
The new rule would mandate that any product marketed for infant sleep must adhere to one of these five safety standards otherwise, the product will not be allowed on the market.Īs CR has previously reported, exemptions to these standards have had fatal consequences. These design features help prevent babies from hazards such as suffocating and falling. For example, the products’ sleep surface cannot have an incline of greater than 10 degrees, and the products’ sidewalls must be firm and measure at least 7.5 inches high. These products must adhere to strict requirements and must be safety-tested by a third party to ensure that they meet their respective standards before they can enter the marketplace. The new rule is meant to fill a gap in the CPSC’s oversight of infant sleep products.Ĭurrently, only five categories of infant sleep products must meet mandatory safety standards before they can be sold: full-sized cribs, non-full-sized cribs, bassinets/cradles, play yards, and bedside sleepers. The rule, if approved by a majority of the CPSC’s commissioners, would mark a turning point in a long and contentious debate between industry representatives and safety advocates regarding which types of infant sleepers are allowed on store shelves in the U.S. Separately, the CPSC’s newly released draft rule has linked unregulated flat sleepers-which include products such as in-bed sleepers, baby boxes, and bassinets with no stand-to 11 deaths between Jan. And it has tied in-bed sleepers, such as the DockATot and the Baby Delight Snuggle Nest, to at least 12 fatalities. “We know what safe sleep looks like, and addressing the products that encourage unsafe sleep practices for infants will save lives.”įor families that currently own one of the infant sleep products that would no longer be allowed on the market, this should be a clear signal to immediately stop using these products, says Oriene Shin, policy counsel for Consumer Reports.Īn ongoing CR investigation has linked inclined sleepers, such as the Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play Sleeper, to at least 94 infant deaths. “If the Commissioners vote to approve this rule it will be a huge victory for safe infant sleep,” says Ben Hoffman, MD, chairperson of the AAP Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. families with infants own one or more of the products. The CPSC estimates that Americans spend more than $125 million a year on the infant sleep products potentially affected by the new rule, and that at least a third of U.S. Other products included in the rule are infant sleep hammocks, baby boxes (thick cardboard boxes with a thin infant mattress), compact bassinets that do not have a stand, handheld carriers, Moses baskets, travel tents meant for infant sleep, and soft-sided travel bassinets.
#Dock a tot deluxe recall free#
But it cannot go into effect without a majority of CPSC commissioners approving it. They are expected to vote June 2, 2021.īoth types of products, which have been sold by companies such as Fisher-Price, Kids II, DockATot, and Baby Delight, do not align with safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which state that babies should sleep alone, on their backs, on a firm, flat surface that is free of restraints and soft padding, in order to protect against injuries and death from suffocation, among other dangers. Together, these kinds of products have been linked to dozens of infant deaths.ĬPSC staff has delivered a strong recommendation (PDF) in favor of the new rule.


That includes inclined sleepers, which position babies at an angle of greater than 10 degrees, and in-bed sleepers, which are intended or marketed for parents who want to share their bed with their babies. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that oversees thousands of household products, is meeting today to discuss a draft rule that, if approved, would effectively eliminate from the marketplace several types of unsafe or potentially hazardous sleep products meant for babies up to 5 months old. Update: On June 2, 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3 to 1 to approve a final rule to require that all products sold and marketed for infant sleep meet established safety standards for sleep products.
