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Just when we get think we got rid of all the yucky products and toys in our house that have phthalates and PVC…boom another source is discovered. I was really surprised to read over at Debra Lynn Dadd’s message board that many moms are reporting chemical burns from those nifty tagless clothing items. Oy-vay!
Tagless clothing for everyone is the latest rage. With so many kids having sensory issues these seem like a lifesaver. Athletes and fitness buffs love them too because they despise chafing. But according to that message board these labels may be made with “PVC blended into a Phthalate” or ink with “small levels of formaldehyde”. It was even stated that “residual phthalate from not fully fused ink is what is most likely causing the reaction.” And the reactions are horrible. Read this description of a reaction to Carter’s tagless clothes and look at these pictures.
My 8 month old son has had a red, swollen sore/ rash on the top of his back intermittently for the past three months. It seemed rather strange because it was very specific- had clear outlines and it looked like a postage stamp. About three weeks ago, it began weeping intermittently with brown fluid and wouldn’t close. It was bright red and looked like a burn.
At that point, we surmised that it was possibly an aggressive dairy allergy. We dressed him in some Carter’s tagless pajamas and put him to bed.
When I changed him the next morning, I attempted to remove his pajamas and pretty much freaked because as I took off his pajamas, the skin on his upper back came off with it. It was weeping a brown fluid and as I examined the garment, it was evident that the wound fluid had VERY specific demarcations- it was only on the “tagless” carters’ 9 month transparent label.
Wow! This same mom claims that she spoke with a manager a Gymboree who was all too familiar with this complaint. How scary is that?!
If you or your children have any of these tagless clothes pay special attention to any rashes or sores that may develop in the area where the tag is. I cannot confirm if these labels do in fact PVC or phthalates but I would err on the side of caution myself. If these labels are causing chemical burns then we know whatever it is…is pretty nasty stuff.
Update: ZRecs has reported that Carter’s tagless lables were/are made with phthalates and they think the problems with thier labels was isolated to one season.
Sommer said,
September 3, 2008 at 10:12 pm:
Those are the only shirts my son will wear. He hates tags! This is scary. Stumbling you.
Julie Atkinson said,
September 3, 2008 at 11:49 pm:
Thanks SO much for sharing this. It sure makes you think twice about purchasing clothing without a tag. I am on the look out!
Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up said,
September 4, 2008 at 10:45 am:
I recently heard about this myself and of course I never thought about what was used to make those tagless tags! I’ll have to be on the lookout for my own kiddo now.
Carrie at NaturalMomsTalkRadio said,
September 4, 2008 at 12:04 pm:
Oh sheesh!
Well, another reason I’m glad I get ALL of my kid’s clothes at the thrift store and yard sales.
Just have to stay away from those as they start to hit the thrift store and yard sales. LOL!
Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said,
September 4, 2008 at 3:16 pm:
Wow, that IS scary! My kids love the tagless shirts - my 4yo actually picks out the shirts w/o tags as he prefers them! We (luckily) haven’t had issues with them, but I will keep my eyes open!!!
Jackie said,
September 4, 2008 at 3:41 pm:
Wow - this is really scary! I have a bunch of tagless stuff for my kids (and my husband also loves the tagless undershirts!). I haven’t noticed any issues, but will definitely keep my eyes open now. Thanks so much for sharing@
Bena said,
September 4, 2008 at 4:30 pm:
Thanks for writing about this. I had assumed they used the same clothing dyes used for fabric. No reactions noted yet but I might sew a small piece of fabric over the label of our existing pieces of clothing - of course, in all my copious spare time!
Then I’ll definitely avoid buying them in the future.
julie said,
September 4, 2008 at 4:50 pm:
hmmm…..figures. I guess that explains why I always have a constant rash on my upper back. I would’ve never thought. No more tagless for us. Gosh, now that I think of it, are there many new clothes out there that aren’t tagless?? We don’t get new clothes too often, mostly new. But, I do have a 10 yr old girl who’s gotta have the “latest”……lol.
Jennifer A said,
September 4, 2008 at 9:53 pm:
We’ve been very lucky I guess since my son has SPD and hates tags. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for signs.
