In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has a rule on drawstrings in children's upper outerwear, 16 CFR 1120.3. It deems certain drawstrings a substantial product hazard. Hood and neck drawstrings on children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12, or the equivalent, fall under it. Waist and bottom drawstrings on children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 also fall under it unless they meet specific conditions set out in the rule.

The rule works by reference to the voluntary standard ASTM F1816-97: garments in these size ranges that are subject to that standard but do not conform to its drawstring requirements are deemed a substantial product hazard. That means they can be subject to recall, so treat the requirement as mandatory in practice.

Hood and neck

For a kids' hoodie in sizes 4 to 12, a drawstring through the hood or at the neck should be removed. Common alternatives are a hood with no closure, elastic, snaps or hook-and-loop fasteners. The CPSC business guidance on drawstrings in children's upper outerwear explains the requirement and gives examples. For sizes 14 and above in your range, the hood and neck rule does not apply in the same way, but check the rule text and your retailer requirements before keeping a drawcord on those sizes.

Waist and bottom

If the hoodie has a drawstring at the waist or hem, the rule sets conditions for sizes 2T to 16, such as limits on how far the drawstring can extend outside the channel when the garment is laid flat and expanded, no toggles, knots or other attachments at the free ends, and bartacking where a continuous drawstring would otherwise be pulled through. Read 16 CFR 1120.3 for the exact wording before designing the hem.

Other children's product requirements

Children's apparel also needs tracking labels and, depending on the product, testing and a Children's Product Certificate. The CPSC tracking label guidance explains what information the label must show. Plan these with the factory from the first sample.

Build it into the tech pack

Write the drawstring rule into the tech pack by size, so the factory cannot carry the adult design into small sizes. Check the first production sample of every size, not only the sample size.

Some retailers apply stricter internal rules than the regulation, for example banning drawstrings in all children's sizes. Check vendor manuals before finalising the design.