The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal mandatory standard intended to improve the safety of infant sling carriers and prevent deaths and injuries to young children.

Infant sling carriers are worn by the parent or caregiver and are designed to carry an infant/toddler in an upright or reclined position. Slings generally are intended for infants and toddlers between 8 and 35 pounds. Designs typically range from unstructured hammock-shaped products that suspend from the caregiver’s body, to long lengths of material or fabric that wrap around the caregiver’s body.

The new federal safety standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F2907-15), Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Sling Carriers, with one modification regarding label attachments. CPSC’s rule modifies the ASTM standard to make warning labels more permanent by preventing the labels from being attached to the sling carrier along only one side of the label.

The mandatory standard contains several requirements for sling carriers including:

※ loading to ensure that the sling can carry up to three times the manufacturer’s maximum recommended     weight,

※ structural integrity to ensure that after all testing, there are no seam separations, fabric tears, breakage, etc., and

※ occupant retention to prevent the child being carried from falling out of the sling during normal use.

In addition, the standard requires sling carriers to come with warning labels and instructional literature. These requirements include:

※ pictures to show the proper position of a child in the sling,

※ a warning statement about the suffocation hazard posed by slings and prevention measures,

※ warning statements about children falling out of slings, and

※ a reminder for caregivers to check the buckles, snaps, rings and other hardware to make sure no parts are broken.

Between January 2003 and September 2016, 159 incidents were reported to CPSC involving sling carriers; 17 were fatal and 142 were nonfatal. Of the 142 nonfatal incidents, 67 reports involved an injury to the infant during use of the product. Among the 67 reported nonfatal injuries, 10 involved hospitalizations.

The final rules will become effective January 30, 2018 and will apply to products manufactured or imported on or after the effective date.

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