CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND RETAIL E-SSENTIALS

USA: New ASTM standard promotes safety of infant floor seats

June 2018- Relevant for:toys and childrens' product

ASTM International’s committee on consumer products (F15) has recently approved a new standard F3317¹ that provides requirements and test methods ensuring adequate performance of infant floor seats.

The standard was developed to minimize injuries to children resulting from normal usage and foreseeable misuse or abuse of infant floor seats. It has several safety-related requirements including stability, structural integrity, and with the most important occupant retention. It also comes with a strict and easy-to-understand warning label on product and its retail package to ensure consumers are using the product properly.

An example of product warnings described in the standard is shown below.

An infant floor seat is a seat which is placed on the floor that is intended to contain a child who can hold his/her head up unassisted (approximately 4 months of age) until the child can either walk (approximately 12 months of age) or get in and out of the product by themselves. An infant floor seat may include a tray, toys, or a restraint system.

This standard is not intended to address accidents and injuries resulting from the interaction of older children with children in infant floor seats, and pillow-like infant positioners that are generally constructed from fabric and stuffing for the purposes of positioning or lounging and do not have an active or passive restraint.

[1] ASTM F3317-18