We recently received an email from a reader alerting us to a potential problem with Carter's tagless infant clothes. Her eight month old son developed a strange sore on his back that for weeks she was unable to identify the cause of. One night, three weeks into the sore alternately healing and then opening again, she bathed her son and dressed him in his jammies.
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.Our own initial investigations, assisted by still other ZRecs readers, make it clear that this is not an isolated incident, and is probably not limited to Carters' brand clothes. The problem seems to be with tagless clothes more generally, and I've seen specific references to clothes manufactured by Carter's, Circo, and Gerber.
An individual who identified themselves on a message board as being "involved with the manufacturing of tagless labels" said that there are two basic types of tagless labels - one made of phthalate-containing PVC, and the other containing two possible irritants:
One is a plastisol type, which is the same basic material that the large designs on the front of t-shirts is made of... the ink is a PVC blended into a phthalate... at a certain temperature the PVC melts and the 2 components form a solid... that solid is transferred to the shirt with heat and pressure... this type of ink is on the way out as phthalates are now being classified as hazardous... residual phthalate from not fully fused ink is what is most likely causing the reaction.Here are images of one child's reaction to Carter's tags.
The other type of ink is a solventborne polyurethane that is post cured via a catalyst... typically a polyisocyanate... this ink can have 2 possible irritants... small levels of formaldehyde in the urethane or residual polyisocyanate that is left unreacted...
This issue appears to have just come on the radar recently so it seems likely that it relates to a recent development in the formulation of these inks.
There is some chatter online that Carter's or other companies may be requesting to have these clothes returned to them when they receive complaints, and that they seem to be aware of the problem but are not yet doing anything public about it.
Has this happened to you or to someone you know? If so, we encourage you to send us detailed information and photographs at zrecommends (at) gmail (dot) com. We'll post again about this matter after we've had a chance to speak with some of the companies involved, and collect whatever reader-provided information is available.
In the meantime, if you see a sore on your child that is in approximately the same location as a tagless tag, please stop using tagless garmets. If all of your child's garmets are tagless, you can tape over the "tag" using cloth tape or turn the garment inside out.
UPDATE: We have new information on this issue from Carter's, and are expanding our inquiry. Click here to read more at ZRecs' new location.
Photo by Leigh Radlowski, used with permission.
61 comments:
Wow! I could not for the life of me figure out what the little rash on the back of my toddlers neck was. It didn't look as bad as the picture you posted and it is pretty much healed up. I will try to take a picture and send it in. Thank you!!
Ditto on Laura's comment. Almost ALL of my little one's clothes are of the tagless variety. And she continually had this rash where the tag is. Every doctor visit declared that she just had isolated eczema. Now that she's older, she's been wearing some other clothes (with tags) and the rash is gone. Until now, just thought the rash was a passing thing. If it happens again, I'll now know where the culprit is!! Thanks for clearing up a very perplexing mystery!!! But how irritating (no pun intended) that the clothes we bought our kids to be more comfortable in are exactly what is making them MORE uncomfortable!! Agggggg!
@Andrea - How long ago are we talking? We're trying to figure out if this really is a "new" issue or if it's been an issue for years that no one has been able to isolate. So any dates (purchase, use) are helpful.
One commenter at the blog with the pictures says she was told by Carters that the problem was isolated to the Fall 2007 line. I am seriously hoping that Zrecs can get some answers from these companies about this issue. It will affect our future clothing purchases, that's for sure.
One possibility is that an isolated run of clothing was prone to causing allergic reactions, but that the tags in general have been causing milder eczema all along.
Is pthalate a serious concern on a rear label, where it is unlikely to be ingested? The question comes from simple ignorance of the issue...
Well the rash is gone. We have lots clothes from this year and last year lines. My son just got over his rash 2 weeks ago. So I am thinking it is from the clothes we bought this summer and last spring/winter. We have carters from this fall line that he has been wearing and he is fine. I will take some pictures of the stuff he was wearing all summer when he had the rash.
my daughter hasn't had anything like the picture above. The only think I have noticed she she itches that area of her neck over and over again till it bleeds at night. I am not sure if she just does it for comfort or if the tagless stuff is irratiting her.
