Drawstring Concerns
Health Canada has issued its annual warning about the potential danger of children being seriously injured or strangled by drawstrings on outerwear. Drawstrings, especially on snowsuits, jackets and sweatshirts, can become caught on objects such as fences and can cause serious injury.
Health Canada advises parents and caregivers to check all children’s outerwear for loose drawstrings and:
– Remove all drawstrings from the head and neck area of children’s outerwear.
– At the bottom of children’s outerwear, either remove the drawstrings completely or trim the exposed length to 8 cm, with the garment fully stretched.
– Make sure the end of the drawstring is free of knots, loops or toggles, as they can also get caught.
– To keep it from slipping through its channel, make sure the drawstring is tacked to the garment.
-Ensure that new purchases of children’s clothing have alternate closures to drawstrings. These include elastics, buttons, velcro or snaps.
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