CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND RETAIL E-SSENTIALS

USA: CPSC updates safety standard for hand-held infant carriers 

MAY 2020 – RELEVANT FOR: TOYS AND CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

On 20 May 2020, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a direct final rule¹ revising the safety standard for hand-held infant carriers by mandating the latest version of standard ASTM F2050-19² without modification. The rule will become effective on 3 August 2020, unless significant adverse comment would be received by 19 June 2020.

ASTM F2050-19 defines a hand-held infant carrier as a freestanding, rigid-sided or semi-rigid-sided product intended to carry an occupant whose torso is completely supported by the product to facilitate transportation by a caregiver by means of hand-holds or handles. Hand-held infant carrier seats and hand-held bassinets or cradles are two categories of hand-held infant carriers.

To alert the caregiver to fall hazard when use the hand-held carriers with shopping cart, the new standard added a new warning pictogram and warning statement “Fall Hazard: The carrier can fall from the shopping cart. Do not use on shopping cart.”. The pictogram for the warning is as follows:

The new standard also excludes hand-held bassinets or cradles to bear a warning “Never leave child unattended” considering that a child would be expected to sleep unattended in a bassinet or cradle. The Commission states³ this warning exemption should not be interpreted that such products are absolutely safe for sleep. It is expected that CPSC and ASTM may develop a standard specifically targeted at ensuring infant sleep products are safe in future.

[1]  16 CFR Part 1225

[2]  ASTM F2050-19

[3]  CPSC statement on ASTM's revisions to the standard for hand-held infant carriers