Infant Clothing Research Articles

Fermatean trapezoidal fuzziness average aggregation scheme for selection of infant clothing by group decision-making

The textile industry has gradually increased its use of various chemicals and the quantity of residues produced. Newborn baby apparel should be made of safe materials since it often comes into touch with them. Infant cloth selection is determined via group decision-making in Fermatean trapezoidal fuzzy number (FTFN). This study provides a new score and accuracy function and weighted, ordered, and hybrid averaging aggregation operators on FTFN. The properties of the proposed averaging aggregation operators on FTFN are presented. An algorithm for the multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) approach will be proposed by applying the proposed averaging aggregation operators. The case studies concentrate on choosing newborn clothing with reduced chemical content within the textile sector. The presentation of the sensitivity analysis of the criterion weights is conducted to guarantee the durability and stability of the framework that has been implemented. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis compares the novel framework with previous models, highlighting its superior performance.

Environmental Knowledge, the Collaborative Economy and Responsible Consumption in the Context of Second-hand Perinatal and Infant Clothes in Spain

Environmental Knowledge, the Collaborative Economy and Responsible Consumption in the Context of Second-hand Perinatal and Infant Clothes in Spain

RISKS IN THE SAFETY CIRCLE: NEWBORN CARE PRACTICES OF MOTHERS

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the newborn care practices of mothers in terms of newborn safety risk.
 Method: This research is descriptive. The study included 248 mothers with newborn babies. The study was carried out in Nevşehir State Hospital between May 2018 and August 2019. The data were collected using the Questionnaire Form and the Neonatal Safety Information Form developed by the researchers. 
 Results:Of the mothers, 44.8% experience the risk of falling their infant, they fall asleep while breastfeeding at night, 10.5% rock their infant hard to put them to sleep, 35.5% swaddled their infant tightly, 52.0% put hot water with a thermophore on their infant's feet when in the presence of gas discomfort. Of the mothers, 25.4% used detergent and bleach while washing the infant's clothes, 48.0% used pacifier clip/holders, and 54.0% used powder for diaper rash.
 Conclusions and Suggestions: In the study, it was determined that infants might be exposed to risks such as aspiration, infection, falling, swing fast, burns and trauma due to swaddling, unsafe travel, exposure to chemicals, and suffocation of infants. For newborn safety, mothers should be trained in newborn care beginningfrom their pregnancy and ensure the continuity of these pieces of training.

Geometrically Accurate Three-Dimensional Infant Thermoregulation Models Based on Finite Element Method

The core and skin temperature of an infant are essential physiological indicators of the baby’s health and an important reference in the selection of baby clothing. The main idea for this is that parents often wrap their infants in covers and clothing based on their own subjective experience, and infants do not have the ability to express themselves verbally, which is likely to result in over- or under-wrapping, leading to babies feeling too hot or too cold and even causing illness. Accurately predicting and determining infants’ skin and core temperatures at different ambient temperatures is a critical concern in infant clothing research. While the overall skin temperature of infants cannot be understood using traditional body temperature robotic measurements, this article develops a three-dimensional infant thermoregulation model with a geometrical appearance similar to an accurate infant model based on finite element method. Through geometric model construction, cell meshing, boundary condition loading, and user-defined functions program debugging, infants’ body surface and core temperature distribution under different ambient temperatures are calculated. The results were compared with published clinical temperature tests and validated, which were in good agreement with the actual test results and proved the validity of the model calculation. Providing a new method for infant temperature prediction, the findings of this study put forward a scientific reference for infant dressing selection and research on intelligent clothing.

Clothing thermal insulation of infant in stroller relating to evaluation of thermal environment of infant

The clothing thermal insulation for individual clothing ensembles of infant and strollers has been clarified. However, the clothing thermal insulation for the combination of them has not been measured at all. The purpose of this study is to examine the typical values of human factors such as the clothing area factor and clothing thermal insulation of an infant in a stroller. As typical clothing ensembles, seasonal combinations of infant clothing with a stroller were selected. The stroller was treated as part of the infant’s clothing. The clothing area factors were measured by using the photographic method. The clothing thermal insulations were measured by using an infant’s thermal manikin. The typical clothing area factor of an infant in a stroller is 3.67 for summer clothing, 3.75 for mid-season clothing, and 4.19 for winter clothing. The typical clothing thermal insulation of an infant in a stroller is 1.23 clo for summer, 1.39 clo for mid-season, and 1.97 clo for winter. The stroller was shown to significantly affect the body heat balance between the infant and the thermal environment.

