A new federal rule aimed at ensuring that products sold or used for infant sleep provide a safe sleeping environment for infants under 5 months of age went into effect today in Washington, D.C. The new Baby Sleep Product Safety Standard, which makes it illegal to sell non-compliant baby sleep products, applies to products manufactured on or after June 23.

The new rule applies to reclining sleepers, as baby sleep products must have a sleeping surface angle of 10 degrees or less. It also applies to any flat-sleeping product cradles and cradles that do not meet the mandatory safety standards.

This standard is published in the Code of Federal Regulations 16 CFR Part 1218. This standard is incorporated by reference into ASTM F2194-13, with some modifications.

ASTM F2194-13 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Cradles and Cradles

ASTM standards include cradle and cradle-specific performance requirements, general performance requirements, and labeling requirements. Key provisions of the ASTM Cradle and Cradle Standard include:

1. Spacing of rigid components/fabric side closure openings: designed to prevent jamming between slats or other rigid components below the fabric side.

2. Static load: designed to ensure that the product is structurally sufficient to accommodate the intended occupant.

3. Stability: Aims to address incidents where siblings may tip over while looking at the cradle.

4. Sleeping pad thickness and size: Designed to prevent suffocation or suffocation due to gaps between the sleeping pad and the non-rigid sides of the fabric or mesh bassinet.

5. Side height: designed to prevent falling from the product.

6. Flatness of segmented mattresses: Designed to prevent suffocation of occupants lying face down in the joints of segmented mattresses.

7. Swing/swing angle: For products that are swaying or swaying, this requirement is designed to prevent getting into trouble due to the swinging angle.

8. WARNING: Designed to alert caregivers of the dangers of infant falls and suffocation when using cradles and cradles.

ASTM standards also include:

(1) Requirements for prohibiting small parts;

(2) The requirement to prohibit dangerous sharp points and edges;

(3) Unintentional folding requirements;

(4) Persistence and adhesion requirements of the label;

(5) Requirements to be met by toy accessories ASTM F963 Toy Safety Standard;

(6) Cutting, shearing or clipping requirements;

(7) corner post requirements;

(8) Fastener requirements;

(9) Requirements for bassinets that are accessories for play fields or non-full-size cribs;

(10) Restriction requirements of constraints;

(11) Opening requirements;

(12) Protective component requirements and;

(13) Requirements for warning and guidance literature.

The provisions of 16 CFR Part 1218 also contain modifications to the ASTM standard. Modifications include the following:

Variation in angle limits for segmented mattress flatness testing. Federal standards limit the allowable angle to 10 degrees;

Explain that dual mode/combination products should meet the requirements of both (or all) standards related to the mode of use;

Modifications to stability testing procedures to be more rigorous and representative of product usage;

A new requirement and test procedure to address hazards related to the stability of products with removable bassinets designed for use with or without a base.

Cradles and cradles are also subject to surface coating, lead and phthalate content, testing and certification, registration cards and tracking labels.

Surface Coating Restrictions: Cradles and cradles must not be painted with paints containing more than 90 ppm (0.009%) lead.

Lead Limits: The total lead content of the cradle and any accessible parts of the cradle must not exceed 100 ppm (0.01%).

Phthalates Content Limits: The plasticizing ingredients of cradles and cradles must not contain more than 0.1% of the following eight specified phthalates: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) , dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), phthalate Di-n-pentyl dicarboxylate (DPENP), di-n-hexyl phthalate (DEXP) and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP).

Testing and Certification: Cradles and Cradles, like all products designed or used primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, must be tested by a CPSC-accredited third-party laboratory to meet the Cradle and Cradle Standard and all other applicable children Product Safety Rules. Based on this test, the domestic manufacturer (or importer) of cradles and cradles must issue a Children's Product Certificate specifying each applicable rule and showing that the product complies with those rules.

Product and Overpack Labeling Requirements: Durable infant and toddler products, such as bassinets and bassinets, must be permanently marked with specific labeling information, including tracking labels, on the product and packaging. Additionally, durable infant and toddler products require additional product markings and a product registration card attached to the product. This chart summarizes the specific labelling and registration requirements that durable infant or toddler products must meet.

The new rules will effectively eliminate potentially dangerous sleep products from the market, such as recliners, travel and compact bassinets, and bed rests that currently do not meet the CPSC's mandatory safety standards for infant sleep.

Items not designed or sold for infant sleep are exempt from this rule. The CPSC reminds consumers that the safest place for babies to sleep is on a flat, exposed surface designed for babies. Today's rules ensure that sleep products sold meet these basic safety requirements.

The CPSC plans to conduct a comprehensive outreach effort to manufacturers, importers and sellers to enforce the new rules, including educating them about the requirements and ensuring they understand their compliance obligations. This work will include direct communication, online resources and other activities.

The Baby Sleep Product Rule requires that any product sold or used for sleep must meet one or more federal safety standards for cribs (full-size and non-full-size), bassinets, playgrounds, or headrests, and if the product does not meet these One of the regulations, then it must meet the safety standards for cradles and cradles.