Sleep tight, safe dreams: EU baby sleeping product safety

Products in the sleeping environment of babies and young children, such as baby nests, bedside sleepers, sleeping bags and sleeping sacks, are almost a necessity in many households and daycare centres. To stand out in the competitive baby products market, sellers need to be aware of a lot more than simply the design and materials used. This is especially true when it comes to EU safety compliance and applicable standards enforced to protect vulnerable users. 

In a recent report published by the European Commission under the Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP), it was found that 97% of baby nests, bedside sleepers and sleeping bags were not compliant with at least one of the clauses of the applicable reference standards. 

General Products Safety Directive (GPSD 2001/95/EC)

Childcare products, such as those examined in the EC report, do not fall under any specific legislation in the EU, except the General Products Safety Directive (GPSD 2001/95/EC), which is the one to be observed as it includes referenced and harmonised safety standards applicable to these products intended for children under 14 years of age. 

When children are left to sleep unsupervised by parents or caregivers for long periods of time, the safety of these products themselves is of critical importance. It is even more important to assess the safety of childcare products when no single standard that documents all the critical points to be evaluated exists. 

We can take the case of baby nests as an example. Baby nests as a type of consumer goods fall under the scope of GPSD, however, there is no specific standard that evaluates the safety of these products. In the CASP survey by EC mentioned, 24 out of 28 models of baby nests displayed a horizontal gap where the head of a child could be trapped and cause suffocation hazards. 

Assessing risks in childcare products

Childcare products are of keen interest to surveillance authorities so manufacturers, importers, distributors or any other economic operators in the EU market must be aware of any applicable standard or risk assessment procedure. Economic operators must provide this level of safety as mandated by legislation in order to protect babies and toddlers from any possible risk during their rest time. 

When assessing the risks of these products, it is necessary to take into consideration, among others, the following risks: 

• Choking: for instance, due to the presence or generation of small parts
• Entrapment: for instance, due to the presence of gaps or openings
• Hyperthermia: for instance, due to excessive thermal insulation or ventilation
• Strangulation: for instance, due to the presence of cords
• Flammability: for instance, due to the rapid spread of a flame
• Chemical: due to the presence of hazardous substances

At Eurofins Softlines & Leather, we can help you to assess the safety of your products by risk assessment, coupled with the relevant testing to ensure that your products do not contain any risk. Our laboratory network can provide testing services on the following standards relating to baby sleeping products in the EU market: 

• EN 16780: Safety requirements and test methods for children's cot bumpers
• EN 16781: Safety requirements and test methods for children's sleep bags for use in a cot
• EN 16890: Children's furniture – Mattresses for cots and cribs – Safety requirements and test methods
• EN 16779-1: Textile childcare articles - Safety requirements and test methods for children's cot duvets - Part 1: Duvet (excluding duvet covers)
• EN 14878: Textiles – Burning behaviour of children´s nightwear
• EN 1130: Children's furniture - Cribs - Safety requirements and test methods
• EN 716-1 & EN 716-2: Furniture - Children's cots and folding cots for domestic use

Learn more about our testing services for textiles products, or contact us for a product safety proposal for your own products!