CPSC Issues Guidelines for Babywearing

While acknowledging the benefits of the long-running practice of babywearing, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a statement last week to help parents use the products safely to avoid suffocation. In the statement, the CPSC offered the following advice: “After reviewing numerous cases, child safety experts at CPSC have determined that parents with infants younger than four months of age, premature, low-birthweight babies, and babies with colds and respiratory problems should take extra care in using a sling, including consulting their pediatrician.”

In response, the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance issued its own statement reiterating the advantages of babywearing and outlining the steps the group is taking to educate the public, which include developing a babywearing safety education program with Health Canada and working with ASTM to initiate the nation’s first voluntary safety standard for sling-style carriers. Read the full BCIA statement on its website.