WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer Reports (CR) today commended the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for unanimously approving a new federal safety standard to make nursing pillows safer for families that rely on them during breastfeeding and bottle feeding. CR has investigated safety issues linked to nursing pillows and submitted a comment letter last year in support of this rule.
The CPSC is aware of 154 infant fatalities and 88 nonfatal incidents involving nursing pillows from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2022. The majority of the fatalities involved the infant sleeping in or on a nursing pillow, and nearly all of the reported deaths involved babies six months old or younger. Nursing pillows are not a safe sleep environment for infants, and using them for sleep raises the risk of suffocation and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).
Oriene Shin, policy counsel for Consumer Reports, said: “Consumer Reports applauds the CPSC for finalizing this new safety standard, which will drive necessary improvements to nursing pillows to keep young infants safe nationwide. In light of the tragedies that have taken place, parents and caregivers should be able to trust that the nursing pillow they choose will give them the support they want for feeding, while keeping their baby safe from potential suffocation or a fall. We urge nursing pillow manufacturers to move as quickly as possible to comply with the new standard and ensure that only those products meeting its requirements are available for sale.”
The new federal safety standard would make nursing pillows safer by incorporating design changes, testing requirements, and clearer warning labels to help prevent their use for sleeping, lounging, or propping up a baby. These pillows would still serve their primary function of aiding in comfortable feeding while coming with significantly reduced sleep-related risks.
The changes would require nursing pillows to be firmer to prevent them from conforming to an infant’s face, reducing the risk of suffocation. Additionally, nursing pillow openings must be wide enough to ensure infants can move their heads freely to maintain airflow. Nursing pillows will also require straps and buckles to hold at least 20 pounds to reduce the risk of infant falls. Finally, the standard would strengthen the requirements for warnings, making them more visible and harder to remove. A recently approved ASTM International voluntary standard shares many—but not all—of the same requirements.
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 nursing pillows and lounging pads 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 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.