Design and Development of Bamboo and Cotton Blended Fabric using Natural Antibacterial Coating for Infant Clothing

Today natural fiber has become one among the foremost discussed within the research field amongst various scientists and other people within the world rather than using synthetic fibers. This is often thanks to various advantages related to natural fibers like eco-friendly, low cost, availability in abundance and its biodegradability.Bamboo is that the fastest-growing plant on earth. Bamboo fiber is obtained from bamboo pulp, which extracted from the bamboo stem through the method of hydrolysis-alkalization and multiphase bleaching. thanks to the soft silky fabric and environmental benefits of bamboo fiber, bamboo clothing has become popular in some modern luxury fashions.Cotton may be a natural and soft fiber that grows with the seeds of the cotton, round the seed of the cotton plants of the Gossypium within the Malvaceous. Cultivated under controlled environmental conditions, these are very soft and clean to use in various purposes.Aloe vera gel contains powerful antioxidants belongings to an outsized family of substance referred to as polyphenols. These polyphenols, alongside several other components in burn plant, help inhibit the expansion of certain bacteria which will cause infections in humans. In this paperthe bamboo fabric blended with cotton was weaved, and therefore the antibacterial finish of aloe vera gel was applied with the natural dyes of beetroot. The finished fabric isconstructed into a garment.

DESIGN CRITERIA FOR PRODUCTION OF INFANT CLOTHING ARTICLES USING FABRIC WASTE BY CLOTHING ENTREPRENEURS IN RIVERS

This study examined the design criteria for production of infant clothing articles using fabric waste for clothing entrepreneurship in Rivers State. Specifically, it identified design criteria required for the production of infant clothing articles using fabric waste and the characteristics of fabric waste to be utilized for the production of infant clothing articles for clothing entrepreneurship in Rivers State. A survey design was used for the study. Population was 15,824 made up of 555 registered clothing entrepreneurs and 15, 269 mothers that registered for post-natal care in government hospitals in Rivers State. Multi-stage sampling technique and purposive sampling was used to select a sample size of 612 respondents, comprising of 378 mothers and 234 clothing entrepreneurs. Questionnaire titled “Design Criteria for Infant Clothing Article Production Assessment Instrument for Mothers and Clothing Entrepreneurs (DCICAPIMCE)” was used for data collection. Internal consistency of instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha which yielded 0.82 for design criteria and 0.89 for fabric characteristics. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed sixteen design criteria required for the production of infant clothing articles using fabric waste. These include: infant clothing articles being comfortable (4.00± 0.00; 4.00±0 .00); safe for the wearer ((3.93±0 .98; (3.93± 0.98) for mothers and clothing entrepreneurs respectively among others. 41 characteristics of fabric waste required for the production of infant clothing articles for clothing entrepreneurship. These include: cotton fabric (3.75± 0.94;3.53± 0.88); bright colour fabrics (3.50±0.88;3.26± 0.82, fabric waste being light (3.90± 0.98;3.73± 0.93 among others for mothers and clothing entrepreneurs. The study recommended among others that clothing entrepreneurs should utilize fabric waste for production of useful infant clothing articles.

