THE TOT TEST STANDARDS
It's one thing to say you're safe and quite another to actually be safe. At The Tot, we only ever recommend what we'd use with our own families, which means we go deep into third party testing to ensure that each and every product we sell, from bottles to beanies, passes The Tot Safety Test.
Many companies continue to mass produce using harmful materials that are cheaper to source and more readily available. These often carry a toxic burden that can wreak havoc on our children’s bodies.
Your children deserve better. That’s why we worked with a team of scientists to develop the following standards to keep our products (and your kids) safe.
THE TOT TEST
At a minimum, we avoid the following ingredients inallour products. While there is no such thing as zero concentration of a toxin (because chemicals spread in surprising ways), our requirements are well above those of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the FDA.
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HEAVY METALS:LEAD, MERCURY & CADMIUM
Possibly Found in:
Paints, dyes and metals used in toys, furniture, gear, clothing, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, and ceramics as well as printed diapers.
Why we Avoid Them:
Exposure to heavy metals (particularly lead) can cause nerve damage, learning and behavioral problems, reproductive damage and irreversible brain damage.
US Requirements:
In the United States, products marketed for children contain less than 100 parts per million lead (per the CPSC).
The Tot Standard:
At The Tot, we lower this requirement much further (by at least a factor of 5).
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FLAME RETARDANTS
Possibly Found In:
Mattresses, car seats, upholstered furniture, strollers, and children's pajamas. The most toxic flame retardants are found in older mattresses.
Why we Avoid Them:
Flame retardants are known endocrine disruptors and linked to reproductive effects, breast cancer, and dangerous effects on child development (even in the womb).
US Requirements:
Since 2004, there has been a ban on the most toxic flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs) per the Environmental Protection Agency. However, other dangerous classes of flame retardants are still commonly used. There is no federal regulation on flame retardants besides PBDEs in the United States.
California's Proposition 65 has required that products such as upholstered furniture, mattresses, and car seats disclose whether or not they contain flame retardants by attaching a large tag to the item (typically on the bottom).
The Tot Standard:
At The Tot, we do not sell products containing flame retardants.
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BISPHENOLS (BPA AND BPS)
Possibly Found in:
Baby bottles, water bottles, plastic cups and plates, plastic lunchboxes, food storage containers, certain plastic toys, and socks.
Why we Avoid Them:
Bisphenols mimic the hormone estrogen and have been linked to several cancers (including breast and prostate cancer), female infertility, diabetes, and heart disease. Even small amounts of these chemicals can have long-term impact.
US Requirements:
While the FDA has banned BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, it is still allowed in water bottles and other plastic items. And BPS, BPA’s even more toxic relative, is not controlled at all in the US!
The Tot Standard:
At The Tot, we require there to be no detectable BPA or BPS in our products.
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HARMFUL PHTHALATES
Possibly Found in:
Almost everything, including toys, synthetic clothing, baby gear, and furniture. Most likely to be found in plastics, but can also be in other surprising places.
Why we Avoid Them:
Many phthalates are known endocrine disruptors associated with higher risk of asthma, allergies, eczema, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, male fertility issues, and even certain cancers.
US Requirements:
In the United States, products for children must require less than 0.1% of the 8 most toxic phthalates per the CPSC.
The Tot Standard:
At The Tot, we lower this requirement much further (by at least a factor of 10).
Don't see a tick on a particular product? That doesn’t mean that the product contains that chemical. All it means is that we do not have laboratory verification that the product is free of it.
Additional Requirements for Critical Categories
Your child will have more close contact with some products than others. That's why we're especially careful with nursery furniture, bedding, clothing, food contact, rugs/carpets, and baby toys.
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VINYL (PVC)
Possibly Found in:
Waterproof crib sheets, waterproof diaper changing pads, waterproof diaper changing pad covers soft toys, and more.
Why we avoid it:
Vinyl requires additional plasticizer chemicals to make it soft and flexible. Phthalates, bisphenols, and other toxic chemicals are often added to vinyl, which all have the dangerous effects we discussed before - increased risk of fertility problems, cancer, and much more
The Tot Standard:
We do not carry products with vinyl in nursery furniture and bedding.
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VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICALS (VOCs)
Possibly Found in:
Paints, furniture, rugs, vinyl flooring, cosmetics, nail polish, air fresheners and cleaning products.
Why we avoid it:
Volatile Organic Compounds are suspected human carcinogens that can “off gas” into your environment, essentially polluting the air in your home. Exposure can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and skin problems. Higher concentrations may cause damage to the liver, kidney, or central nervous system.
The Tot Standard:
We ensure that all nursery furniture and bedding is low VOC so that your baby has the safest airspace possible.
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FORMALDEHYDE
Possibly Found in:
Wood (it’s naturally occurring), particle board, plywood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), glues, and adhesives. It’s often added to cheaper glues and adhesives used to put together plywood.
Why we avoid it:
Formaldehyde increases risks of wheezing, asthma, and even certain cancers.
The Tot Standard:
While it’s impossible to avoid formaldehyde completely (it’s naturally occurring, after all!), we only choose companies who make their products with no added formaldehyde in their glues and adhesives. That leaves only minimal amounts of formaldehyde (often undetectable) in the products we sell.
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PFAs
Possibly Found in:
Products with a water- or stain-proof fabric, including rugs and carpets.
Why we avoid it:
PFAS, particularly long-chain versions, have been linked to increased cholesterol levels, decreased immune response, decreased infant growth, changes in liver enzymes, increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer.
The Tot Standard:
We don’t sell nursery furniture, bedding, or clothing with PFAS at The Tot.
ADDITIONAL TESTING
If companies go above and beyond to protect your baby’s health and the environment, we want to celebrate it! That’s why we have the following additional testing criteria that we let our customers know about:
- OEKO-TEX Standard 10
- Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS)
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
- Greenguard GOLD (A low VOC certification)
- Low VOC
- No added formaldehyde
- FSC Certified Wood (guarantees no added formaldehyde)
- CARB2 compliant (guarantees no added formaldehyde)
- B Corp (guarantees social and environmental responsibility)
- Non-toxic inks/dyes
- Water-based Paints
- No PFAS
- No PVC
Please note, Many of these certifications are third-party tests guaranteeing that particular chemicals are excluded from a product. No one certification shows that there are zero toxic chemicals in a product.