Amazon, Target and Babylist have announced they will no longer sell sleeping bags and weighted diapers for babies, citing safety concerns.
This decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics deemed children’s sleep products unsafe.
“Heavy products, such as weighted beds, weighted diapers, weighted sleep bags, and weighted blankets, are not safe for babies,” the CDC said on its website.
He The scientists found that using soft bedding was associated with a 16-fold increased risk of explained suffocation, compared to not using soft bedding.
Leah Rocketto, associate director of commerce at What to Expect, told AZFamily that she’s surprised this change hasn’t happened sooner.
Amazon, Target and Babylist have announced they will no longer sell sleeping bags and weighted diapers for babies, citing safety concerns.
This decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics deemed children’s sleep products unsafe.
“I think we’re taking a really important step to help ensure the safety of babies and the peace of mind of parents across the country,” Rocketto said.
“I’m a little surprised it didn’t happen sooner, but better late than never.”
The theory behind weighted baby sleepwear is that your baby will sleep longer and deeper with increasing weight, which can range from a few ounces to almost 1.5 pounds, depending on the sleeping bag or swaddle. .
However, like adult weighted blankets, these products have small beads sewn in to add extra weight, restricting babies’ movement.
“The problem is that babies and newborns really need to be able to move around while they sleep, especially if they roll over,” Rocketto said.
“What we want is for them to be able to roll onto their backs because, as the American Academy of Pediatrics says, it’s best to sleep on your back for at least the first six months of a child’s life.”
Suppliers were reportedly notified of the policy change that will ban heavy baby items on April 9, according to Amazon. At the end of April, the company says, enforcement of the law will begin.
“We’ve made this update with customer safety in mind,” an Amazon spokesperson told AZFamily.
“We work hard to ensure that the products offered in our store are safe and we have dedicated teams to develop and update our policies, evaluate listings and continually monitor our store to prevent unsafe and non-compliant products from being listed” .
Last week, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Dreamland Baby and Nested Bean, two manufacturers of heavyweight baby toys.
Blumenthal said companies are falsely advertising the safety of the weighted sleeping bag.
“The tests and standards that companies promote relate to garment construction, fabric quality, and chemical detection standards, not the safety of weighted sleep products,” Blumenthal wrote to the FTC.
“I believe these implied safety claims may constitute unlawful behavior under the FTC’s ‘unfair or deceptive acts or practices’ within the Commission’s enforcement authority.”
Dreamland Baby CEO Tara Williams vehemently defended the safety of her company’s heavy baby products.
“There is no data to support the safety concerns raised in this regard,” Williams wrote in a statement.
Leah Rocketto (pictured), associate director of commerce at What to Expect, said she’s surprised this change hasn’t happened sooner.
‘No deaths or serious injuries have been attributed to the products, and they have not been subject to recall or federal regulation.
“Rumors, innuendo and speculation are no substitute for the evidence before such drastic action was taken against a responsible small business founded by women.”
Williams said his company took the initiative to facilitate a clinical trial with Indiana University more than a year ago. Doctors at the university have been recruiting baby participants for the past three months to collect data for their study, which began April 23.
“We are confident that this clinical trial will confirm the safety and effectiveness of the products,” Williams concluded.
