Infant Walkers Business Guidance

Section 104(b)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the CPSC to promulgate rulemaking for durable infant or toddler products. Implementing that Congressional instruction, CPSC published in the Federal Register (75 FR 35266) a final rule that codifies the regulation for infant walkers at 16 C.F.R. part 1216 and incorporates by reference ASTM F977, with any modifications by CPSC. 16 C.F.R. § 1216.2 identifies the latest Commission-accepted version of ASTM F977 that is mandatory as well as any modifications. See the “Previous Versions of the Standard” section below for effective dates.

An “infant walker” is a “a mobile unit that enables a child to move on a horizontal surface when propelled by the child sitting or standing within the walker”.

The requirements for infant walkers are as follows:

• General requirements
  • Wood parts
  • Latching or locking mechanisms
  • Openings
  • Scissoring, shearing, and pinching
  • Exposed coil springs
  • Labeling
  • Protective components
  • Toys – any toy accessories must meet the applicable requirements for children’s toys
• Performance requirements
  • Stability
  • Structural Integrity
  • Prevention of falls down step(s)
  • Parking device (applicable to walkers equipped with parking brakes)

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

Labeling

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

• Name of domestic 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 F977 depending on its date of manufacture or import:

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 walkers, the citation to use in section 2 of the CPC is “16 CFR part 1216 – Infant walkers”.

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

Additional Information

• Infant walkers FAQs
• Durable infant or toddler product business guidance page
• Registration forms business guidance page

Contact

• SBO contact form
• Toll-free: (888) 531-9070
• Email: SBO@cpsc.gov