The CPSC have updated their standards over time based on reports of safety issues with cribs. As such, it doesn’t necessarily make much financial sense for a company to obtain JPMA certification in addition to Greenguard Gold Certification, when they have to comply with CPSC standards anyway. While JPMA has been around for many years, it seems that more and more crib makers, such as DaVinci, are phasing out JPMA certification in favor of more robust certification by Greenguard Gold.Īll cribs still have to comply with CPSC standards, however, and these standards also focus on the structural safety of a crib, rather than the potentially harmful chemicals sometimes present in wood finish, wood composites, and glue, with the exception of some rules around lead and phthalates. For JPMA, each crib is sample tested annually, and after a material change, at an independent laboratory to guarantee it meets the highest safety requirements. The JPMA Certification Program is foundationally built on ASTM standards, which are developed with input from engineers, manufacturers, consumer advocates and consultants.ĪSTM standards are a federal requirement pertaining to juvenile products, known as Section 104 Rules. The JPMA currently certifies more than 2,000 products in 24 product categories, including cribs. Crib regulations in the USĪll cribs sold in the US should be compliant with regulations as laid out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and some will also comply with standards laid out by the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA), and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). I’ll discuss the most relevant ones below, after first looking at the current regulations governing cribs in the US. If you are tempted to buy a crib that includes any composite wood components, plastic pieces, or is painted or stained, certifications are very important, however. OK, so maybe some food-grade linseed oil as a finish, but that’s it. Instead, my best advice is, rather counterintuitively, to eschew those companies making a big song and dance about non-toxic certification and instead look for a crib made with solid hardwood or softwood and absolutely nothing else. So, what can we do as engaged consumers looking to source a truly non-toxic crib for a growing family? Even the best certifications for cribs aren’t as strict as I’d like, given that they allow the presence of some known toxic chemicals. You’d think that regulations and certifications for crib safety would be seriously robust, but, if there’s one thing I’ve learned doing all this research for Leaf Score, it’s that we can’t currently rely on regulators to have our backs.
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