Parent advocates, consumer groups, and lawmakers have been sounding the alarm over risks associated with weighted infant sleep products – like weighted sleepers, weighted swaddles, and weighted sleep sacks. Today, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the deceptive advertising practices of two weighted infant sleep product manufacturers. Blumenthal’s letters come after his previous December 2023 letters to the manufacturers, outlining serious concerns about products.
Blumenthal’s letters also follow Amazon’s announcement yesterday that the site will prohibit the sale of weighted infant sleep products.
In its 2022 evidenced-based safe sleep recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against the use of weighted blankets, weighted sleepers, weighted swaddles, or other weighted objects on or near sleeping infants. AAP has urged the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to conduct vigorous oversight on all weighted sleep products marketed for infants and children, and it expressed its serious concerns about weighted infant sleep products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that weighted products are not safe for infants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also recommends against the use of weighted infant products.
“Senator Blumenthal’s letters demonstrate an ongoing dedication to protect our most vulnerable,” said Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety at Consumer Federation of America. “We also welcome Amazon’s commitment to prohibiting the sale of weighted sleep products moving forward. Caregivers of infants and babies should be able to trust that the products marketed and sold for infant sleep are safe.”
“KID applauds this action by Amazon to warn current owners of weighted infant sleep products and stop the sale on their site of these items,” stated Nancy Cowles, Executive Director at Kids In Danger. “We urge other retailers to follow suit. Sleep-deprived parents are susceptible to claims of more sleep but should not be in the position of risking their child’s safety unknowingly.”
“We at Safe Infant Sleep commend Amazon for removing these products from their platform and taking the initiative to inform previous customers about the hazards they pose,” said Michelle Barry, Founder and President of Safe Infant Sleep. “It is imperative that products specifically designed for infants undergo rigorous safety testing and meet the most stringent standards prior to being made available in the market. Until such stringent safety measures are required, we strongly urge other retailers to emulate Amazon’s example and take similar steps to prioritize the well-being and safety of infants.”
Consumer groups have sounded the alarm that weighted infant sleep products may impair an infant’s natural ability to rouse themselves from sleep and contribute to the risk for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). Because infants’ ribcages are not ossified, consumer advocates are also concerned that weighted sleep products may affect infant breathing and/or heart rate. Advocates have said that it is dangerous to place weight on someone as fragile as a baby, and many consumer reviews have pointed to additional risks such as the products impacting an infant’s ability to reposition, and pellets may spill out after washing and create a major aspiration risk.