To be approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), all children's pajamas must pass certain tests that prove the sleepwear cloth, seams and trim will self-extinguish if exposed to a small open flame. The Gap's sleepwear failed this test. The recalled pajamas were sold nationwide between August 1999 and December 1999 at Gap stores for $20-$39.

Even before the CPSC became involved in the recall, the Gap decided to test a particular style of infant sleepwear after receiving reports from the manufacturer that there might be a problem. According to Jane Francis, a spokesperson for the CPSC in Washington, D.C., the Gap tested the product, found that it failed the flammability test and then recalled that one particular style on Friday, December 2. "We then got involved, asked the company to test all their night wear and these six styles failed to pass the test," Francis says.

"As soon as we identified the problem, we began pulling the product from the shelves," says Maria Moyer-Angus, spokesperson for the Gap, Inc. in San Francisco. "We have now retested all our other GapKids and babyGap sleepwear products and know that they meet all federal flammability standards."

Instead of using fabric sprayed with flame retardant for their sleepwear, the Gap achieves federal standards through the fabric and the weave. Moyer-Angus said, "Anything we sell as sleepwear, or we sell in our sleepwear departments in the stores, or online, meets federal flammability standards. Our standards require that children and infants' sleepwear are either flame resistant or snug fitting." Francis adds, "If clothes fit tightly, they're not so likely to brush up against a flame and catch fire."

Neither the company nor the clothing manufacturer knows why the product is failing the flammability test. "We do not know why these pajamas are not flame resistant since they are 100 percent polyester, which is considered inherently flame resistant," Francis explains. "We are working with the manufacturer now to see if the fabric has been sold to anyone else. And we may never know why the fabric is failing. It could be the dye. It could be something else."

According to the CPSC, about 1,150 kids younger than age 15 were treated for burns at hospital emergency rooms from 1980 through 1993. Of those 1,150 kids, pajamas going up in flames caused about 90 burn injuries. On average, about four children younger than 15 die each year from clothing going up in flames.

If your child is wearing Gap pajamas with the style numbers 353558, 353554, 733002, 733032, 466291 or 674060, you should return the product as soon as possible. You can bring the pajamas back to any Gap or Old Navy location for a refund and a $10 gift certificate. For more information, call the chain at (800) GAPSTYLE.