Federal law requires that infant bouncer seats comply with the Safety Standard for Infant Bouncer Seats, 16 CFR Part 1229, and with additional requirements, including those specified by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).
Manufacturers and importers of infant bouncer seats must certify in a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) that their infant bouncer seats comply with the mandatory standard and any additional CPSIA requirements after the infant bouncer seats have been tested for compliance at a CPSC-accepted, third party laboratory. These requirements are discussed below and at: www.cpsc.gov/BusinessEducation.
The mandatory Safety Standard for Infant Bouncer Seats incorporates by reference ASTM F2167-22. The Standard can be purchased from ASTM International. You may also inspect a copy free of charge at the ASTM Reading Library.
An “infant bouncer seat” is a “freestanding product intended to support an occupant in a reclined position to facilitate bouncing by the occupant, with the aid of a caregiver or by other means”. Infant bouncer seats are intended for “infants who have not developed the ability to sit up unassisted (approximately 0 to 6 months of age)”.
Infant bouncer seats within the scope of the Standard include products of various designs, including seats that support a child in an inclined position with adjustable seat backs. Some infant bouncer seats may also have an accessory bar that is within reach of the child.
The Standard seeks to minimize the risk of injury or death associated with a child’s use of a compliant infant bouncer seat, including falls from elevated surfaces, product disassembly or collapse, stability, and suffocation.
The Standard includes performance requirements specific to bouncer seats, general performance requirements, and labeling requirements. The performance requirements address the following:
- Restraint System- to ensure the child is secure with a waist and crotch restraint.
- Stability- to ensure the bouncer seat does not tip over.
- Slip Resistance- to prevent the bouncer seat from slipping more than the allowed amount when occupied.
- Structural Integrity- to ensure that no broken materials, ripped seams or changes occur that would cause the product not to be able to support the child.
- Disassembly/Collapse- to ensure the bouncer seat does not disassemble or collapse when in use.
- Drop Test- to ensure the product does not create a hazardous condition.
- Toy Bar Attachment Integrity –to ensure the toy bar attachment does not create a hazardous condition.
- Battery/Electrical - to ensure that each battery compartment is properly marked, can contain any battery leakage, does not exceed acceptable operating temperatures, and provides protection from charging a non-rechargeable battery through appropriate electrical circuit design.
The standard also includes: (1) requirements prohibiting hazardous sharp points and edges; (2) small parts limitations; (3) wood parts must be smooth and free of splinters; (4) latching/locking mechanism requirements to ensure that the bouncer seat remains in the manufacturer’s recommended position during testing; (5) design requirements to prevent scissoring, shearing, and pinching; (6) limitations on the size of openings; (7) coverage requirements on exposed coil springs; (8) requirements for protective components on graspable sharp edges, points, or entrapments points for fingers and toes; (9) requirements for the permanency and adhesion of labels; (10) requirements for the fall hazard warning label to be placed on the front of the bouncer seat near the baby’s head and shoulders and instructing to use restraints even if a baby falls asleep in the bouncer; and (11) requirements that any toy attachments must meet applicable requirements.
Infant bouncer seats are subject to requirements for surface coatings, lead, testing and certification, registration cards, and tracking labels under the CPSIA. These requirements are discussed below and at: www.cpsc.gov/BusinessEducation:
- Surface Coating Limit: Bouncer seats must not be painted with paint that contains more than 90 ppm (0.009 percent) lead.
- Lead Content Limit: Bouncer seats must not contain greater than 100 ppm (0.01 percent) of total lead content in any accessible component part.
- Testing and Certification: Bouncer seats, like all products that are designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, must be tested by a CPSC-accepted, third party laboratory for compliance with the Bouncer Seats Standard and all other applicable children’s product safety rules. Based on that testing, a domestic manufacturer (or importer) of infant bouncer seats must issue a Children's Product Certificate specifying each applicable rule and indicating that the product complies with those rules.
- Product and Outer Package Labeling Requirements: Durable infant or toddler products, such as infant bouncer seats, must be permanently marked with specific labeling information, including tracking labels, on the product and on the packaging.
- Product Registration Card Requirement: In addition, durable infant or toddler products are required to have additional product markings and a product registration card attached to the product. This chart summarizes the specific labeling and registration requirements that durable infant and toddler products must meet.