Before I had my twins I remember my sister saying how she hates snaps on baby clothes. "Snaps! Snaps! Snaps! So annoying when you are trying to change a diaper at 3 a.m.," she said. I thought she was being silly — clearly all baby clothes have snaps on them and couldn't she just spare a few seconds to just snap her up?
Then I had twins and understood exactly how annoying those snaps can be when you have a squirming and crying little one (or two) who just wants to be nursed or cuddled, so time spent trying to snap those snaps can seem like forever.
Then you get used to the snaps and become a pro at doing them really fast. But what if there was another option. Would you try it?
What if that option was magnets?
Hello, welcome to the future. We're past velcro (too much hair gets caught up in that in the wash anyway) and with 3D movies being the next big thing (again?), we're making baby clothes with magnets now.
What? Magnets? Will the magnetics stay together? And most importantly, are magnets dangerous?
Apparently the magnets do stay together (says the company Magnificent Baby — get it? magnet/magnificent?), but there are dangers of letting babies play with toys that have magnets, so why would it be okay to have on clothing? Especially clothing that babies sleep in?
The CPSC says that if two magnets are swallowed by a child, they can stick together through a baby's intestinal walls. The magnets can become trapped causing infection, perforations, blockage, poisoning, or death. Thirty-three children have been injured from toys containing magnets, many required surgery to remove the magnets, and a 20-month-old child died.
Call me a worry wart, but I'm a tad worried about this.
Magnificent Baby addressed the magnetic safety on their FAQ page. In short, they believe magnets are safe and may even have therapeutic powers, and they say that their magnets do not contain lead. Their products have been "independently safety tested by a consumer products safety testing bureau" and were issued a General Conformity Certificate.
On swallowing magnets, they say:
Magnificent Baby's closure system should generally be too large for an infant to swallow. In addition, our seams have passed strength tests and our closure system has passed the industry standard small parts swallowing test. Of course, anyone swallowing one of our closures should seek medical attention.
I'm all about never having to snap a bunch of tiny snaps again, but I'm still just a bit worried about the magnet idea.
What do you think? Would you try magnet closures? Or does the CPSC report scare you too much?
Images via Magnificent Baby
