Major retailers from Amazon to Target drop popular baby product over safety fears

Amazon, Target, and Babylist have announced they will no longer be selling weighted infant sleep sacks and swaddles, citing safety concerns.

This decisions comes after the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes for Health, the and the American Academy of Pediatrics deemed the infant sleep products unsafe.

'Weighted products such as weighted sleepers, weighted swaddles, weighted sleep sacks, and weighted blankets are not safe for infants,' said the CDC on their website

The scientists found that using soft bedding was associated with 16 times the risk of explained suffocation, compared with no soft bedding use.

Leah Rocketto, the associate commerce director at What to Expect, told AZFamily that she's surprised this change hasn't happened sooner.

Amazon, Target, and Babylist have announced they will no longer be selling weighted infant sleep sacks and swaddles, citing safety concerns

This decisions comes after the Centers for Disease Control , National Institutes for Health, the and the American Academy of Pediatrics deemed the infant sleep products unsafe

'I think it's a really important step we're taking to help ensure the safety of babies and the peace of mind of parents across the country,' said Rocketto.

'I'm a little surprised it didn't happen sooner, but better late than never.'

The theory behind weighted baby sleepwear is that your baby will sleep longer and more soundly with the increased weight—which can range from a few ounces to almost 1.5 pounds, depending on the sleep sack or swaddle. 

However, like weighted blankets for adult, these products have small beads sewn into them to add extra weight, restricting movement for infants.

'The problem is infants and newborns really need to be able to move while they're sleeping, especially if they happen to turn over onto their front,' Rocketto said.

'You want them to be able to turn over onto their back because as the American Academy of Pediatrics states, back is best when it comes to sleep for at least those first six months of a child's life.' 

Vendors were reportedly notified of the policy change that will outlaw weighted baby items on April 9, according to Amazon. By the end of April, the business says, enforcement will start. 

'We've made this update with customer safety in mind,' a spokesperson for Amazon told AZFamily. 

'We work hard to ensure the products offered in our store are safe, and we have teams dedicated to developing and updating our policies, evaluating listings, and continuously monitoring our store to prevent unsafe and noncompliant products from being listed.' 

Last week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut requested for the Federal Trade Commission investigate Dreamland Baby and Nested Bean, two manufacturers of weighted baby toys.

Blumenthal said the companies are falsely advertising the weighted sleep sack's safety.

'The tests and standards the companies tout refer to garment construction, fabric quality, and chemical detection standards, not to weighted sleep product safety,' Blumenthal wrote to FTC. 

'I believe that these implied safety claims may constitute unlawful behavior under the FTC's 'unfair or deceptive acts or practices' within the Commission's enforcement authority.' 

CEO of Dreamland Baby Tara Williams vehemently defended the safety of her company's weighted baby products.

'There is no data that supports the safety concerns raised regarding,' Williams wrote in a statement. 

Leah Rocketto (pictured) the associate commerce director at What to Expect, said she's surprised this change hasn't happened sooner

'No deaths or serious injuries have been attributed to the products, and they have not been the subject of a recall or federal rule. 

'Rumors, innuendo, and speculation are no substitute for evidence before such a drastic action was lodged against a responsible, female-founded small business.'

Williams said that her company took the initiative to facilitate a clinical trial with Indiana University over a year ago. The clinicians at the university have been recruiting infant-participants over the course of the past three months to gather data for their study, which began on April 23.

'We are confident that this clinical trial will confirm the products' safety and effectiveness,' Williams concluded.