Health risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in baby clothes. A preliminary study

Clothes may contain a large range of chemical additives and other toxic substances, which may eventually pose a significant risk to human health. Since they are associated with pigments, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may be especially relevant. On the other hand, infants are very sensitive to chemical exposure and they may wear some contact and colored textiles for a prolonged time. Consequently, a specific human health risk assessment is required. This preliminary study was aimed at analyzing the concentrations of PCBs in ten bodysuits purchased in on-line stores and local retailers. The concentrations of 12 dioxin-like and 8 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners were determined by gas chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry, with detection limits ranging between 0.01 and 0.13 pg/g. The dermal absorption to PCBs of children at different ages (6 months, 1 year and 3 years old) was estimated, and the non-cancer and cancer risks were evaluated. Total levels of PCBs ranged from 74.2 to 412 pg/g, with a mean TEQ concentration of 13.4 pg WHO-TEQ/kg. Bodysuits made of organic cotton presented a total mean PCB concentration substantially lower than clothes made of regular cotton (11.0 vs. 15.8 pg WHO-TEQ/kg). The dermal absorption to PCBs for infants was calculated in around 3·10−5 pg WHO-TEQ/kg·day, regardless the age. This value is > 10,000-fold lower than the dietary intake of PCBs, either through breastfeeding or food consumption. Furthermore, this exposure value would not pose any health risks for the infants wearing those bodysuits. Anyhow, as it is a very preliminary study, this should be confirmed by analyzing larger sets of textile samples. Further investigations should be also focused on the co-occurrence of PCBs and other toxic chemicals (i.e., formaldehyde, bisphenols and aromatic amines) in infant clothes.

Effects of body posture on air gap and heat transfer of clothed infant using a baby manikin

Body posture affects the heat transfer between infants and surroundings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the air gap thickness as well as the heat transfer at the infant’s body surface when the infant posture changed from standing to lying down (supine). Visual and quantitative air gap distributions were achieved using 3D body scanning technology and reverse engineering software. Global and local heat transfer coefficients were also obtained by baby manikin test. The results showed that the local air gap thickness significantly decreased in supine posture compared to standing, especially at the diaper zone. Moreover, the supine posture reduced the local heat exchange although the corresponding air gap thickness decreased. The different linear regression models between air gap thickness and heat transfer coefficient were therefore built in both standing and supine postures. For the air gap thickness with the range of 4.00-9.05 mm, the coefficient was always lower when lying down than standing. The findings provided useful information for the improvement of infant clothing design and the modelling of heat and mass transfer in infant clothing for different body postures.

Are Melamine and Its Derivatives the Alternatives for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Fabric Treatments in Infant Clothes?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and melamine (MEL)-based compounds are used in textile finishing as grease, stain, and water repellents. Here, we investigated the occurrence of a large suite of PFAS and MEL compounds in 86 infant clothing items. The ∑MEL concentrations ranged from below the method detection limit to 250,000 ng/g with a median concentration of 78.2 ng/g, significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the ∑PFAS levels (1.22-203 ng/g; median 3.62 ng/g). MEL and its derivatives were most abundant in nylon clothes (median 32,800 ng/g), followed by organic cotton (median 6120 ng/g). In a simulated laundering experiment, the ∑MEL concentrations in clothing decreased on an average by ∼60 and 90% when washed in cool (20 °C) and warm (50 °C) water, respectively. This removal rate increased to 97% when the samples were washed with a detergent. The estimated daily intakes of MEL and PFAS through dermal absorption from nylon clothes were three orders of magnitude higher than those from the non-nylon clothes and decreased by more than half for washed clothes. Our findings demonstrate that MEL-based compounds are abundant in infant clothing and suggest that this group of compounds could be used as potential PFAS replacements in textile finishing.

Total oxidizable precursor assay in the determination of perfluoroalkyl acids in textiles collected from the United States

