Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles

Section 104(b)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the CPSC to promulgate safety rules for durable infant or toddler products. Implementing that Congressional instruction, CPSC published a final rule that codifies the regulation for bassinets and cradles at

16 C.F.R. part 1218

and incorporates by reference

ASTM F2194. 16 C.F.R. § 1218.2

identifies the latest Commission-accepted version of ASTM F2194 that is mandatory as well as any modifications. See the “

Previous Versions of the Standard

” section below for effective dates.

A bassinet/cradle is a small bed designed primarily to provide sleeping accommodations for infants, supported by freestanding legs, a stationary base/stand/frame, a wheeled base, a rocking base, or a base which can swing relative to a stationary base. While in a rest (non-rocking or non-swinging) position, a bassinet/cradle is intended to have a head-to-toe sleep surface less than or equal to 10 degrees from horizontal.

ASTM F2194 also includes requirements pertaining to bassinets that are accessories to

play yards

or

non-full-size cribs

. These accessories must meet both the bassinet and cradle standard in addition to the standard for the primary product, like a play yard or non-full-size crib.

The requirements for bassinets and cradles are as follows:

General requirements

Lead in paints – see also our

lead in paint business guidance page

Hazardous sharp edges or points – see also 16 C.F.R

ies to

play yards

or

non-full-size cribs

. These accessories must meet both the bassinet and cradle standard in addition to the standard for the primary product, like a play yard or non-full-size crib.

The requirements for bassinets and cradles are as follows:

General requirements

Lead in paints – see also our

lead in paint business guidance page

Hazardous sharp edges or points – see also 16 C.F.R. §§

1500.3(b)(4)(i)(D)

and

1500.3(b)(15)(i)(A)

Small parts – see also our

small parts business guidance page

Wood parts

Scissoring, shearing, and pinching

Unintentional folding

Openings

Labeling

Fasteners

Corner posts

Toys – any toy accessories must meet the applicable requirements for

children’s toys

Bassinet/cradle accessory to play yard/non-full-sized crib

Occupant restraint system

Convertible products with a bassinet/cradle mode

Performance requirements

Spacing of rigid sided bassinet/cradle components

Openings for mesh/fabric sided bassinet/cradle

Static load

Stability

Mattress

Side Height

Sleeping pad

Protective components

Bassinets with segmented mattresses: flatness test

Fabric sided enclosed openings

Rock/swing angle

Removable bassinet bed attachment – modification by CPSC, see

16 C.F.R. § 1218.2(b)(5)

Bassinet structural elements (sidewall integrity, occupant support, minimum height)

Head-to-toe sleep surface angle

Lateral sleep surface angle

Electrical/Battery powered

Aftermarket mattresses

Read-only copies of ASTM standards that are incorporated by reference can be viewed at

ASTM’s electronic Reading Room

.

Labeling

Per

16 C.F.R

attachment – modification by CPSC, see

16 C.F.R. § 1218.2(b)(5)

Bassinet structural elements (sidewall integrity, occupant support, minimum height)

Head-to-toe sleep surface angle

Lateral sleep surface angle

Electrical/Battery powered

Aftermarket mattresses

Read-only copies of ASTM standards that are incorporated by reference can be viewed at

ASTM’s electronic Reading Room

.

Labeling

Per

16 C.F.R. § 1130.4

, the following information must be permanently affixed to durable infant or toddler products in English:

Name of domestic manufacturer or importer

Contact information (must include US address and phone number, toll-free if available)

Model name/number

Product identification number may be used as an identifying feature instead

Date of manufacture

Date must be at least month and year, and it can be stated in code form

This labeling requirement is in addition to the

tracking label requirement

for children’s products.

This page

summarizes the labeling requirements for durable infant or toddler products.

Registration Form

Product registration forms are required for all durable infant and toddler products to enable the manufacturer or retailer of the product to contact consumers with recall or other safety information. For more information, visit our

registration forms business guidance page

.

Previous Versions of the Standard

15 U.S.C. § 2056a(b)(4)(B)

requires the CPSC to evaluate any updates to an incorporated ASTM standard for durable infant or toddler products to determine whether the revised standard improves the safety of the product. Firms must ensure that the product is tested to the Commission-accepted version of ASTM F2194 depending on its date of manufacture or import:

Manufactured or imported on or after...

Must meet..

2056a(b)(4)(B)

requires the CPSC to evaluate any updates to an incorporated ASTM standard for durable infant or toddler products to determine whether the revised standard improves the safety of the product. Firms must ensure that the product is tested to the Commission-accepted version of ASTM F2194 depending on its date of manufacture or import:

Manufactured or imported on or after...

Must meet...

February 21, 2026

ASTM F2194-25, see

90 FR 57691

April 23, 2014

ASTM F2194-13 with modification, see

78 FR 63019

Enforcement

To allow manufacturers sufficient time to come into full compliance with the revised standard, the Office of Compliance and Field Operations will exercise enforcement discretion until June 30, 2026. Products manufactured on or after this date must fully comply with the mandatory standard.

Certification

Section 14(a) of the

Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)

requires manufacturers and importers of children’s products subject to a regulation, standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC to certify that those products meet the requirements of the standard by issuing a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). For bassinets and cradles, the citation to use in section 2 of the CPC is “16 CFR part 1218 – Bassinets and cradles”.

For more information on certification, visit our

CPC business guidance page

.

Additional Information

Bassinets and cradles FAQs

Durable infant or toddler product business guidance page

Registration forms business guidance page

Contact

For more information, please contact the Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) team:

SBO contact form