Cribs and crib mattresses must comply with various regulations, directives, and safety standards in the EU. Non-compliant and unsafe baby cribs and cots can be strangulation hazards. Paints and surface coatings can also contain excessive amounts of restricted substances.
In this guide, we explain how the General Product Safety Regulation, REACH, EN 1130, EN 16890, and other compliance requirements relate to cribs and crib mattresses imported or manufactured for sale in the European Union.
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General Product Safety Regulation
The General Product Safety Regulation establishes safety requirements for consumer products sold in the European Union, including cribs. You generally should:
- Make sure your product complies with relevant EN standards (e.g. harmonised standards)
- Have your product tested (according to applicable EN standards)
- Create technical documentation and user instructions
- Label your product correctly (e.g. with the required traceability information, age suitability and safety instructions)
If there exist harmonised standards for a product, you should comply with their requirements in order to fulfil the safety requirements of the regulation. In this specific case, we found two harmonised standards for cribs and crib mattresses.
EN 1130 – Children’s furniture – Cribs – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 1130 is harmonised under the General Product Safety Regulation and sets safety requirements and test methods for domestic and non-domestic cribs, which include cradles, suspended cribs, and bedside sleepers. It does not apply to medical-use cribs or hospital cribs.
The standard’s requirements are relevant to cribs with an internal crib base length of 900 mm or less. These cribs are meant for infants to sleep in until they can sit up without help, or pull themselves up on their hands and knees.
The standard page also states that, if products can be converted into other items, they may also be covered by other standards. Note that when harmonised standards do not exist for a product, you can still use other standards to assess safety, such as EN standards.
EN 16890 – Children’s furniture – Mattresses for cots and cribs – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 16890 is also harmonised under the General Product Safety Regulation. It establishes safety requirements and methods of testing crib mattresses.
The standard does not apply to:
- Carry cot mattresses
- Mattresses for pram bodies
- Inflatable mattresses
- Water mattresses
- Medical-use mattresses
EN 716-1 – Furniture – Children’s cots and folding cots for domestic use – Part 1: Safety requirements
EN 716-1, which is also harmonised the General Product Safety Regulation, does not apply to cribs. However, it covers similar products, that is cots for domestic use that have an internal length between 900 and 1,400 mm.
These are products that are bigger than the cribs covered by EN 1130 and, thus, are in general designed for older children.
Documentation
The regulation mandates importers and manufacturers to provide technical documentation, instructions, safety information, and test reports.
| Title | Description |
| Technical documentation | You need to provide technical documentation that contains the items specified in Article 9. |
| Instructions and safety information | The regulation requires you to provide clear instructions and safety information. This should include, for instance, information regarding the product’s assembly, safe use, and disposal. |
| Test reports | You should get your product tested (e.g. against the requirements of EN 1130) and attach a valid test report to your technical documentation. |
Labelling requirements
The regulation requires importers and manufacturers to provide traceability information and warnings on their products, packaging, or accompanying documents.
| Title | Description |
| Product traceability information | You should provide traceability information, such as company name, address, and product batch number. |
| Warnings | The regulation mandates you to provide warnings – such as age-suitability warnings – with your product, when necessary. |
REACH Regulation
The REACH Regulation restricts dangerous substances used in consumer products, such as cribs. For example, cribs could contain plastic, metal, and fabric components and materials, which in turn may contain restricted substances. Surface paints and coatings can also contain restricted substances.
Substances restricted by REACH may pose risks to the environment and human health via leaching and exposure. As such, you should get your cribs tested to ensure that they do not contain restricted substances above permitted levels.
Restricted substances
The fabric and plastic or metal components of cribs may contain restricted substances listed in Annex XVII, such as:
a. Phthalates (e.g. DEHP, DBP) – can be found in plastic components of cribs, such as the bars, restricted to 0.1% by weight
b. Cadmium – can be found in PVC, restricted to 0.01% by weight
c. Lead – restricted to 0.05% on articles that may be placed in the mouths of children, for example. This could include crib accessories
Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC)
Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) often pose permanent and harmful effects to human health and the environment. You should notify ECHA via the SCIP database if your product contains more than 0.1% of a given SVHC.