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are used in specialty/functional textiles to impart oil, water, and stain repellency. Little is known, however, with regard to the occurrence of PFASs in textiles including infant clothing. In this study, 13 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), comprising four perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs; C4–C10) and nine perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs; C4–C12) were determined in 160 textile samples collected from the United States. Two extraction methods, one involving a simple solvent extraction (i.e., before oxidation) and the other with an oxidative treatment (i.e., after oxidation) of textile extracts, were used. The sum concentrations of 13 PFAAs (i.e., ∑PFAA) in textile extracts before oxidation ranged from <LOD to 63.7 μg/m2 (<LOD–285 ng/g), with a mean value of 3.18 μg/m2 (14.2 ng/g). ∑PFAA concentrations were the highest in flame retarded textiles (n = 23; mean: 13.3 μg/m2; 59.4 ng/g), followed by water repellent textiles (n = 56; 2.88 μg/m2; 12.9 ng/g) and infant clothes (n = 81; 0.521 μg/m2; 2.33 ng/g). C4–C10 PFCAs accounted for at least three-quarters of the ∑PFAA content in our textile samples. Textile extracts analyzed after oxidative treatment exhibited ∑PFAA concentrations 10-fold higher than those in extracts analyzed prior to oxidation, which suggested that PFAA precursors are used in textiles. Precursors that generated C4–C5 PFCAs, upon oxidation, were more prevalent than those that yielded PFOA. The calculated dermal exposure doses in infants of PFAAs present in clothes were at least 1–2 orders of magnitude below the reference doses proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This is the first time that the oxidative treatment was applied in the analysis of PFASs in textiles, and our results suggest the existence of PFCA precursors in textiles.

Occurrence and Profiles of Organophosphate Esters in Infant Clothing and Raw Textiles Collected from the United States

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are used as flame retardants in a variety of consumer products including certain textiles. Little is known with regard to the occurrence of and dermal exposure to OPEs...

Environmental knowledge, the collaborative economy and responsible consumption in the context of second-hand perinatal and infant clothes in Spain

Our research evaluates whether consumers’ environmental knowledge (EK), the degree of their knowledge and their relative engagement in the collaborative economy (CE) influences responsible consumption (RC). This was evaluated according to a consumer's willingness to buy or rent second-hand perinatal and infant clothes. Additionally, we have explored the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the relationship between the collaborative economy and RC. These relationships were tested using a sample of 307 parents from Spain and an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model.Our results revealed that both environmental knowledge and the parents’ previous experience in the collaborative economy condition their willingness to behave responsibly by buying or renting second-hand perinatal and infant clothes. Moreover, ICT has shown itself as an essential driver of responsible consumption, in accordance with an ICT-based collaborative economy.

Determination of melamine and its derivatives in textiles and infant clothing purchased in the United States

Melamine-based resins are used extensively in fabrics to impart fire and heat resistance as well as wrinkle-free properties. Little is known, however, regarding the occurrence of melamine and its derivatives in textiles. In this study, concentrations of melamine, ammeline, ammelide, and cyanuric acid were determined in 77 textile samples and infant clothing purchased from Albany, New York, USA. All textile samples contained one or more target analytes, at concentration ranges of 1.19–81,800, 3.21–17,800, <1.20–25,700, and <0.50–550 ng/g for melamine, cyanuric acid, ammeline, and ammelide, respectively. Melamine was the predominant compound, accounting for 52% of the total concentrations of four analytes (i.e., ∑melamines). Significant positive correlations were found between the concentrations of melamine and its three derivatives (0.347 < r < 0.862, p < .01). The concentrations of ∑melamines were significantly higher in cotton fabrics (mean: 10,500 ng/g) and cotton clothes (10,200 ng/g) than in synthetic fabrics (1,380 ng/g) and socks (40.0 ng/g) (p < .01). Simulated laundry experiments suggested that a single round of washing with water removed 76–90% of melamine from clothing. The calculated dermal exposure doses of melamine and cyanuric acid were three to four orders of magnitude below the reference value. This study provides the first evidence of the occurrence of melamine derivatives in textiles and clothing purchased in the United States. CapsuleMelamine and cyanuric acid are widely distributed in textiles and infant clothing collected from the United States.

