Question from Erin
Hi Debra, My son needs a nap roll or sleeping bag for naptime at preschool. I didn’t want to buy a regular one new (I am concerned about fire retardants that might be added). So I was going to send him with a vintage one from the 70’s. It is cotton with polyester fill. I figured it would have off gassed by now. But, were these types of items treated with fire retardants back then? My husband is not excited to spend 10x the price to get an all cotton or wool one. Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
Well, not only could a product from the 1970s contain a fire retardant, fire retardants then were even worse than the fire retardants used today. <
This from Huffington Post: Flame Retardants Remain Widespread in Children’s Products
There are some great though expensive nontoxic nap mats available for preschoolers. some are linked below:
http://mightynest.com/shop/kid-essentials/sleeping-bags-nap-mats
http://woollyboo.com/products/new-all-in-one-toddler-nap-mat/
If you have basic sewing skills, I bet you could make a great roll yourself. Just buy a length of cotton flannel (organic or otherwise) and some cotton or wool sheet batting. Sew it together like a sandwich with the batting in the middle. Good luck!
How about getting a twin organic cotton blanket and folding it up into 3. hw brainis worth the money you dont save.