WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Reports (CR) commended the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for unanimously approving a new mandatory safety standard for baby loungers and other infant support cushions. The standard would improve the safety of these products by incorporating design changes, testing requirements, and clearer warning labels to protect babies from injury and death. CR has investigated safety concerns linked to infant loungers and submitted a joint comment letter this year supporting the rule.
The CPSC is aware of 79 infant deaths and 124 injuries between 2010 and 2022 associated with infant support cushions, with most injuries and deaths occurring among infants younger than 3 months old. The majority of the deaths involved the infant support cushion being used for sleep. CR provides recommendations for caregivers to keep babies safe as companies work to ensure these products comply with the new safety standard.
Oriene Shin, policy counsel for Consumer Reports, said: “Consumer Reports commends the CPSC for approving this vital safety standard. For years, baby loungers and similar products have been marketed and sold to parents for different types of uses, from lounging to positioning babies for sleep, with few guardrails in place. Countless parents and caregivers reasonably assumed that these products were safe for babies when in reality they came with a serious risk of injury or death. This new safety standard makes the marketplace much safer and easier to navigate, and we urge manufacturers to comply with its requirements as quickly as they can.
Infant support cushions include infant loungers, anti-rollover pillows, multi-purpose pillows for nursing and lounging, and several other products identified by the CPSC. CR highlighted the risks of infant support cushions in its investigations on Boppy loungers and other infant loungers linked to infant deaths, which were sold on major retail platforms like Amazon and Walmart.
The new regulation establishes performance standards for infant support cushions to reduce the risk of suffocation, entrapment, and fall injuries and deaths. It includes firmness and sidewall angle tests, and it sets a maximum incline angle of 10 degrees for these products. Additionally, the regulation prohibits infant restraints, which could imply that infants can be left unattended safely while using the product. The standard also mandates clear and strongly worded on-product warning labels.
The rule will go into effect sometime in spring 2025—180 days following its publication in the Federal Register—and will require that all infant support cushions meet the new requirements if they are manufactured for sale after the rule takes effect.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep recommendations say that babies should be placed alone on a firm, flat surface in their own space, with only a fitted sheet and no added items such as blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or toys in their sleeping space. While infant support cushions are not intended for sleep, reports in the CPSC data show that caregivers sometimes use the products for that purpose, which can lead to suffocation and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Like the AAP, CR’s safety experts recommend that babies be put to bed only in products that meet federal safety requirements for infant sleep, such as a bassinet, crib, or play yard.
Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org