Phthalates in infant cotton clothing: Occurrence and implications for human exposure

Clothing easily adsorbed the chemicals in the environment, and became a source of human exposure to chemicals. However, large contacted surface area and long exposure duration have elevated human exposure to chemicals from clothing, such as phthalates. Among them, cotton clothing, which infants prefer to wear, has been proven to adsorb phthalates more easily than other fabrics. While infants are developing, they are easily affected by phthalates. In this study, in order to study accumulation of phthalates in infant cotton clothing during the whole process from production to the first wearing, 24 infant cotton clothing samples were collected from shopping malls in Harbin, China. High detection rates and concentrations suggest that phthalates in the environment are widely adsorbed to infant cotton clothing, and traditional laundering for infant clothing cannot remove phthalates completely. The median concentration of the total phthalates was 4.15 μg/g. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has become the dominant phthalate. For the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) for infants, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) had the highest contribution, followed by di-iso-butyl phthalate (DiBP) and DEHP. Dermal absorption has become the main route of infant exposure to phthalates, and ingestion contributed very little. The result of comparing with the EDIs via dermal absorption from house air and dust suggests that clothing plays an important role of dermal absorption exposure to phthalates. For risk assessment, the carcinogenic risk of BBP and DEHP indicates that the level of DEHP in infant cotton clothing might pose potential adverse effects to infant health.

From Swaddling to Dresses: Infant Clothing as a Reflection of Emancipation and Secularisation in Reform-Era Russia

This article fills an important gap in the study of early childhood culture in Russia and the social history of material culture between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The authors argue that changes in children’s clothing reflected some important social processes through which a new type of parenting and maternity began to rapidly form in Russia. This was accompanied by the emergence of new features in the class difference visualisation and demonstrative behaviour of the elite. That people decided to stop swaddling infants and started making them dresses is associated with changes in child care practices. These changes were caused by the emancipation, the westernisation and secularisation of the educated classes in Russian cities, the commercialisation of infant fashion, and the influence of new agents (representatives of the medical community, atelier owners, fashion magazine editors, etc.) on the everyday life of townspeople in Russia. This illustrates the process behind the formation of ideas concerning gender differences and gender stereotypes in new conditions. The analysis of practices connected with dressing infants relies on the historical and anthropological approach and sociological theories of fashion, with reference to visual sources (museum artifacts, photographs, and advertising images), fashion magazines, ego-documents, and early medical literature. The authors demonstrate that until the eighteenth century, the practice of dressing infants from all classes was simple and universal: in the following period, which lasted a century and a half, there were considerable changes in the practices of dressing infants depending on class. During the second half of the nineteenth century, representatives of the educated urban class dressed their newborns in accordance with the demonstrative function of “conscious parenthood”. Children’s fashion was gradually turning into a special social institution. Despite the stability of swaddling practices in rural Russia, among townspeople the infant was “emancipated” rapidly: swaddling practices became less common. Infant fashion became independent. Between the 1900s and 1910s, tight corsets and bodices ceased to be used; infant clothes became functional, practical, child-oriented, and clearly gender-marked.

Designing comfortable smart clothing: for infants’ health monitoring

The integration of multiple domains is encouraged in order to respond to the need for societal wellbeing. For example, smart clothing is expected to be beneficial for health monitoring. However, there still exists the challenge of designing casual smart clothing that can both accurately measure health parameters and ensure a high level of wearing comfort, especially for infants. This study meets the challenge of designing smart clothing that applies knowledge of infant clothing design, sensor technology, and machine learning in an experiment. The aim is to solve the problems associated with the use of sensors for real-time body temperature monitoring. The use skintight sensors is more accurate but uncomfortable. Skin-loose sensors, on the other hand, enhance comfort but limit the accuracy of the temperature readings. The results show that a combination of multiple skin-loose sensors can be used to overcome the trade-off between sensor accuracy and wearing comfort in smart clothing for health monitoring.

Bisphenols, Benzophenones, and Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ethers in Textiles and Infant Clothing.

