I’m hoping that by sharing the CPSIA approved ways to make baby clothes and items, that it can continue.

Happy making, and giving,

Caitlin