Sleep is important for any child, but safe sleep is of the utmost importance for newborns and infants.
While it’s not uncommon for parents to put infants in a sleeper or lounger, safety in these chairs continues to be the top priority. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the safety risks of a specific infant lounger: the Momaid lounger.
“The loungers fail to meet the safety requirements of the CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule because they do not have a stand,” the agency wrote. “In addition, the lounger fails to meet the side height, markings and labeling, and instructional literature requirements. These failures create an unsafe sleeping environment for infants.”
As part of the CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule, manufacturers are also required to print the manufacturing date, as this helps identify products that were sold before and after these safety rules were put into place. The Momaid loungers don’t have this information, or any kind of tracking label, making it difficult to know if the products were manufactured under previously unsafe regulations.
According to the agency, failure to meet these standards increases infants’ risk of falling or suffocation.
What to avoid
For consumers who may have one of these loungers at home or want to know what to avoid, Momaid is selling the loungers as follows: Baby Lounger Portable Infant Co Sleeping Bassinet Newborn Cocoon Snuggle Reversible Bed Nest Travel Crib.
They typically list for $55 on Amazon and other popular websites, and they come in four different colors – Blue Palm Leaf, Pink Lychee Leaf, Blue Lychee Leaf, and Banana Gray Leaf – and they also come with a pillow.
According to the CPSC, the product comes from Zhejiang Juster Trading LLC. At the time this warning was issued, the company had opposed formally recalling the product, disagreeing with the agency's conclusions.
Should any parents have these loungers at home, the CPSC encourages you to stop using them immediately and dispose of them. The CPSC is working now to stop the sale of these infant sleepers.
Promoting safe infant sleep habits
The CSPC released its Infant Sleep Products Rule in June of 2022 at the same time that the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines to promote safe sleep among this vulnerable population.
Below are some of the tips for parents to consider when preparing for naps or bedtime with infants:
Keep infants flat on their backs and on level surfaces when sleeping
Never have infants sleeping with stuffed animals, toys, blankets, or pillows
Infants – especially those under four months old – shouldn’t be sleeping in their car seats or on any inclined surfaces
Infants don’t need to be swaddled beyond three or four months old (this can be dangerous once babies become more mobile)
Be vigilant about any products marketed toward reducing the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), as no official evidence has come out regarding specific products protecting infants’ health.