Little is known with regard to the occurrence of potentially toxic chemicals in textiles and clothes. In this study, 77 textiles and infant clothing pieces were analyzed for the determination of bisphenols including bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS), benzophenones, bisphenol A diglycidyl ethers (BADGEs), and novolac glycidyl ethers (NOGEs). BPA and BPS occurred in 82% and 53% of the textile samples, respectively, and at mean concentrations of 366 and 15 ng/g, respectively. Benzophenone-3 (BP3) occurred in 70% of the samples at a mean concentration of 11.3 ng/g. Among 11 BADGEs and NOGEs analyzed, BFDGE was the predominant compound, with a mean concentration of 13.6 ng/g. Concentrations of target chemicals were assessed by fabric type, color, and uses. Socks contained the highest concentrations of BPA (mean: 1810 ng/g) with concentrations as high as 13 300 ng/g in a 97% polyester fabric marketed for infants. Calculated dermal exposure dose to BPA by infants via textiles was as high as 7280 pg/kg BW/d. This is the first study to report the occurrence of, and exposure to, BPA, BPS, BADGEs, and NOGEs in textiles and clothing.

Occurrence of and exposure to benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles from textiles and infant clothing

Benzothiazoles (BTHs) and benzotriazoles (BTRs) are used in a wide range of applications, including rubber vulcanization and corrosion inhibition. Limited studies have reported the occurrence of BTHs and BTRs in textiles, including children's clothing. In this study, 79 textile samples (raw as well as tailored) collected in Albany, New York, USA, were analyzed to determine the occurrence of BTH, BTR and their seven common derivatives. BTH, 2-methylthio-benzothiazole (2-Me-S-BTH) and 2-hydroxy-benzothiazole (2-OH-BTH) were found in textiles at a detection rate (DR) of 86%, 54% and 19%, respectively. The DRs of tolyltriazole (TTR), BTR and 5-chloro-benzotriazole (5-Cl-BTR) in textiles were below 20%. Although BTH was the most frequently detected compound, BTR levels were elevated in certain textiles and the overall mean concentrations of BTR in textiles were higher than those of BTH. The concentrations of BTH in textiles ranged from 6.1 to 1120ng/g. The highest concentration of BTR (14,000ng/g) was found in a printed graphic of infant's bodysuit. On the basis of the measured concentrations, we calculated dermal exposure doses to BTHs and BTRs by infants. The dermal exposure doses were high from the use of socks (244 to 395pg/kg·bw/d), and the exposure doses of BTHs and BTRs from textiles were as high as 3740pg/kg·bw/d. Printed graphics on clothes, as well as socks, accounted for a major proportion of the exposure doses to BTHs and BTRs.

Clothing standards compliance assessment

Purpose – Clothing quality, performance, safety and health have become important considerations for consumer welfare. Properties of these aspects are encompassed on standards which regulates clothing products reaching consumers. The purpose of this paper is to categorize these aspects in a common platform by suggesting minimum requirements expected on readymade garments from which clothing standards compliance assessment is performed. Design/methodology/approach – With the aid of standard compliance assessment model, scored Standard Compliance Rate (SCR) values of the discussed properties of clothing standardization are synthesized from a standard compliance matrix, and the compliance of any clothing standards are assessed and assigned a “Standard Compliance Index/Level (SCI/SCL)” ranging from non compliance to full compliance at six levels. Findings – In reference to the standard compliance assessment model, 12 children and infant clothing standards, three from Kenya and nine from China, and eight protective clothing standards from Kenya, China, Britain and USA, two from each country, were assessed and the compliance level of each standard evaluated and results presented. The results of the study reveal the importance of every aspect of clothing standardization properties to fulfil the requirements of standard compliance assessment whereby, though they meet their role in developing Standard Compliance Index (SCI), they may have different impact depending with the context applied and the scope of every standard. Research limitations/implications – The selection of standardization parameters and characteristics, and the criteria for scoring some of the Standard Compliance Rating was subjective and may require mutual agreements between relevant bodies. Furthermore, this method can only be applied on clothing standards and not other textile testing standards. Practical implications – The proposed method can be applied when evaluating and comparing specific clothing standards between bodies or countries. Clothing SCI would be of primary importance as a guide on required clothing quality specifications to designers, manufacturers, standard regulators and consumer welfare bodies. Originality/value – This research reports the development of an original framework to assess compliance level of any clothing standard using standardization parameters and characteristics considered when determining the quality of a garment. It establishes a theoretical framework of clothing standards compliance assessment, which has not been reported in the literature to date.