WASHINGTON, D.C. — Consumer Reports today praised the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for voting 3-1 in favor of new safeguards for infant sleep products. A CPSC final rule approved today will ensure that all infant sleepers, including those tied to dozens of infant deaths, must comply with strong minimum safety standards.
A multi-year CR investigation has found that unregulated infant sleep products put babies at serious risk. According to an examination of CPSC data and CR’s independent reporting, at least 94 infant deaths are associated with inclined sleepers, and at least 23 deaths are associated with unregulated flat sleep products, including in-bed sleepers.
William Wallace, manager of safety policy for Consumer Reports, said, “This is a critical move that will help people keep their babies safe. We commend the safety experts and leaders at the CPSC who worked diligently to get these strong safety standards done. We urge every manufacturer and retailer of infant products to put their customers’ safety first by supporting this sensible rule and complying with its requirements as quickly as possible.”
CR said the new rule, which the organization has strongly supported, will reduce confusion in the marketplace by drawing a clear line between infant products for sleep and infant products not for sleep. Now that a final rule on infant sleep products has been approved, the new requirements will become official in the coming days and take effect one year later.
Oriene Shin, policy counsel for Consumer Reports, said, “This rule gives parents and babies the strong safeguards they should have had all along. Parents should be able to trust that every infant sleeper on the market aligns with expert medical recommendations. Thanks to the final rule approved today, every product that a company designs or markets as an infant sleeper will be required to meet strong minimum safety standards.”
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep recommendations include that infants should sleep alone, on their back, on a firm, flat surface in their own safe sleeping area – be it a crib, bassinet, or play yard – with no extra bedding, to help avoid suffocation and other dangers. CR urges parents and caregivers to follow these evidence-based recommendations and discontinue the use of any product for infant sleep that does not align with them, including inclined sleepers, in-bed sleepers, and various other products covered by the CPSC’s new final rule.
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Contact: David Butler, david.butler@consumer.org
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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 85 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.