Are you looking for a costume for your child to wear? If the answer is yes, then you should be aware of the law that governs all childrens costumes. All childrens costumes are manufactured to a certain standard, and as an example, ties can only be of a certain length, to avoid injury. If you purchase a childs fancy dress costume from Props n Frocks Fancy Dress, you can be assured that all of our childrens costumes are manufactured to the current safety standard.
Props n Frocks stocks a large range of childrens costumes including World Book Day Costume ideas & all of your childs historical costumes for dressing up days at school including, Victorian, Tudor, Viking, 1940s, roman & Egyptian. Take a look at all of our school curriculum costumes.
If you have any questions regarding childrens costumes, please contact one of our customer Care Team, who are available 7 days a week either on the telephone or by email.
Most people are unaware of the legislation that all children’s costumes have to adhere to. These restrictions can cause problems, especially when your child appears home from school with a note asking them to be something fairly obscure in a school play. Childrens costumes on the market tend to be of a generic nature and you may not find exactly that you have been asked to find. You may need to adapt a standard costume so that it is more suitable for what you need.
So, what are the safety standards that you should look for?
The safety standard BS EN71 is a series of British & European standards on toy safety (yes, I also agree that it is strange to call a fancy dress costume a toy, but I do not make the rules!)
A child is defined (by the law) as under the age of 14 and the standards include different aspects such as flammability and chemical compounds. It also includes mechanical and physical properties. In plain English that basically means that there are no cords around the neck or wrist and has nothing that the child can choke, stab or trap itself with.
The law has been enforced since 1990 and all 'toys' supplied (or sold) in the UK must meet the exacting standards and carry a CE mark. This CE mark is the manufacturer’s declaration that the item meets the standard.
Although the BS EN71 standard is made up of 11 parts, only some are relevant to costumes, they are:
*Part 1. Mechanical & Physical Properties. This is where the costume is checked that it cannot stab, mangle, trap or choke the wearer. No cords can be around the neck or the wrists.
*Part 2.Flammability This part covers that all fancy dress or disguise clothes and wigs that do catch fire, can be dropped or get out before serious injury occurs.
*Part 3. Migration of Certain Elements This basically sets limits on certain chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, which could be dangerous if swallowed by a child.
*Graphical Symbol For Age Warning Labelling This specifies that a label must be present on the item which states that the item is not suitable for a child under the age of 3.
All imitation helmets should also have a warning label that states 'Warning! This is a toy. Does not provide protection'.
Props n Frocks for All Of Your Childrens Fancy Dress Costume Ideas