Cheri D said,
September 4, 2008 at 9:59 pm:
Wow, I had no idea. If it is not one thing it is another! When will companies get it!! I feel so sad for the little ones that are gettig rashes. I’m keeping a close eye on my son and am sharing this with my mom friends.
Thanks so much for posting this information!
julie said,
September 4, 2008 at 11:20 pm:
Oh no! I hate to hear that. My kids don’t complain about tags, but we do buy the tagless stuff without even thinking about it.
I think a lot of the pj’s from Children’s Place are tagless. Probably both sleeping in them right now……this just infuriates me.
Thanks Tiffany.
Amanda said,
September 5, 2008 at 11:06 am:
I think that this may be a LATEX allergic reaction. The “paint” used to silkscreen these tags onto clothing probably has a latex base. I have had an allergic type reacton to the tag area in one of my sports bras, and I know I am allergic to latex.
Just a thought… Someone (the marketing departments of these companies) probably ought to explore that further…
Nicole said,
September 5, 2008 at 12:39 pm:
My son developed this same allergic reaction at six months - to Carter’s onesies and outfits with the large block stamp. At first we thought it was excema or something like that, since he has sensitive skin. It was hard to pinpoint and I took him to the pediatrician, who just thought it was a heat rash. She told me to put some hydrocortisone ointment (not cream) on it, and that helped. He was fine in the other onesies from Gerber with the stamp, but since theirs wasn’t a huge block, it didn’t irritate him. Once I put him back in the Carter’s one, it would flare up again.
I called Carters about it, and they said they had similar complaints. I asked if they had latex in the stamp, and she said no. I was mainly concerned about my son being allergic to latex his whole life. She said others had similar problems and that it was a “heat rash”. And that they were looking into it. I got a teddy bear in the mail from them. Ugh.
Anyway, my quick fix was to cut an old t-shirt into the size of the square stamp and use fusing tape to cover it up. (I don’t sew!) It’s worked and he gets to wear his cute onesies.
I still buy at Carter’s and my son is not allergic to the newer stamps (thank goodness!).
If your child develops an allergy to the stamps, I recommend the hydrocortisone cream ASAP. Definitely don’t let it get to the stage of the other mom’s child whose photos were posted! Yikes!
ana said,
September 9, 2008 at 9:09 pm:
PLEASE stay away from hydrocortisone cream…. it messes up you adrenal system. There is a great homeopathic cream called florasone and it works great. I’ve been using it on my 10 month old due to severe dermatitis/eczema. no side effects to the cream ans safe for children
Katie Russell said,
September 9, 2008 at 10:34 pm:
is this really a chemical burn, or an allergy to latex or something in the tagless tag? we have some carters and old navy tagless things for ds and i have some also.. we have never had a problem, does this mean we should avoid them also? seems like an allergy to me..
Amber said,
September 10, 2008 at 11:18 am:
So does organic tagless clothing use the same ink? Is there such a thing as organic tagless clothing?
asithi said,
September 10, 2008 at 3:17 pm:
This is scary! I’ve gone completely tagless on everyday, even my underwear. I think it is now hard to find certain items with a tag in them.
Tiffany said,
September 10, 2008 at 11:20 pm:
Katie, I am unsure what it is. The companies have been secretive thus far about what is in these tags.
Amber, I have never much paid attention to the tagles sissue before now so I am unsur eif organic clothing companies have tagless options. None of my kids clothes do, to my knowledge.
Asithi, it is hard to avoid them. Bt as ling as your kids don’t react to them it may be somehting you don’t need to worry about…until we can find out for sure if there are plasticizers in the tags.
Tiffany said,
September 12, 2008 at 6:20 pm:
Update: ZRecs has reported that Carter’s tagless lables were/are made with phthalates and they think the problems with thier labels was isolated to one season.
Laura said,
September 12, 2008 at 9:45 pm:
I read all about this on ZRecs-they have an update about it! Go read here: http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/carters-responds-to-zrecs-inquiry/
Carla said,
September 17, 2008 at 1:12 pm:
This one takes the cake. I never heard of this! A lot of my clothes are tag-free (workout clothes, form fitting shirts and Ts, etc). Thank you bringing this to our attention.