How does hand-to-mouth behavior increase chemical exposure from baby clothes?

Babies and toddlers routinely put their hands, sleeves, collars, and fabric edges in their mouths. This behavior creates an oral ingestion pathway for any chemicals present in their clothing. Lead in dyes or hardware, formaldehyde from wrinkle-free finishes, excess dye, and PFAS from stain-resistant coatings can all be transferred from fabric to mouth through sucking and chewing.

Studies on children's chemical exposure have found that the oral pathway can be as significant as dermal absorption for some chemicals. Young children who chew on clothing cuffs or suck on blanket edges receive repeated doses of any chemicals present. This is compounded by children's lower body weight, which means the same absolute dose has a proportionally larger biological effect.

For this reason, infant and toddler clothing should meet the strictest safety standards. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I certification is specifically designed for products intended for babies and toddlers, testing for a comprehensive list of harmful substances at the most stringent limits. ONDU recommends this as the minimum standard for any textile that a young child will wear, sleep on, or put in their mouth.