CPSC Approves New Federal Safety Standard for Infant Support Cushions to Prevent Infant Deaths and Serious Injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal mandatory standard to improve the safety of infant support cushions in order to protect babies from injury and death. By a 5 to 0 vote, the Commission approved a new rule that addresses suffocation, entrapment, and fall risks. 

Infant support cushions include infant loungers, infant head positioner pillows, infant sleep positioners and anti-rollover pillows, crib pillows, wedge pillows for infants, stuffed toys or pads and mats marketed for use as infant support cushions, multi-purpose pillows marketed for both nursing and lounging, and tummy time pillows. 

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 these deaths involved the infant support cushion being used in or on a sleep product, including an adult bed or mattress, a bassinet, crib, play yard or on a couch, futon or toddler bed. 

The new rule will go into effect 180 days following its publication in the Federal Register and will require that all infant support cushions manufactured for sale after the rule takes effect meet the new requirements.  The rule sets performance standards for infant support cushions to reduce the risk of suffocation, entrapment, and fall injuries and deaths including:

1. firmness testing on all parts of the product’s surface that an infant can come into contact with, to reduce suffocations from the product conforming to an infant’s face and obstructing the infant’s airways;
2. sidewall angle testing that requires the angle formed between any sidewall and the occupant surface to be greater than 90 degrees, to address the risk of suffocation and entrapment between the sidewall and occupant support surface; 
3. a maximum incline angle that cannot exceed 10 degrees to address hazardous positioning of an infant’s head and neck on the product; this effectively limits the side height of the product to slightly less than 2 inches, which provides a visual cue to consumers to place the product on the floor to reduce falls; 
4. prohibits the use of infant restraints that could suggest that infants can safely be left unattended in the product; and
5. requires strongly worded on-product warning labels that are conspicuous and permanent. 

“This is an important rule that creates safety standards for a set of products that – until now – were not subject to comprehensive safety standards and created suffocation hazards for infants,” said Chair Hoehn-Saric. “If a product is made for babies, it should be as safe as possible for their use. This rule advances our important work to improve the safety of all durable infant products.”

Babies can turn over and roll out of infant support cushions without warning. To keep your baby safer while using infant support cushions:  

• Never use infant support cushions for infant sleep or naps. If your baby falls asleep, move your baby to a crib, play yard, or bassinet.
• Stay near and watch your baby during use.
• Only use an infant support cushion on the floor. 
• Do not use on beds, sofas, or other raised surfaces. Do not place infant support cushions on soft surfaces or in other infant sleep products, such as cribs or bassinets, or anywhere a baby sleeps. 
• Keep blankets and other soft items out of and away from the product.

CPSC reminds consumers that the safest place for a baby to sleep is a flat, bare surface dedicated to the infant such as a crib, bassinet or play yard. Visit CPSC’s Safe Sleep Education Center for additional safety resources to keep your baby safe.

For more information on Section 104 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act), which requires the Commission to issue consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products, click here.

Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.

Commissioner Statements

Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric