of you are concerned that the CPSC’s call for mandatory standards may lead to the creation of standards that are unrealistic, in fact, since its inception in 1973, the CPSC has addressed safety problems predominantly through the process of voluntary standards. This pattern will change, however, because of the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. This act, initially created out of concerns for lead and phthalates in products made for children, requires the CPSC to study and develop safety standards for infant and tod- dler products, including baby carriers. The CPSC must either make the existing voluntary safety standards for these products manda- tory or provide a stricter safety standard. From the consumer’s point of view, this is a
good thing, as the creation of safety standards has sometimes taken too long. Nancy Cowles, Executive Director of Kids In Danger (KID), an organization founded by the parents of a baby who was killed in a recalled portable crib, says that the standards process has been frustrating because “the predominance of manufacturers on the committee and the management by the JPMA seem to slow changes to the standards that would address emerging hazards.” Cowles calls for more consumers to get involved in the standard-setting process. (See the Kids In Dan- ger blog,
http://kidsindanger.blogspot.com.) The Mothering community has both the
history and the expertise to inform the creation of safety standards for slings. It is important that we both monitor and participate in this process, because the CPSC and the ASTM face special challenges in creating these standards, as virtu- ally any piece of cloth within a rather wide range of width and length can be used as a baby sling. The good news is that Kristen DeRocha,
president of Hotslings, is the chair of the ASTM Sling Carrier Standards subcommittee. The subcommittee is working to complete a draft standard, to be voted on in October 2010. Committee F15 on Consumer Products oversees the ASTM’s development of the sling standards; a schedule of their meetings is on the ASTM website (
www.astm.org/index.shtml) under “Meetings.” On the Meetings page, under “Find a Meeting: By Committee,” select “F15– Consumer Products” and click “Go.” To contact Information and Public Affairs at
the CPSC, call 301.504.7098, or go to www.cpsc. gov/about/
contact.html to send an e-mail or to contact CPSC staff members. Watch Mothering. com for notices of upcoming Sling Carrier Stan- dards subcommittee meetings, Committee F15 meetings, and updates and activism alerts regarding slings and sling safety. And keep holding your babies.
16 mothering | May–June 2010
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