CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND RETAIL E-SSENTIALS

USA: Crib bumpers and infant inclined sleepers will now be banned

MAY 2022 - SOFTLINES, TOYS AND CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

On 16 May 2022, U.S. President Biden signed into law the Safe Sleep for Babies Act (H.R. 3182)¹, banning two dangerous infant sleep products - crib bumpers and inclined sleepers,  which are unsafe for infants' sleep and have been linked with reported deaths. 

The law designates inclined sleepers and crib bumpers as hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act and banned them from being manufactured or sold because of the risk of suffocation. The prohibition will become effective no later than 180 days from the date of enactment.

Inclined sleepers are products aimed at babies up to one year old and have a sleep surface slanted greater than 10 degrees. Crib bumpers are padded and goes inside a crib, which intends to prevent the babies from becoming trapped in any part of the crib's openings. However, they do not include unpadded mesh crib liners.

Last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ruled under 16 CFR Part 1236² that inclined sleepers and other products marketed for sleep for babies younger than five months must meet the same federal safety standards required for bassinets and cradles or similar products, starting next month.

[1]  Safe Sleep for Babies Act (H.R. 3182)

[2]  CPSC Publishes New Regulations on Infant Sleepers, June 2021