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Infant Sleep Products Business Guidance

Section 104(b)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the CPSC to promulgate safety rules for durable infant or toddler products. Implementing that Congressional instruction, CPSC published in the Federal Register (86 FR 33022) a final rule that codifies the regulation for infant sleep products at 16 C.F.R. part 1236 and incorporates by reference ASTM F3118, with any modifications by CPSC. 16 C.F.R. § 1236.2 identifies the latest Commission-accepted version of ASTM F3118 that is mandatory as well as any modifications. See the “Previous Versions of the Standard” section below for effective dates.

An “infant sleep product” is a “product marketed or intended to provide a sleeping accommodation for an infant up to 5 months of age” that is not already covered under one of the following regulations:

Examples of infant sleep products include in-bed sleepers, baby boxes, compact/travel bassinets, baby nests, and infant travel tents. Additionally, if a product name implies the product is for use as an infant sleep product (such as use of the terms “bed,” “bassinet,” or “crib”), and the product is not already subject to one of CPSC’s other mandatory standards for infant sleep, then the product meets the definition of an infant sleep product and is subject to 16 C.F.R. part 1236.

Infant sleep products must comply with the requirements for bassinets and cradles at 16 C.F.R. part 1218, including meeting the definition of a bassinet/cradle. See our bassinets and cradles business guidance page.

Infant sleep products also must not have a seat back or sleep surface angle that exceeds 10°.

Read-only copies of ASTM standards that are incorporated by reference can be viewed at ASTM’s electronic Reading Room.

Labeling

Per 16 C.F.R. § 1130.4, the following information must be permanently affixed to durable infant or toddler products in English:

  • Name of manufacturer or importer
  • Contact information (must include US address and phone number, toll-free if available)
  • Model name/number
    • Product identification number may be used as an identifying feature instead
  • Date of manufacture
    • Date must be at least month and year, and it can be stated in code form

This labeling requirement is in addition to the tracking label requirement for children’s products. This page summarizes the labeling requirements for durable infant or toddler products.

Registration Form

Product registration forms are required for all durable infant and toddler products to enable the manufacturer or retailer of the product to contact consumers with recall or other safety information. For more information, visit our registration forms business guidance page.

Previous Versions of the Standard

15 U.S.C. § 2056a(b)(4)(B) requires the CPSC to evaluate any updates to an incorporated ASTM standard for durable infant or toddler products to determine whether the revised standard improves the safety of the product. Firms must ensure that the product is tested to the Commission-accepted version of ASTM F3118 depending on its date of manufacture:

Manufactured after...Must meet...
June 23, 2022ASTM F3118-17a with modification, see 86 FR 33022

Certification

Section 14(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) requires manufacturers and importers of children’s products subject to a regulation, standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC to certify that those products meet the requirements of the standard by issuing a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). For infant sleep products, the citation to use in section 2 of the CPC is “16 CFR part 1236 – Infant sleep products”.

For more information on certification, visit our CPC business guidance page.

Additional Information

Contact

Report an unsafe product