I am shocked! and appalled! that this may be the culprit of my daughter's persistent rash. I was also told by her pedi that the rash was just an isolated incident, and to just apply hydrocortisone/petroletum to clear it up. It's gotten significantly better than it was, so I'll have to monitor whether it was the clothes that were bothering her, or if the skin treatments have been helping. I'm bringing her to an allergist because of this! To think that she might not have to go through all the allergy testing is infuriating!
I bought my clothes for my now 7 month daughter during fall 2007, winter 2007 and a few things in spring 2008. In the beginning, we purchased mostly Carters clothing, but now we buy more Gap (tagless) and miscellaneous vendors (tagless or tags). I wonder if the her rash is declining in conjunction with her varied wardrobe.
I can actually second Courtney's response, in that my daughter's rash had started as such (although not as severe looking as the one pictured) but has turned into a constant itchy spot, where she will itch until bleeding if I don't catch her. When I go home tonight, I'll monitor her clothing and see if her scratching coincides with the tagless items.
That is so awful! Thanks for letting us know about this.
Jeremiah,
Our daughter is now 15 months old and the rashes began around the 5-6 month mark. I was told by ped. that it was eczema and would use special creams to relieve it, and then ironically would put her in a tagless onsie so as not to irritate her further. Needless to say, it wouldn't get better. About 2 months ago, we started putting her in different clothes (less "baby-ish" stuff) and the rash went away. Wrote it off to a passing thing. It only came back when we let her lounge around in onsies when we were having a lazy weekend. It never was a weeping wound, but a rash like the others have described that she would scratch at until it bled (NOT waht you want to see on your little one!) We also bought these clothes Summer 2007, Fall/Winter 2007 and Spring 2008 and primarily Carters, some Gerber (although they run so small, I tend to stay away from them, but had always liked Carters little play outfit styles). I also just picked up some of the Fall 2008 styles, but hadn't used any of them on her yet. I really hope you can get to the bottom of this. It is a truly disturbing thing to think this problem is so widespread (with such terrible consequences for babies and toddlers) and yet NO recalls or addressing of the issue by the companies involved. And thank you so much for bringing this to light here (and helping me to figure out the cause of this mini- nightmare).
Email andreareynods@suddenlink.net
My daughter's "eczema" started with a bang on March 15, 2008, when she started wearing size 12 months clothes. It continued on and off all spring and early summer. So, most of those clothes were purchased in fall-winter 2007-2008. Lots and lots of Carters, some Baby Gap, some Gymboree.
The rash has finally magically gone away, which come to think of it MIGHT coincide with when she moved up a size, and we started in on the clothes purchased this spring and summer.
We tried really hard to tie it to food, shampoo, or other allergens, with no luck. Her rash wasn't directly under the label, it was centered more on the nape of her neck, the back of her head, and behind her ears. Then again, that's where she can reach to scratch, unlike her upper back. The rash was very mild, but obviously itchy, because she scratched herself bloody many times.
And here I thought tagless clothes were a godsend, because my daughter's the sort to be driven crazy by the seams in her socks!
hey mamas and papas,
i am the reader that sent in the e-mail posted. i'll send some pictures later on tonight of the clothing but it makes me crazy to hear what carter's is telling us. their "quality assurance" rep told me it was an isolated incident with their Fall 08 line but we bought all of these clothes at a Carter's store in April-July 08. I have the receipts! It galls me as well that I was told by the same rep that it was tested by a third party lab and found to be non-toxic. she actually told me it was the "size of the label". my husband is a physician and he and his friends (fellow physicians) describe it as resembling a chemical burn. it's very interesting that carter's has answered parents calling their hotline re: the rash being caused by the size of label or inadequate air circulation. perhaps most interesting is that they asked me to send in all the clothing and they would reimburse me. they sent me an overnight envelope and a stuffed animal- ridiculous! i'd like to think that they are trying to keep me as a customer but then i'd be giving them these potentially toxic items. i think this stinks and i've held on to the clothing in case i can find a lab on my own. i'm so grateful that this conversation is getting out there. ps. carter's bough osh kosh in 2005.