The components of cribs may contain SVHCs, such as:
a. Bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulphone – can be found in textile components of cribs and other products
b. TCEP – can be found in flame retardant applied to crib mattresses, for example
Toy Safety Directive
The Toy Safety Directive sets safety requirements for toys and products with “play value”. As such, the directive would apply to crib accessories that have play value, such as baby mobiles, crib rattles and other items that children may use to play – and that are attached to or built into cribs.
The Toy Safety Directive requires companies to take the following steps:
- Ensure compliance with EN 71
- Arrange lab testing according to EN 71
- Create a Declaration of Conformity
- Create technical documentation
- Create User Instructions
- Affix CE marking
- Affix traceability labels
- Affix warning instructions/safety instructions (depending on the toy)
Textile Labelling and Fibre Composition Regulation
The Textile Labelling and Fibre Composition Regulation sets labelling requirements for textile products, including home furniture coverings that are made of at least of 80% textile components. Thus, the regulation would cover some types of crib coverings.
In general, you should securely attach your textile label, which should indicate the fibre composition (e.g. cotton 100%), to the textile product.
Examples
- 100% cotton
- 100% polyester
- 98% cotton 2% polyester
Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
The Deforestation Regulation sets requirements for importation and exportation of products made from wood, such as wooden furniture, and from other materials. As such wooden cribs would also be affected.
Here are the key requirements of the regulation:
a. Companies should exercise due diligence, which in turn requires:
- The collection of information and data such as wood species, country of production and product quantity
- A risk assessment, which should include factors such as the degree of deforestation in the country of production
- Risk mitigation measures such as third parties audits, internal procedures and record-keeping
b. Companies should provide the required documentation, such as a due diligence statement. The statement should include information such as:
- Operation information (e.g. company name and address)
- Product information (e.g. plant scientific name, for wooden products)
- Country of production and plots geolocation
- Reference number
Note that small and medium-sized enterprises may not need to comply with the due diligence requirements if their supplier has already complied with such requirements. In this case, they would need to provide the reference number of the relevant due diligence statement.
Lab Testing
Some regulations, such as the Toy Safety Directive, mandate product testing and the provision of a test report. For other regulations, testing is still a practical necessity, as you need to ensure that your product is safe. If your product passes the relevant tests, you receive a test report proving that your product complies with the requirements.
| Regulation | Lab testing |
| General Product Safety Regulation | This regulation sets safety requirements for consumer products, such as cribs. Your cribs and their components (e.g. mattresses) should undergo testing against relevant standards to ensure they are safe for children to use.
Although we could not find specific testing requirements in the standard pages of the standards mentioned in this guide, this could include stability testing, flammability testing, and more. |
| REACH Regulation | The REACH Regulation restricts substances in consumer products. You should get your cribs tested to ensure they do not contain any substances that are either banned or above the restricted limits (e.g. 0.1% of DEHP). |
| Toy Safety Directive | Cribs may come with attached toys, which should undergo relevant testing such as those set by the EN 71 standards series:
|
Crib testing companies
Here are some examples of companies that claim they can test cribs against EU requirements:
- Intertek
- SGS
- Eurofins
- TÜV SÜD
Additional Requirements
Here are some other regulations that may be relevant for cribs.
| Regulation | Description |
| Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation | The POPs Regulation sets substance restrictions. According to ECHA, POPs persist, remain, and accumulate in the environment and pose severe risks to human health.
Cribs may contain POPs in their plastic and textile components, such as PFOS, and Polychlorinated naphthalenes. Thus, you should get your product tested to ensure it is safe and does not contain any banned or restricted POPs. |
| Biocidal Products Regulation | The Biocidal Products Regulation establishes requirements for biocidal products and articles treated with biocides. We found some examples of brands claiming sell cribs or crib mattresses that contain biocides (e.g. for antimicrobial purposes).
The main requirements for treated articles concern substance restriction and proper labelling for your product. |
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