How children's clothing is made in India
Most babywear and younger children's wear is knitted cotton: bodysuits with snap crotches, rompers, sleepsuits and leggings. Knitted kidswear and babywear come from Tirupur, a Town of Export Excellence for hosiery, and IBEF names baby garments among India's leading apparel exports. Woven dresses, shirts and jackets for older children come from the same factories that make adult wear.
What changes is the hazard. Small garments carry many small trims: snaps, buttons, bows, appliqués, pompoms, rhinestones and printed motifs. Children pull and bite them. A factory that makes adult T-shirts well may not have the snap-setting control, needle policy and testing a children's order needs. A factory audit before the first order shows whether those controls exist.
What we check on children's clothing
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Hood and neck drawstrings | Every sampled hooded or neck-tie garment checked; size range noted | Any hood or neck drawstring on children's upper outerwear in US sizes 2T to 12, or one your EU standard does not allow |
| Waist and bottom drawstrings | Garment stretched flat; drawstring measured outside the channel; free ends and fixing checked | Ends too long, toggles or knots on free ends, cord not fixed so it can be pulled out to one side |
| Snaps and buttons | Pull test with a gauge to the force on your spec; snaps opened and closed repeatedly | Snap pulls off, cap separates from prong, button thread breaks |
| Appliqués, bows and pompoms | Pulled by hand and with a gauge where specified | Parts that come away, or stitching that unravels |
| Sharp edges and points | Metal trims, snap prongs, rhinestones and zip ends felt and inspected | Burrs, exposed prongs, sharp zip stops |
| Needle control | Broken-needle log reviewed; cartons passed through the metal detector where you require it | No log, missing needle pieces, metal detected in a garment |
| Labels and tracking | Labels read against the order: fibre, origin, care, size, and tracking information | Missing tracking label, wrong batch or date, size by age not matching the chart |
| Fit for age | Neck opening, leg openings and length measured against the size chart | Neck too tight to pass over the head, crotch snaps misaligned |
Common children's clothing and babywear defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical cause | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Drawstring in the hood of a size 2T to 12 jacket | Adult style sized down without a safety review | Critical |
| Snap or button comes off in the pull test | Wrong setting pressure, worn dies, or too few fabric layers under the snap | Critical |
| Broken needle or metal fragment in a garment | Needle policy not followed | Critical |
| Sharp prong or burr on a trim | Damaged or misaligned snap setting | Critical |
| Missing tracking label | Label not ordered or not sewn in | Major or critical by your list |
| Print cracking or peeling | Ink not cured | Major |
| Loose threads inside the garment | Thread trimming skipped | Minor, or major where long threads could wrap a baby's finger or toe |
Your defect list decides the final class. Some buyers set a tighter AQL for majors on children's wear.
Market rules for children's clothing
- US: CPSIA. Garments for children 12 and under are children's products. They need third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab, a Children's Product Certificate and permanent tracking information. Lead limits apply to accessible parts such as metal snaps, buttons, zips and prints; dyed textiles are exempt from lead testing. See CPSIA children's products.
- US: phthalates. The phthalate limits apply to toys and child care articles. CPSC treats children's sleepwear and bibs for ages 3 and under as child care articles, so plastisol prints and plastic trims on them need testing.
- US: drawstrings. Under 16 CFR 1120, children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 with drawstrings that do not meet ASTM F1816-97 is a substantial product hazard. Hood and neck drawstrings are not allowed up to size 12; waist and bottom drawstrings are limited.
- US: small parts. Children's clothing and accessories such as buttons are exempt from the small-parts rule in 16 CFR 1501. A snap or button that comes off is still a choking hazard, and buyers test attachment strength for that reason.
- EU and UK. EN 14682 sets requirements for cords and drawstrings on children's clothing up to age 14. Under the GPSR the product must be safe, and following the standard is the usual way to show it.
- Sleepwear. Children's sleepwear has its own flammability rules; see nightwear and loungewear.
Packing, transit and your purchase order
Babywear is often packed as multi-packs or gift sets, with cards, clips and plastic hangers that can themselves be small parts. Many retailers require a suffocation warning on polybags. The inspector checks pack contents against the order, that every piece in a set has the same size, and that cartons have passed the metal detector where you ask for it.
- Age and size range of each style, and which rules you want applied.
- Drawstring policy: none, or the standard waist drawstrings must meet.
- Snap and button type, supplier and minimum pull force.
- Needle policy and metal detection requirement.
- Tracking label content and position.
- Lab tests and the lab: lead, phthalates where they apply, flammability, fibre.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Tirupur, hosiery)
- IBEF: Apparel industry and exports (leading items incl. baby garments, updated Oct 2026)
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 1120, substantial product hazard list (drawstrings)
- 16 CFR 1501.3, exemptions from the small-parts rule (Cornell LII)
- CPSC: Phthalates business guidance
- CPSC: Tracking labels
- eCFR: 16 CFR 1500.91, lead testing exemptions incl. dyed textiles
- EN 14682:2014 scope, cords and drawstrings on children's clothing