SG 12/24
US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has published a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish a consumer product safety rule for infant support cushions.
On January 16, 2024, the CPSC published a notice of proposed rulemaking (16 CFR 1243) to establish a safety standard for infant support cushions. The proposed rule aims to mitigate the potential dangers linked with the use of these cushions, particularly addressing concerns related to suffocation, entrapment and fall hazards. Currently, there are no available voluntary or mandatory safety standards for infant support cushions that address these hazards.
The proposed rule defines infant support cushion as “an infant product that is filled with or comprised of resilient material such as foam, fibrous batting, or granular material or with a gel, liquid, or gas, and which is marketed, designed, or intended to support an infant's weight or any portion of an infant while reclining or in a supine, prone, or recumbent position.” This includes infant pillows, infant loungers, nursing pillows with a lounging function, infant props or cushions used to support an infant for activities such as “tummy time,” and other similar products.
The requirements in the proposed rule include:
- General requirements
- Hazardous sharp edges or points
- Small parts
- Lead in paints
- Toys
- Side height
- Removal of components
- Permanency of labeling and warnings
- Convertible products
- Performance requirements
- Restraint
- Seam strength
- Bounded openings
- Maximum incline angle
- Firmness
- Sidewall angle
- Marking and labeling requirements
- Instructional literature requirements
16 CFR 1130 is also proposed to be updated to include infant support cushions as durable infant or toddler products that require consumer registration. This safety standard for infant support cushions is also proposed to be included in 16 CFR 1112, which lists children’s product safety rules for which the CPSC has issued a notice of requirements (NORs).
The CPSC has proposed an effective date of 180 days after publication of the final rule in the Federal Register. Interested parties are invited to submit their comments by March 18, 2024.
Notice of Proposed Rule 16 CFR 1243
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