Ok. I'm piping mad now. My 20 month old son has had off and on rashes on his upper back/neck going up into his rear hairline for the majority of his little life. He scratches it and it is red. We lotion really well with Aveeno, etc. But it doesn't help much. Doctors say allergies, eczema, etc. Lately, I've been told that it's probably eczema and that it's a sign of asthma. I never thought that it could be the tagless onesies he's been wearing almost everyday of his life! I'm going to try switching to different onesies or tape, etc. This would explain why he gets a rash and it clears up sometimes and then comes back...He wears tagless sometimes and some with soft ribbon tags other days. So angry, thank you for this information. I'll be sure to pass it on.
That is very freaky! What a scary thing to encounter with our children's clothes! I am so thankful for this post, and I will be watching this very closely. I haven't experienced any issues with tagless clothes. I know Old Navy is going more tagless, too.
Thanks for bringing this issue to parent's attention!
Oh, goodness. This is terrible. No more Carter's until this is figured out.
We haven't had this happen, but most of my little one's clothes are hand-me-downs, so maybe the chemicals dissipate over time or weren't in older batches?
Would sewing a piece of felt over the area using thread that corresponded to the color of the fabric (since it'll show on the outside) help?
With felt, you wouldn't have to hem the edges of the patch, or even turn it under.
My 8 mo old has a spot on her back that I guessed was excema since her older sister had it as a baby. I thought it was strange that she didn't have any other places that were irritated. She wears mostly tagless clothes, Carter's and others, so I'll be watching it closely from now on. Thanks for this post!!!!
An ironic thing is the tagless is a response to relatively recent paperish clothing labels irritating kids. My son hates them. I've got a couple of shirts myself that have these labels which constantly poke me. You can't just cut them off because then the sharp edges stick out of the seam. Let's hope that they go back to a fabric label instead of the whatever kind of paper that is. More expense I'm sure, but I'll pay for it.
@Anonymous: Yes, the pokey tag issue only began when companies started switching to cheaper synthetic tag materials rather than higher-quality cloth.
Oh! This makes me so mad! I have been battling a rash on my daughter's neck for 4 months now, since she moved up into her 12m Carter's onesies (Fall 07 line). They are her pajamas, so we have faithfully put them on her every night at bedtime. It's not as severe as the pics posted on here, but it stays perpetually raw, and she will scratch it until it bleeds if I can't catch her in time. Her pediatrician also said it was "isolated eczema." After reading this though, I highly doubt that's the case. I plan to remove all her tagless items from her wardrobe and see if that helps. Thanks for this post! I never would have connected the tags to her rash!
I posted this to a local mamas mailing list and have been getting dozens of confirmations of identical reactions. And I also realized it's happened on and off to us too. So frustrating and scary...
My son has had the same reaction for the past 2 months. I though it was just eczema as his older bother has it pretty bad. Even the doctor wasn't really concerned. I wanted to take pics of it, but I never did. His back was cracked, weaping and skin was peeling off in sheets. I started putting medical tape over the tag and it has mostly healed.
Oh good heavens. How horrible!
I haven't experienced that, having no young child but I would be absolutely livid!
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
What amazes me is that the companies know this well enough and are not doing anything about it! Pretty much everyone trusts Carters, let alone it is affordable. Infant wear! This is much worse than a sippy cup, it has immediate effects. I just bought some pajamas for the fall, I am considering just calling them and stating I want my money back now and I will not have my daughter wear their clothes again! The trust has been broken.
One more note, have you read what they posted on their web site for contact us?
"We are straightforward, down to earth people focused on providing what matters most to parents, babies and kids."
This just makes me even more mad! Phone calls need to start pouring in to them, espcially with that statement!
My husband called Carter's this morning and spoke extensively with them about the issue. They said they are aware of the problem, but will not recall their products because it hasn't effected every child. We plan to pursue our legal options, as I luckily took pictures of her rash with her first outbreak in May, as well as having her medical records. We are documenting our daughter's story on our Tagless Torture blog.
My son (2 years) often has a rash on the back of his neck. we thought it was probably heat rash, since we live in a humid climate. He doesn't wear carters, but does wear stuff that is tagless from Gap, the Children's Place and others. The rash comes and goes, so I'll have to see if it corresponds to the tagless outfits. Unfortunately, we just got a BUNCH of Carter's tagless stuff for our new baby, due in 2 weeks.
It's good to send your experience to Zrecs, but the best course of action is actually to report your incident to the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission. The direct link to report your issue is http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html
I'm so sorry that anyone's children have been hurt by such a seemingly innocent thing! Let's get some official attention on the issue and get the CPSC involved to protect all of our nation's kids.
Almost all my kids clothing is tagless but it doesn't seem to affect my them. I wonder if it only affects some kids not others or if it might have something to do with friction.
I've had a bad rash on my lower back for over a year - some of my other family also had a similar rash. This morning after getting dressed, I realized I was scratching this rash, so I looked - tagless underware - Fruit of the Loom and washed many times. I've also got tagless Hanes. And the "tag" lands dead center of the itchy spot. I turned them inside out so the tag was facing out - the itching is basically gone. These by fruit of the loom are a kind of iron on tag. I'll be watching all the tagless stuff from now on - but I do remember I have a few T-shirts that I always wonder why they itch so bad without a tag....
OMG. My now 15 month old daughter had this EXACT same thing!!! The doc thought it was a heat rash. It lasted for WEEKS!!! It's since dissappeared and i havent had a problem for about the past two months, but maybe that's because 1) she's grown out of those clothing that i was using (though she still wears some carter's stuff just in bigger sizes. Could have been stuff bought in the fall that i was still using in early spring...) or 2) she's gotten used to the chemical... or maybe has grown out of the allergy??? Not sure but i will certainly tell my doc about it...
I worked with a woman who had a latex allergy and couldn't wear tagless clothing because she said many use latex. Is it possible that the allergy is really to latex?
Sheesh! My dd had a rash on the back of her neck recently, I wonder if her tagless clothes could be contributing to it.
But the problem is, pretty much everything is tagless these days! We do most of our shopping at target, old navy, kohls, etc, and almost everything is tagless.
Oh MY GOD... My son also has had an on and off again rash at the back of neck for about 6 months (he's two). I thought that the source was a too sharp tag, never imagined that it could be the TAGLESS clothes. I will try to get a pic and send it in. In the meantime, I'm getting out the scissors tonight. I'm pretty sure that the only tagless things we own are Carter's PJs that were gifts. I'm horrified and SO VERY ANGRY.
My 2 and 4 year old sons have both worn tagless Carters pajamas bought late spring 2008 (might be the summer 2008 collection) through the summer, the youngest one exclusively.
None of them have exhibited any signs of a rash or itching, although the youngest is barely fighting off the last symptoms of baby eczema (all over his body, since birth, cause was never isolated) and labeled as having sensitive skin.
This is the kind of thing that is just appalling to me. When I started our clothing company this was one of our TOP priorities--health & safety.
ALWAYS look for clothing companies that use Phthalate-FREE & PVC-FREE printing. If they don't explicitly say that they do, they probably don't.
Go as Natural as possible! My daughter used to have bad eczema. We started using natural scent free laundry soap and within a week or two it was GONE! People forget that their skin really absorbs all of these chemicals in the clothing.
Pooka is our children's clothing line. And all of our tees are TAGLESS BUT all of our clothing is PVC and Phthalate-Free (as well as organic). We don't have any baby stuff yet though--just older kids. :(
I believe that companies have a responsibility to do what's best for their customers--NOT their bottom line!
Good luck everyone.
I am going to take a picture of my 14 month old's neck and send it in. He gets a rash there CONSTANTLY. We have mostly Carter's. And some of these clothes must be from the spring/summer 2008 line.
