Today, a CPSC safety standard goes into effect to address the 12 infant deaths that have happened each year, on average, in nursing pillows. Babies were dying in nursing pillows mainly because many of their designs made people think they were for sleep. But instead of providing a safe sleep environment, they posed suffocation hazards. They were too soft and fit too tightly around a baby’s head.  CPSC’s nursing pillows standard solves those problems.  New nursing pillows will work just as well for nursing, but without the suffocation risk. 

No product in a baby’s nursery should look like it’s for sleep if it’s unsafe for that purpose.  Over 3,600 infants die in their sleep each year,[1] and I’ve been on a mission to stop baby products from contributing to that harrowing problem.  This rule is a commonsense measure to stop preventable infant sleep deaths.[2]       

Now that the safety standard is on the books, we must enforce it fast.  CPSC staff will begin to clear the market of dangerous nursing pillows that violate the safety standard and pose a risk of suffocation.  Even under challenging conditions, CPSC’s vital mission continues. 

Yours in safety,  

Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr.

*The views expressed in this statement are solely the views of Commissioner Trumka and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission.

 [1] CDC, Data and Statistics for SUID and SIDS (Sept. 17, 2024), https://www.cdc.gov/sudden-infant-death/data-research/data/index.html.

[2] Safety Standard for Nursing Pillows, 89 Fed. Reg. 85,388 (Oct. 25, 2024), available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/25/2024-24403/safety-standard-for-nursing-pillows; Commissioner Rich Trumka Jr., Safety Changes for Nursing Pillows Will Save Babies’ Lives (Sept. 18, 2024), available at https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Commissioner/Richard-Trumka/Statement/Commissioner-Trumka-Safety-Changes-for-Nursing-Pillows-Will-Save-Babies%E2%80%99-Lives.