Children's Clothing Labels: What the Law Requires

Fibre composition labelling

The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 require all textile products offered for sale to carry a label showing the fibre composition by percentage.

What this means in practice:

• Every garment must have a label stating the fibre content, e.g. "100% Cotton" or "80% Cotton, 20% Polyester".
• Products made from a single fibre can use "100%", "pure", or "all" before the fibre name.
• Multi-fibre products must list fibres in descending order of weight percentage.
• Only fibre names listed in the regulations may be used; you cannot use brand names or trade names for fibres.
• The label must be in English for UK sales.
• The label must be attached to the garment (not just on the packaging or a swing tag that will be removed).

This is the one labelling requirement that is legally mandatory. It applies to all textile products, not just children's clothing.

Cords, drawstrings, and toggles

BS EN 14682 is a critical safety standard for children's clothing. It sets strict rules about cords, drawstrings, ribbons, ties, and decorative strings based on the child's age. These rules exist because of fatal accidents where children's drawstrings became caught in playground equipment, escalators, and vehicle doors.

For children aged 0-7 (young children):

• NO drawstrings or cords in the hood and neck area at all.
• Shoulder straps must be a continuous length attached at both ends, not tied on top.
• Decorative straps must not have free ends longer than 7.5cm.

For children aged 7-14:

• Drawstrings in the hood and neck area are permitted but must not have free ends that extend below the bottom of the garment when fully fastened.
• Cords must not have toggles, knots, or other attachments at the free ends.

For all ages:

• Functional cords at the waist must not extend more than 15cm beyond the garment at its largest natural size.
• No cord should hang below the lower edge of the garment.

If you make children's clothing, review your designs against these rules before selling. Trading Standards can and do check, including on craft fair and market stalls.

Nightwear and flammability

The Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985 and BS 5722 set flammability requirements for children's nightwear. This includes pyjamas, nightdresses, dressing gowns, and any garment commonly worn as nightwear.

Fabrics used in children's nightwear must either:

• Pass the flammability test in BS 5722, OR
• The garment must carry a permanent label reading "KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE": the text must be in bold, red, Arial font, at least 10pt, in capital letters.

This applies to all children's nightwear sold in the UK, regardless of the size of the business. If you sell handmade children's pyjamas or dressing gowns, you must comply.

In practice, most small makers use fabrics that are naturally low-flammability (like cotton jersey) and include the "KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE" label. If you want to confirm your fabric meets the flammability standard without the label, you would need to have it tested, which is expensive for small batches.

Small parts and choking hazards

The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 require all consumer products to be safe. For children's clothing, this means:

• Buttons, beads, poppers, and decorative elements must be securely attached so they cannot be pulled off and become a choking hazard.
• Sequins, rhinestones, and similar decorations should be firmly fixed; glued-on embellishments that can be picked off are a risk.
• Zips should function smoothly without sharp edges.
• No sharp points (pins, exposed wire in bra-style fastenings) anywhere on the garment.

The younger the child, the stricter the safety expectation. Items for babies and toddlers are scrutinised most closely because everything goes in the mouth.

Test your garments: give buttons and decorations a firm tug. If they come off easily in your hands, they will come off when a child pulls at them.

Care labels and size labels

Care labels, the washing, drying, and ironing symbols, are NOT legally mandatory in the UK. However, they are strongly recommended. Consumers expect them, and not providing them could leave you liable if a garment is damaged through reasonable cleaning.

The internationally recognised GINETEX care symbols (the icons for wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care) are technically a registered system; using them officially requires a licence via UKFT. In practice, most small makers use them without issue.

Size labels are also not legally required, but not labelling sizes would make the garments very difficult to sell. The voluntary standard BS EN 13402 provides sizing guidelines.

Even though care and size labels are not legally mandatory, including them makes your products look professional and gives customers confidence.

Children's clothing labels at craft fairs and markets

Selling face to face at a craft fair or market counts as offering textile products for sale, so every requirement in this guide applies on the stall just as it does online. Each garment on display must already have its fibre composition label attached, and children's nightwear must carry its flammability labelling before it is offered for sale, not added afterwards. Trading Standards officers do visit craft fairs and markets, and an unlabelled garment on a stall is an offence in the same way an unlabelled garment sold online would be. Keep your fabric and supplier records accessible (a folder on your phone is fine) so you can answer questions on the day.

For event organisers: the legal duty for clothing compliance sits with the maker who supplies the garment, not with you. That said, many craft fair organisers now ask children's clothing sellers to confirm at booking that their garments carry fibre composition labels and meet the cord and drawstring rules. It is a light-touch question that protects shoppers, protects the event's reputation, and filters out sellers who have not yet done the work.

Practical summary for makers

To sell children's clothing legally at UK craft fairs, you need to:

• Attach a fibre composition label to every garment (legally required).
• Check all designs against cord and drawstring rules for the relevant age group (BS EN 14682).
• If selling nightwear, either test for flammability or include the "KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE" label.
• Ensure all buttons, poppers, and decorations are securely attached, with no choking hazards.
• Include care labels and size labels (recommended, not legally required).

Keep a record of what fabrics you use and where you source them. If Trading Standards ask questions, being able to show your fabric composition and supplier details demonstrates you take compliance seriously.