The regulation seeks to prevent deaths and injuries from falls, entrapment, and contact with parts inside or outside a crib.
The regulation was originally published at 75 FR 81766 and is codified at 16 C.F.R. part 1220. The regulation incorporates by reference ASTM F406, and 16 C.F.R. § 1220.2 identifies the latest Commission-accepted version of ASTM F406 that is mandatory as well as any potential modifications.
Read-only copies of ASTM standards that are incorporated by reference can be viewed atASTM’s electronic Reading Room.
A non-full-size baby crib is a bed that meets all of the following criteria:
- Designed to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant
- Intended for use in the home, in a child care facility, in a family child care home, or in places of public accommodation affecting commerce
- Has an interior length dimension either greater than 139.7 cm (55 in.) or smaller than 126.3 cm (49¾ in.), or an interior width dimension either greater than 77.7 cm (30⅝ in.) or smaller than 64.3 cm (25⅜ in.), or both
Examples of non-full-size baby cribs include:
- Portable crib – a non-full-size baby crib designed so that it may be folded or collapsed, without disassembly, to occupy a volume substantially less than the volume it occupies when it is used
- Crib pen – a non-full-size baby crib with rigid sides the legs of which may be removed or adjusted to provide a play pen or play yard for a child
- Specialty crib – an unconventionally shaped (circular, hexagonal, etc.) non-full-size baby crib incorporating a special mattress or other unconventional components
- Undersize crib – a non-full-size baby crib with an interior length dimension smaller than 126.3 cm (49 ¾ in.), or an interior width dimension smaller than 64.3 cm (25⅜ in.), or both
- Oversize crib – a non-full-size baby crib with an interior length dimension greater than 139.7 cm (55 in.), or an interior width dimension greater than 77.7 cm (30⅝ in.), or both
Products that are not within scope include mesh/net/screen cribs, nonrigidly constructed baby cribs, cradles (both rocker and pendulum types), car beds, baby baskets, and bassinets (also known as junior cribs). Other CPSC standards may apply to these types of products; see our guidance pages for play yards, infant and cradles swings, infant sleep products, and bassinets and cradles.
Cribs that are medical devices, as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are not subject to the CPSC's full-size crib standard.
The principal requirements for non-full-size cribs are:
- General requirements
- Corner posts
- Sharp points and edges – see also 16 C.F.R. §§ 1500.3(b)(4)(i)(D) and 1500.3(b)(15)(i)(A)
- Small parts – see also our small parts business guidance page
- Surface coatings – see also our lead in paint business guidance page
- Flammable solids
- Scissoring, shearing, and pinching
- Toys – any toy accessories must meet the applicable requirements for children’s toys
- Latching and locking mechanisms
- Openings
- Protective components
- Labeling
- Stability
- Cords/straps
- Coil springs
- Entrapment in accessories
- Mattress
- Mattress for rigid sided products
- Protrusions
- Record keeping
- Performance requirements
- Crib-side height
- Spacing of unit components
- Hardware
- Fasteners
- Construction and finishing
- Requirements for cutouts
- Plastic teething rail
- Cyclic test
- Side(s) or end(s) latch testing, or both
- Mattress support system vertical impact test requirements
- Mattress support system testing
- Crib side test requirements
- Spindle/slat strength testing
- Prevention of mis-assembly
For details on the individual requirements, firms should review the latest Commission-accepted version of ASTM F406 as referenced at 16 C.F.R. § 1220.2. Read-only copies of ASTM standards that are incorporated by reference can be viewed at ASTM’s electronic Reading Room.
Non-full-size cribs must be sold with the mattress included. The mattress must meet the following requirements:
- When noncompressed, the mattress must be thick enough to provide:
- a distance of at least 20 inches from the top of the mattress to the top of the crib side and/or end panel at the highest adjustable position when the mattress support is at its lowest position; and
- a distance of at least 3 inches from the top of the mattress to the top of the crib side and/or end panel at the lowest adjustable position when the mattress support is at its highest position;
- When the noncompressed mattress is centered in the crib at any of the adjustable mattress support positions, the gap between the perimeter of the mattress and the perimeter of the crib cannot be greater than ½ inch at any point. When the mattress is placed against the perimeter of the crib, the resulting gap cannot be greater than 1 inch at any point.
Crib mattresses are also subject to 16 C.F.R. part 1241 as well as the mattress flammability requirements of 16 C.F.R. parts 1632 and 1633. For more information, visit our crib mattresses and Flammable Fabrics Act business guidance page.
Yes. There are general requirements for child care articles and durable infant or toddler products that apply:
- Small parts: Products intended for children under 3 years of age must not contain small parts or liberate small parts after use and abuse testing.
- Lead in paint and similar surface coatings: Children’s products must not bear paint and/or similar surface coatings that contain more than 0.009 percent (90 ppm) lead.
- Total lead content: Children’s products must not contain greater than 100 ppm (0.01 percent) of total lead content in any accessible component part.
- Phthalates: Children’s toys and child care articles as defined per 16 C.F.R. § 1307.2 must not contain greater than 0.1 percent (1000 ppm) of any regulated phthalate in any accessible plasticized component part.
- Third-party testing: Children’s products must be tested for compliance to applicable safety rules by a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory.
- Certification: Domestic manufacturers or importers of children’s products must generate a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) certifying compliance with the applicable safety rules and ensures that a CPC accompanies the distribution of the product.
- Labeling: Children’s products must bear distinguishing, permanent marks on the product and any packaging (tracking label) that allow consumers to ascertain certain information. Durable infant or toddler products are required to have product markings in addition to the tracking label. This chart summarizes the specific labeling and registration requirements that durable infant and toddler products must meet.
- Registration form: Durable infant or toddler products must have a product registration form (also known as registration card) permanently attached to the product. There must also be an option to register via a website or, in the absence of a website, via email.