Name: carol

Message: The Jacquard Tee Juice Fabric markers indicate they are non-toxic.  For a fun shower activity, we want to use these markers to decorate oneies.  Would this be safe for baby?

Yes, I think that it is perfectly safe to dress a baby in clothing that has been decorated with a reputable name brand of fabric markers, such as the Jacquard Tee Juice markers. I would not use an unknown brand or store brand of marker, since occasionally crayons have turned up that contain dangerous levels of lead, in spite of labels that claimed they were non-toxic; I have not heard of problems with off-brands of fabric markers, but the crayon problems have made me cautious.

Be sure to let the markers dry for several days before washing them, heat set as required, and always pre-wash the clothing before giving them to a baby to wear. The designs made by decorating fabric with Tee Juice Markers should be heat-set by ironing with a hot iron (no steam needed) for two to three minutes. An alternative for large quantities of clothing is to dry in a commercial clothes dryer for half an hour, because it will get very hot; do not rely on home dryers for heat-setting markers or fabric paints, because they do not get as hot.

I can't imagine that there is any safety risk to be found in the baby's skin exposure to clothing that has been decorated with a reputable brand of non-toxic marker, once the marker has been allowed to dry thoroughly, heat-set, and washed. It does seem that it might be best not to let a baby chew repeatedly on fabric that has been decorated with any sort of fabric paint (including fabric markers). There are no known risks to be found from chewing on fabric-painted fabric, but tiny particles of the pigment may come off when they are chewed or sucked on, and they are not intended for this use.

When I used fabric markers on my babies' clothing, using Marvy Uchida Fabric Markers (the Tee Juice markers had not yet been introduced at that time), I made designs that did not extend to the necklines of the garments.  This was by chance, not out of any safety concerns. In retrospect, the neck area is the part of a baby's garment that is most likely to be chewed on, unless the garment has long sleeves. I would avoid decorating the neckline of a shirt that is worn by an older child who habitually chews on it, except for using properly-set fiber reactive dyes which are completely safe from bleeding when wet. I don't think that this is a significant concern for clothing for a newborn baby, however.

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