Children in New Zealand have been badly burned or even killed because their nightwear has caught on fire.

You can help keep your child safe by choosing nightwear that has a low fire danger, and by teaching them to be safe around heaters and open fires.

Fire risk labels

No clothes are fireproof, however, there are things you can look for when choosing safe nightwear for your child.

All children’s nightwear is legally required to have a fire-risk label on it. These labels indicate the level of risk that the item will catch on fire.

• Red label: High fire danger, either because the nightwear is of a flammable material or loose-fitting.
• White label: Low fire danger, because the garment is made of a more fire resistant material like wool blends or designed to be close-fitting.

Where possible, choose white label nightwear that fits snugly. Baggy or loose nightwear can catch fire more easily.

If you're using or buying second-hand nightwear, assume it's not heat or flame resistant - whether the nightwear has a fire risk label or not.

Around the heater or fire

Children should stay at least 1 metre away from any heaters or open fires.

If a child is wearing high fire danger nightwear they should stay far away from the fire or heater. But even a ‘low danger’ label doesn’t mean there is no danger. Nightwear that says ‘low fire danger’ can still catch fire if the child is too close.

Put safety guards around the heater or fire if there are going to be young children in the house. Teach your children the ‘metre from the heater’ rule and watch that they don’t sit or walk closer than a metre to the heater or fire.