Amazon, Target among retailers to pull weighted infant sleepwear over safety concerns

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FILE-A baby falls asleep in a stroller. Photo by Jeremy Papasso/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)

Amazon, Target, and Walmart are among retailers that will no longer sell weighted sleepwear over safety fears.

These retailers decided to pull the merchandise from their stores amid warnings from federal regulators, medical experts, and safe-sleep advocates about the risks of products like swaddles and sleep sacks with additional weight, NPR reported.

An Amazon spokesperson tells FOX Television Stations, "In the interest of safety, we informed selling partners on April 9, 2024, that Amazon will no longer allow the sale of weighted infant sleep products in the Amazon store. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have advised against the use of weighted infant sleep products, and we’ve made this update with customer safety in mind."

"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."

Walmart tells FOX Television Stations that the retailer hasn’t carried weighted infant sleepwear items for almost a year.

FOX Television Stations also reached out to Target for comment.

The products have caused disagreement among weighted sleepwear companies, claiming their items are safe and provide comfort to babies to help them fall asleep.

However, critics argue these products can harm babies' developing bodies because they can affect their ability to breathe and pump blood while restricting their movements.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote to federal regulators that there wasn't enough research to prove these products were safe or effective, calling for officials to increase oversight.

According to Consumer Reports, the Consumer Product Safety Commission later updated its guidance on safe sleep, telling parents not to use weighted sleep products with babies.

Dreamland Baby has sold more than 1 million weighted sleepwear products, while Nested Bean has sold more than 2.5 million items.

NPR noted that Tara Williams, founder and CEO of Dreamland Baby, said her company's products are safe and that critics of weighted infant sleepwear lack any evidence proving otherwise.

Manasi Gangan, founder and president of Nested Bean, said her company offers a "safe and effective sleep tool" that helps millions of babies.

NPR reported that the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health have warned the public against using weighted infant sleepwear.

On April 26, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. wrote a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, urging her to investigate Dreamland Baby and Nested Bean to see whether they were involved in misleading advertising by portraying their weighted sleepwear as safe for babies.

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.