CPSC Issues Safety Standard for Nursing Pillows

On 25 October 2024, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a Final Rule to establish a consumer product safety standard for nursing pillows (16 CFR 1242). 

16 CFR 1242 defines a nursing pillow as “any product intended, marketed, or designed to position and support an infant close to a caregiver’s body while breastfeeding or bottle feeding, including any removable covers, or slipcovers, sold on or together with such a product. These products rest upon, wrap around, or are worn by a caregiver in a seated or reclined position.”

16 CFR 1242 includes the following:

• General requirements:

  • Lead in paint and surface coating
  • Small parts
  • Hazardous sharp edges or points
  • Removal of components
  • Permanency of labels and warnings

• Performance requirements:

  • Infant Restraint Prohibition: Nursing pillows must not include any features that restrain an infant. This is to prevent a potential entanglement hazard and to ensure caregivers do not leave infants unattended.
  • Seam Strength: Seams must be strong enough to prevent filling from leaking out. When tested, the seams must withstand a 15-pound pull for 10 seconds.
  • Caregiver Attachment Strength: If a nursing pillow has a caregiver attachment feature, it must withstand a 20-pound static load. This is meant to prevent falls that can occur if the attachment fails.
  • Firmness: Both the infant support surface and the inner wall of the caregiver opening must pass a firmness test. This test involves using a 3-inch hemispheric probe to simulate an infant's face. The probe is applied to three locations on each surface. To pass the test, the force required to displace the probe by one inch must be greater than 10 Newtons. This requirement aims to reduce the risk of suffocation by preventing the pillow from conforming to an infant's face. The firmness test is repeated after the product is laundered according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Infant Containment: This requirement limits the amount of lateral support the caregiver opening can provide. A 9-inch diameter probe is used to ensure that the opening is large enough to prevent an infant's head from becoming entrapped. The test is performed with the caregiver attachment both secured and unsecured, if present. The purpose of this requirement is to discourage the use of nursing pillows for lounging or propping.

• Test methods

• Marking and labelling requirements

The Final Rule will become effective on 23 April 2025.  Products manufactured on and after that day shall meet the requirements of the new standard and be certified based on testing at a lab accepted by the CPSC for 16 CFR 1242.

Source
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-10-25/pdf/2024-24403.pdf

Inquiry
For questions and additional information about these regulations or other substances of concern in your value chain, please contact Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia (Pratik.ichhaporia@cpt.eurofinsus.com, +1-669-837-2257).