Weighted Sleep Products Are Unsafe for Babies, AAP Says

Weighted blankets have boomed in popularity recently as a comforting way to decrease anxiety and soothe adults and teens to sleep. But one place these trendy blankets don’t belong—in bed with baby.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently penned a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC) advising against the development of voluntary safety standards for weighted infant sleep products. In the letter, the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States maintains that the development of a voluntary safety standard would “send parents and caregivers the incorrect message that these unnecessary products are safe.”

The AAP spoke out against the use of weighted infant sleep products in 2022. In the first update to its Safe Sleep Guidelines in five years, the organization recommended that weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles or other weighted objects not be placed on or near a sleeping infant. Stating that they are “not safe and therefore not recommended.”

In the letter, the AAP points out that not only are the products not safe, but the items have not been shown to be “effective in helping babies sleep longer or with fewer disruptions.” It has also been hypothesized that “impaired arousal may contribute to risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), so a product that decreases arousal may increase the risk of SIDS.”

Overall, the organization points to a lack of peer-reviewed studies that establish the safety of weighted items. “Parents expect that products available for purchase at reputable retailers are thoroughly tested for safety. CPSC and ASTM International should both take a precautionary approach to these and other novel infant sleep products to avoid a repeat of what happened with inclined sleepers, in-bed sleepers, and other novel sleep-related products,” the AAP wrote.

Inclined sleepers, in-bed sleepers and crib bumpers have been recalled multiple times over the past few years and even legally banned for their failure to pass Safe Sleep Guidelines. “These products ultimately were associated with over 100 infants’ deaths—all of which would have been prevented if these products were not kept on the consumer market,” the AAP noted. To prevent possible future tragedies, the AAP asked the CPSC to conduct vigorous oversight on all weighted sleep products, especially those marketed for infants and children.

The AAP recommends that infants always sleep on their back, on a separate, flat and firm sleep surface without any bumpers or loose bedding. If you’re looking for some ways to make sure you’re following safe infant sleep practices, check out our top 10 tips.

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