Updated August 06, 2024 at 18:01 PM ET
A group of federal lawmakers wants to ban weighted sleepwear for infants over concerns that the garments could harm young babies, with federal data showing at least five infant deaths associated with the products.
Companies that make weighted sleepwear for newborns and infants say their products are safe and help exhausted parents by easing young children into a restful sleep.
But a growing chorus of medical experts, safe-sleep advocates and government regulators have urged caregivers to avoid the items, arguing that there’s no proof weighted infant sleepwear is safe and that in fact it could impede young babies from breathing, pumping blood and moving freely.
“The stakes are simply too high to allow weighted infant sleep sacks and swaddles to stay on the market without evidence that they are safe,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement.
The Safeguarding Infants from Dangerous Sleep Act, which was introduced in both the Senate and the House, would ban wearable blankets, sleep sacks and swaddles that contain added weight “for a purpose other than insulation or decoration” for children age 1 and younger.
“In today’s world, many consumers believe that if a product is sold it must be safe, especially those for babies. However, this isn’t always the case,” Michelle Barry, founder and president of the nonprofit Safe Infant Sleep, said in a statement. “This legislation is a crucial step in safeguarding our youngest and most precious citizens.”
Manasi Gangan, CEO of Nested Bean, which makes and sells weighted infant sleepwear, criticized the proposed legislation as “anti-science" and said she opposed it.
“The bill proposed by Senator Blumenthal and Congressman Cardenas doubles-down on unreasonable government overreach without any data and does not serve the public’s best interest,” Gangan said in an email to NPR. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., is a sponsor of the legislation.
Gangan has called for a product standard on weighted infant sleepwear in the past, and she noted that Nested Bean has sold more than 2.5 million units since 2011.
“While our business has suffered due to reckless statements from government officials, our customers — each one a loving parent, grandparent, or caregiver — are standing with us,” she added.
Dreamland Baby, the other leading manufacturer of weighted infant sleepwear, did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for a comment.
Patty Davis, a spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said the agency is aware of five deaths associated with weighted infant sleep products. “As the investigations into these incidents are ongoing, we are unable to provide additional details,” Davis said. Gangan said officials had not attributed any deaths to a Nested Bean product.
Data published by the CPSC show five fatalities that involved a weighted infant sleep garment between 2022 and 2024. The children who died ranged in age from one month to six months old.
The CPSC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all raised concerns about the potential dangers of weighted infant sleepwear.
Additionally, a number of major retailers recently pulled the products from their stores, including Amazon, Walmart and Target.
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