I've just written an email to the authors Denise and Alan Fields who authored the popular book Baby Bargains. They have Carters listed as one of the top baby lines and I've asked their assistance in getting the company to change or issue a RECALL. If the company does nothing, I am sure the 8th edition will have this disclosed in the baby clothing section!
This is so unacceptable!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It is scary to think how many kids have developed skin sensitivities! My child has never had a problem with any tagless (or otherwise) clothing. It would be interesting to see how many of the affected children are those with skin issues already, such as to soaps, perfumes, or other materials.
Anyone having this problem should definitely contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A law was just passed regarding toys with phthalates and this problem could be very much related. If this is reported, the CPSC could encourage Carter's & other companies to take a good look at this issue and/or recall these products. My little one has not yet had this problem, but I am now keeping a very close eye on it.
This is very interesting because my daughter has also had a minor red rash/irritation on the back of her neck. I thought it was just friction or her scratching and did not see the pattern, but I will keep an eye on it. We have lots of tagless clothes. Thanks for the article! Will send pics if I see the rash again.
My daughter is now a year old and has never had any problems with tagless clothing.
This isn't just isolated to Carter's. This morning my daughter had a rash on her neck that exactly matched the Gap logo and tagline from the onesie she slept in. I sent pictures to Zrecs and CPSC.
This may be a dumb question, but how do you know if its a birthmark (Stork Bite) or a rash? My son is 9 months old and has had a red mark resembling a rash on the back of his neck ever since I can remember. He wears tagless clothes ALL THE TIME, but he never seems to scratch it, and the doctor said it was a birth mark.
My daughter has mild eczema and one way her skin shows it is irritated is through acne-like bumps. Her upper back is almost always covered in them, and I now wonder if this is why. Most of her clothes are tagless, and quite a few are from Target (Circo). I might be returning some of the unwashed items I bought for her fall wardrobe now.
So Amy, I got the same response about returning the clothing. Are you recommending we hold onto it just in case some other findings come out?
Most of my baby's clothes are BabyGap tagless. I wrote to Gap, and received this response:
"Thank you for your email about Gap Inc. merchandise quality and safety. We appreciate the time you?ve taken to share your concerns regarding our babyGap tagless tees. Rest assured our Gap Baby tagless tees are PVC , Saline and Phthalates free. Safety is one of our top priorities at Gap Inc. We do all we can to make sure our products are safe to all consumers and have a history of setting standards that meet or exceed the legal requirements for our
merchandise. We have pre-approved, independent laboratories where we have our vendors send products for testing before we sell them in our stores and online. We also have a Product Safety team who manage our
testing programs and make sure we are up to date on international safety and regulatory standards.
We hope you find this information helpful."
Good to know.
Happy blogoversary!
Our son had an ecxema-like rash right in that tag-spot all summer that obviously itched him, and now we know the reason! This is so appalling to me!!! Carters and any other company with this issue needs to do much more than refund money for clothes we send in. I feel like I, along with all the other parents and no doubt countless others all over the country, have been duped into believing our children were safe and then told "sorry for their discomfort." It's inexcusable.
I am 33 have had this mysterious rash on my upper,center back for the past month. I bought a Nike sports bra from our local sports shop just over a month ago. It is tagless! About a month ago I couldn't stop scratching my upper middle back. I had my doctor look at it and he said that I had some sort of allergic reaction to something. He actually thought it might have been poison oak. I assured him that there was no way. He just advised me to use some type of Cortisone cream. I of course was in no condition to wear my sports bra at that time and within a week and half it was gone. I didn't really put two and two together until now. I put on my sports bra on Monday morning and by that afternoon my back was itching like crazy and was red as can be. It actually seems worse this time.
I have a call into the store where I bought it and am curious to see if there are any other complaints.
I just thought you should know that it doesn't seem to be just in baby clothing.
Hope this helps.
The local CBS news ran a story on the link between child's neck/back rash and tagless Carter's clothing. Our 16 month old wore long sleeve pajamas the last two cool nights and I did not notice the size imprint tag on the pajama top. Sure enough there was this red itchy rash all around her neck and back area this morning. I remember that news story and was so thankful to be alerted to what I had seen only a week earlier and immediately know the source of her discomfort.
