Amid concerns about safety, retail giants Amazon, Walmart, and Target in the United States have halted the sale of weighted infant sleep products, including sleepwear and sleep sacks.
These three largest retailers in the U.S. have already taken down weighted infant sleep products from their shelves. Prior to their decision, federal regulatory agencies, medical experts, and advocates for safe sleep have issued warnings about the additional weight in infant products, highlighting potential risks associated with these products.
In a statement released in late April, Richard Trumka Jr., the director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), stated, “These products are associated with worrisome decreases in infant blood oxygen saturation. This means there is evidence indicating that the use of weighted sleep products by infants can lead to decreased blood oxygen saturation, which could potentially harm the developing brains of infants if continued.”
“I sat down with the parents of a child who died as a result of these products, and their grief resonated with me,” continued Trumka. “Like them, I hope that no one else has to endure the fate their family experienced.”
Some product promotions claim that weighted sleepwear and sleep sacks can help infants sleep better because they provide a sensation similar to being in the mother’s womb, comforting the infants and promoting better sleep while allowing their caregivers to rest deeply.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that there is currently no evidence that such sleep products are effective in improving sleep quality and expressed concerns that these products might restrict infants’ ability to move freely during sleep, potentially leading to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In a press release issued in April, CSPC mentioned, “These products have resulted in multiple infant deaths.”
The companies manufacturing weighted sleepwear have disagreed with these claims, asserting that their products are safe and offer comfort to infants to help them sleep.
Amazon removed these products from sale on April 9, 2024, and stated that it will strive to ensure that the products available in its store are safe.
A Walmart spokesperson informed Nexstar Media Group that the company has not been selling weighted infant sleep products for “almost a year.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic federal senator from Connecticut, even urged for an investigation into the two major companies producing weighted infant sleep products in the U.S., Dreamland Baby and Nested Bean, in late April. Allegations have been made that these companies engaged in deceptive marketing practices regarding the safety of their products.
Dreamland Baby has sold over 1 million weighted infant sleep products, while Nested Bean has sold over 2.5 million units of such products.