What do UK rules say about children's coat hood cords at a car boot sale?

What is the official 44 cm measurement?

The Children's Clothing (Hood Cords) Regulations 1976 are short. Regulation 2 defines a child's outer garment as an outer garment — raincoat, overcoat, anorak or other outer wear — with a measurement not exceeding 44 cm across the chest when the finished garment is laid out as flat as possible without distorting its natural two-dimensional shape, and buttoned or otherwise fastened as it is designed to be in normal wear.

Regulation 3 is one sentence: the hood of a child's outer garment shall not be designed to be secured by means of a cord drawn through the material.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council puts the same rule in stall language: children's outer clothing (coats and jumpers) measuring 44 centimetres or less across the chest when fastened and laid flat must not have a hood secured by a cord which passes through the fabric. If such clothing does have a hood cord, it must be secured so that it cannot be pulled through — usually with a line of stitching.

The 44 cm figure is a legal definition of which garments are in scope, not a "this coat is fine" stamp. Measuring 45 cm does not create a new certificate. Measuring 40 cm with a free-running hood cord is the fact pattern the 1976 instrument names.

Is this the same as KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE on nightwear?

No. Hood cords are a draw-through rule on outerwear. Nightwear flammability is the 1985 Nightwear Regulations and BS5722 labels. Business Companion lists them as two separate private-seller cautions: think twice before selling nightwear, and beware of children's coats with hood cords if their source is uncertain.

Netmums mentions cords or drawstrings around the neck on second-hand baby clothes as a check, without the 44 cm measurement. The measurement is the official hook; the neck-cord glance is not a substitute for it.

How do I check a coat on the stall?

You need the coat fastened and flat. A hanging rail measurement, or a guess from the age label, is not the 1976 test.

1. 1
   Fasten it as designed Zip, poppers or buttons — whichever the coat is meant to use in normal wear. The 1976 definition is "fastened as it is designed to be".
2. 2
   Lay it flat On the rug or on a table, as flat as possible without stretching the fabric out of shape. Do not pinch the sides in to make a smaller number.
3. 3
   Measure across the chest Straight across the chest, seam to seam. If the tape reads 44 cm or less, the garment is inside the 1976 definition of a child's outer garment.
4. 4
   Look at the hood channel Is there a cord drawn through the material? Can you pull one end and watch the other end travel? That free-running channel is what regulation 3 names.
5. 5
   Look for stop-stitching Causeway Coast and Glens: if a cord is present it must be secured so it cannot be pulled through, usually a line of stitching. A decorative toggle that still runs is not that stitch. Photograph the channel and the tape.

What about EN 14682 on newer children's clothes?

The 1976 instrument is the hood-cord-through-fabric rule with a 44 cm chest definition. Newer children's clothing is also assessed against BS EN 14682 (cords and drawstrings on children's clothing, up to 14 years) under the general product-safety regime. A GOV.UK OPSS PRISM case on a non-compliant decorative neck cord cites EN 14682:2014 and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

That standard is wider than hood channels — it covers drawstrings and functional cords at the head, neck and upper chest on garments for children up to 14. It is not a tape measure you can finish in ten seconds on a field, and this page does not pretend it is. The stall job for a coat hood remains: fasten, 44 cm, can the cord pull through.

In shortFasten, lay flat, measure across the chest. At 44 cm or under, a hood cord that runs through the fabric is the 1976 fact pattern. Stop-stitching is what council pages name as the usual fix. A stitch, or no cord, is not a verdict on the rest of the coat.

Does the rule change if the seller is a mum clearing a loft?

The 1976 Regulations are about the garment design, not the seller's day job. Business Companion still singles out children's coats with hood cords as a private-seller caution if source or history is uncertain. A loft-clearance stall does not rewrite regulation 3.

Refund law if the coat was described as having a stitched, non-running cord and the channel is free is a description problem. Photograph the tape and the channel before you pay — see what to photograph.