Now what?
My 14 month old baby boy has had a strange rash on his back and shoulders and upper arms off and on since he was very young. He was born Aug 07 with wonderful skin and then sometime after that he got a thick patchy rash and even got hives a couple of times. He started being more of a cryer as well. The doc thought it could be ringworm so I slathered tinactin on him for months. He also said it could be eczema. I put lotions on in case it was just dry skin? In the summer it started fading. Just the other day I noticed it again. We just started using long sleeve onsies again with the tag in question. Now it all makes sense. Poor guy has suffered so much. I would much prefer to cut tags out than deal with these chemicals. BTW... PVC often contains LEAD as a stabilizer and companies don't seem to be bound to any reporting laws on lead in PVC in consumer products (ie...garden hoses, sheet protectors, lunch bags....so many PVC items)
This rash has occured on my daughter- it hasn't taken her skin off, but she's received the burns. Until reading this information last night, we were told that it was dry skin, the detergent we were using, the bath soap she was using, or even the tags (not the tagless) in her clothes. I'm glad I now know what it is.
Thankfully my baby has never developed a rash to tagless clothes, but we don't buy a lot of Carter's anyway. Now we definitely won't.
I have also heard that some people are allergic to the tagless clothes that lululemon makes. Seems like clothing manufacturers need to find a different solution.
Hopefully this issue hits mainstream media soon; I would hate to see any more little babies have to suffer through that.
Megan- Thank Goodness i don't feel like I'm outta my mind anymore. My son is 16 months and had been dealing with this problem since birth. He had the exact same rash as that horrible little heartbreaking picture. I was peeling off his skin with tagless shirts (FYI..not ONLY Carters). We have been putting a onesee on inside out under all his clothes in order to prevent the burning rash! It is very difficult to find clothes that don't use the tagless trend. I hope more Moms speak up! I was told he had eczema even after telling the doctors my theory about tagless items!!!! I give Carters credit for acknowledging this huge issue!! Now maybe all other manufactures will jump aboard!!!
Is the ink also used in designs on clothes? My 3yr old has developed a horrible rash on her legs. All of her all cotton pajamas are Carter's & I recently bought her a couple of the Gymmboree "leaf" leggings that are her favorites. I was going to try changing detergents again however I find it curious that the rash exists only on her legs, principally on the top of her thighs.
Does anyone have a similar experience?
This is frustrating because we thought it was just food allergies so we montior closely what she eats & makes sure that she wears mostly cotton.
Has anyone had a problem with Baby Gap tagless clothes?
Those images were horrible! I feel so bad for that poor little baby. but I'm also very grateful that you put these pictures up. I will be sure to warn my sister with her 10 month old!
I just wanted to let you all know that my daughter (15months) hasn't had any reactions to the fall 07 line which she was still wearing the onesies everyday under clothes...until reading this! So I called Carter's this morning & they were super friendly I was just wanting the 6 onesies refunded and she said to find it all and they would issue full suggested retail price for it all, even w/ no reactions to it. I was pleased with their response.
Jodi
Gymboree makes socks with non-skid latex dots that are very thick (the latex dots are thick) ... these dots are exactly where my daughter (2 y/o) has developed a very itchy inflamed bumpy foot.
after reading these comments I believe this is what has caused the reaction...anyone else have a child who's non-skid socks gave them a reaction on their feet?
I'm so glad that I came across this article while surfing the web to find out what's going on with my daughter.
My 2 yr daughter has developed frequent rashes on her upper back and neck area this summer when she started wearing tagless t-shirts (from gymboree and children's place).
She's been tested for allergies and is found to be only mildly allergic to eggs which we have removed from her diet. However, the rashes continue.
This is the second time this week where she has developed the same rash. I'm definitely going to restrict her tagless clothing to determine if this is the cause for her rashes.
Oh that's terrible. I feel sorry for the babies who were affected by this and I will keep my baby away from these tagless infant clothing. Thanks for the heads up .
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