Why not....?

A question I get asked quite often is why not....?
Why not add pretty shapes to my ribbon clips?
Why can't I have more letters or beads on my clip?
Why can't I make the clip longer?
Why are some people selling clips for as low as $4?
Why have they got diamontes on their clips?

Don't get me wrong I love people asking, I would rather you ask and buy a safe product from me or someone else than buying something pretty but dangerous.
There is a reason behind everything I do. As I have mentioned when I started making clips for my daughter people liked them and wanted one. I didn't feel prepared to sell something as important as a dummy clip without first finding out more.
I phoned the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/142
who are in charge of safety standards and got some great advice. I then wrote to many major companies who make and sell dummy clips asking how they certified their products and which materials they are allowed to use. Although they gave very limited answers I began to see the big picture.
There are very few recorded deaths from dummy clips but ther have been a few injuries so it was necessary to me to follow the standards and guidelines to ensure every baby's safety.

The standards are quite comprehensive and can be purchased by anyone. Any person who sells a dummy clip must ensure they are made to the standard or they risk accepting liability and possibly being sued.
I then went off and purchased several manufactured clips and home made dummy clips. Not 1 hand made clip met the safety standards and most were long enough to risk strangulation of a baby- some Mums even asked how long I wanted it made!
This made me even more determined to get the business off on the right foot. So yes it took me 6 months to come up with a beaded clip and a ribbon clip that meet with the approval of both the ACCC and most importantly me!

So why can't I add a press stud on both ends of the ribbon allowing it to be removed and washed- because the standards specifically state the the ribbon or clip must not be detachable. Imagine if a baby pulled the ribbon hard enough and was left with a nice metal clip loose in their hands to chew on or swallow?

Why can't I add a cute felt shape or ribbon decoration to my ribbon clips? Then the dummy clip is classified as a toy and needs to meet the mandatory safety standard for toys for babies which is the law. That means testing the product by an approved lab etc etc OMG what WAHM could afford that?

Why can't I add more beads to make a nice pattern? The standards give a maximum length for a clip so it can't be wrapped around a babies neck and pulled tight enough to choke them. So if you are looking at a photo of a dummy clip on a baby and it seems to hang loosely or attaches to the bottom of their shirt and has enough room to easily reach their mouth you would think it would easily wrap around their tiny neck.

Why can't I add diamontes or sparkles? Most of them haven't been rated as non toxic first of all so your child could ingest chemicals and also they make it a toy- see above ^^^


Even the ribbon width is mandated- there is a minimum and maximum width. Even the type of metal in the clip is required to meet standards. No nickel and no lead. If your child has sensitive skin nickel can cause a reaction and we all know lead is toxic. All of metal clips are certified safe for use with babies.

So although it is great to see such a variety of clips on the market it is worrying to see so many are more about being eye catching or pretty rather than useful. Dummy clips are after all designed to stop you losing dummies.

So the next time you see a clip for sale have a think about the above points- if not sure ask the seller! They should know all of this and much, much more!

If in doubt ask......why not?