With age comes maturity. It has never been easy dealing with children. These tiny tots have always been found to be curious and full of energy. Generally, it has been observed that they have the tendency to put various objects in their mouth.

 

While designing any product for children, it is advisable to take into consideration various aspects such as their behaviour to explore and their enthusiasm to do adventures. Children find it challenging to operate a product in several innovative ways. However, their level of ignorance often exposes them to hazardous substances. Furthermore, they are also undergoing growth and developmental changes, making them prone to these kinds of danger. Foreseeing this, products intended for them must be safe for their use.

 

Considering their level of maturity and knowing about the potential danger, making them extremely vulnerable to mechanical injuries, a guide has been designed by the apparel industry for children up to the age of 14 years.

 

As per norms, children' wear (products intended for those below 12 years) is subjected to strict quality measures.

 

Similarly, clothing accessories such as zippers also require strict quality control measures. There are various testing standards and methods to check the quality control requirements for zippers intended for children's wear. It includes physical performance test, needle detection and hazardous substance test among others.

 

In view of the level of threat to children dueto zippers, it is vital that manufacturers or suppliers should follow theindustry guide while designing apparels for children, always opting for child-proof zippers. There are also custom zipper pulls and zipper sliders available on the market for children. 

 

Below are some tips to follow for child-proof zippers.

1. Make sure the zippers are of excellent quality, and that the sliders are securely attached and they do not get detached from the zippers.

 

a. Installation of poor quality zippers are dangerous as they may break easily and the sliders that get detached can easily be mouthed and swallowed by children, creating safety hazards. These broken edges can also hurt children.

 

b. Coatings and materials used for zipper sliders with poor quality may also contain harmful chemicals which when mouthed are injurious to health.

 

2. Ensure that the zipper pulls are not made from natural materials such as wood or rubber as it can crack and break easily.

 

References

1. Sbs-zipper.com

2. Nra.net.au