Safety and Materials

When you make something for a child, “handmade” is not an excuse to be casual about safety.

For me, making a beautiful felt toy is only part of the job. I, (with the help of my dearest husband) also need to know what it is made of, how it is constructed, and how it performs when it is actually used by a child.

That is why safety has always been an important part of how Ie design and make my products.

What My Products Are Made Of

My felt toys and pretend-play products are made from polyester felt and other components selected for their intended use.

The manufacturing process itself does not require the use of dyes, plasticizers, or similar chemical treatments. We also wanted to make sure that the materials we use were not unintentionally contaminated with restricted substances somewhere along the way.

So we did not simply rely on material specifications from a supplier.

Materials that I use, were independently tested by an approved third-party laboratory for applicable chemical requirements, including the relevant requirements of ASTM F963 and EN 71-3.

The testing confirmed compliance with the applicable requirements for restricted substances.

Finished Products are Tested, Too

Material compliance is only one part of the picture.

A children's product also needs to be physically appropriate for the way it is intended to be used — including the occasional enthusiastic treatment that comes with being a children's toy.

Myucts have therefore been independently tested by an approved third-party laboratory for the relevant mechanical, physical, and other safety requirements.

This includes abuse testing, designed to check how the product and its individual components withstand foreseeable misuse and repeated physical stress. Even for products intended for children 36 months and older, the applicable components are tested rather than simply assumed to be secure because of the recommended age.

Construction, durability, attachment of components, accessibility of parts, and other applicable physical requirements are evaluated as part of the testing process.

So when I say a piece is carefully made, I don't mean only that the stitching looks neat. I mean that the finished product has also been independently tested against the requirements that apply to it.

Attention to the Small Details

Safety is also part of everyday making.

I choose how pieces are attached, how edges are finished, how components are constructed, and whether a design should be changed before it becomes a product.

This is one reason I prefer sewing rather than relying on glue only. It takes more time, but it gives me much greater control over how a piece is assembled.

The same attention goes into age grading, required warnings, labeling, and product information. These are not details to add at the end just to satisfy a requirement. They are part of bringing a product to market responsibly.

Handmade Doesn't Mean “Untested”

There is sometimes an assumption that handmade children's products are too small-scale to go through the same level of scrutiny as commercially manufactured toys.

That is not how I look at it.

MorKuzuNY is a very small handmade studio, but the responsibility is the same when a child is going to play with something I made.

That is why we have taken the time to understand the applicable safety requirements, have our materials and products independently tested, and keep the required compliance documentation for the products we sell.

It took quite a bit of work to understand all of this. It is certainly not the most glamorous part of being a handmade maker, but I believe it is an important part of doing the job properly.

And There Is a Real Person Behind All This

Most people don't need to know what ASTM F963 or EN 71-3 means. They shouldn't have to.

You should simply be able to expect that the person making a toy for your child has thought about these things, understood the requirements, and taken the appropriate steps to meet them.

I wrote a little more about that journey in my blog, including why I decided to have our materials and products independently tested and what we learned along the way.

[Why I Know My Toys Are Safe — And What It Took to Be Sure]

Thank you for trusting a small handmade business with something that matters.