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USA: CPSC updates safety standards for non-full-size baby cribs and play yards

OCTOBER 2019 - Relevant for: children's products

On 23 October 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued direct final rule¹ updating the safety standards for non-full-size baby cribs (NFS cribs) and play yards to ASTM F406-19² with modifications. The rule will become effective from 20 January 2020, unless receives significant adverse comment by 22 November 2019.

NFS cribs and play yards are regulated under 16 CFR part 1220 and 1221 respectively. CPSC incorporates by referencing the ASTM F406 standard as their mandatory standards, with 2017 version of standard for NFS cribs, and 2013 version for play yards. In this Notice, the Commission revised the mandatory standards for these two types of products to the latest version ASTM F406-19 with modifications.

Comparing to the current standard of NFS cribs, the substantive change to the new standard is amendment of toehold provision in the construction and finishing requirements by specifying a lower bound for toeholds. This change provides greater clarity for test laboratories to conduct consistent testing for this requirement.

For play yards, the major changes include the update on entrapment requirements in accessories to play yard, revision on mattress vertical displacement test and clarification of where to place a stability testing device. The new standard also provides an alternate on-product warning label for cribs intended for use in child care facilities. Either the existing warning statement or the alternate warning would be allowed to use for products that are intended for use in child care facilitates.

[1] 16 CFR Part 1220, 1221

[2] US Published Standard ASTM F406-19 for Non-full-size Baby Cribs and Play Yards, May 2019