CPSC Infant Sleep Product Rules for Amazon Sellers: Cribs, Bassinets, Play Yards and 16 CFR 1236

CPSC infant sleep product rules are six mandatory federal standards, one per product type: bassinets and cradles (16 CFR part 1218), full-size cribs (part 1219), non-full-size cribs (part 1220), play yards (part 1221), bedside sleepers (part 1222), and a catch-all for every other infant sleep product (part 1236). Part 1236 covers products “marketed or intended to provide a sleeping accommodation for an infant up to 5 months of age” that no other part covers, and it caps the seat back or sleep surface angle at 10 degrees. On top of the product standard, every one of these products is a durable infant or toddler product, so it needs a permanent manufacturer marking and a consumer registration card under 16 CFR part 1130 (CPSC and eCFR, data checked 2026-10-12).

For an Amazon seller, the practical question is which part your product falls under, because that decides the ASTM standard it must meet and the citation on your Children’s Product Certificate. This guide sets out CPSC’s criteria in CPSC’s own words. It does not decide whether any specific product is in scope or compliant.

Sources: CPSC Infant Sleep Products business guidance; eCFR 16 CFR part 1218, part 1219, part 1220, part 1221, part 1222, part 1236 and part 1130. Data checked 2026-10-12.

The CPSC Infant Sleep Product Standards: Lookup Table

Each part names the product, then incorporates an ASTM consumer safety specification by reference, sometimes with CPSC changes. The ASTM edition is what your test lab tests against, and CPSC updates these parts when ASTM revises the underlying standard.

All six parts were read on eCFR on 2026-10-12; the 1236 date comes from the CPSC guidance page, which lists “June 23, 2022” against “ASTM F3118-17a with modification, see 86 FR 33022.” For parts 1218 and 1219 the eCFR section text names the new ASTM edition but does not state a manufacture-date cutoff for it; the official page does not state that date, so confirm it in the Federal Register notice cited in brackets before you schedule testing.

Which Standard Applies? Sorting by the Regulatory Definitions

Amazon product titles blur these categories (“travel crib,” “baby nest”). The regulations do not.

Full-size crib (part 1219). Section 1219.1(c) defines it as a bed designed to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant, intended for use in the home, child care or public accommodation, with interior dimensions of 28 ± 5/8 inches wide and 52 3/8 ± 5/8 inches long, within a range of ± 2 inches.

Non-full-size crib (part 1220). Section 1220.1(c) covers beds with an interior length greater than 55 inches or smaller than 49 3/4 inches, or an interior width greater than 30 5/8 inches or smaller than 25 3/8 inches. It names portable cribs, crib pens, specialty cribs (circular, hexagonal), undersize and oversize cribs. It expressly does not include “mesh/net/screen cribs, nonrigidly constructed baby cribs, cradles (both rocker and pendulum types), car beds, baby baskets, and bassinets.”

Play yard (part 1221). The definition sits in section 1220.1(c)(2): “a framed enclosure that includes a floor and has mesh or fabric sided panels primarily intended to provide a play or sleeping environment for children. It may fold for storage or travel.”

Bassinets and cradles (part 1218) and bedside sleepers (part 1222). Each part applies its ASTM standard to the named product; the product definitions live in the incorporated ASTM text, which eCFR does not reproduce.

Everything else (part 1236). If a product is marketed or intended for infant sleep up to 5 months and none of the five parts above applies, part 1236 does. CPSC’s examples are “in-bed sleepers, baby boxes, compact/travel bassinets, baby nests, and infant travel tents.”

16 CFR 1236 and the 10-Degree Incline Limit

Section 1236.1 says the standard “applies to all products marketed or intended to provide a sleeping accommodation for an infant up to 5 months of age,” including “inclined and flat sleep surfaces,” and that are not already subject to parts 1218 through 1222. Two words carry the weight: marketed or intended. Scope turns on how the product is presented as well as how it is built.

Section 1236.2 incorporates ASTM F3118-17a, originally a standard for infant inclined sleep products, and rewrites it. The modified section 6.9.1 reads: “The angle of the seat back/sleep surface intended for sleep along the occupant’s head to toe axis relative to the horizontal shall not exceed 10 degrees when tested in accordance with 7.11.2.” The test places the product in “the manufacturer’s recommended highest seat back/sleep surface angle position intended for sleep” and measures with a hinged infant gauge and a digital protractor. CPSC’s guidance page puts it more plainly: “Infant sleep products also must not have a seat back or sleep surface angle that exceeds 10°.”

The angle cap is only half of it. Modified section 6.9.3 says infant sleep products “shall meet, 16 CFR part 1218, Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles, including conforming to the definition of a ‘bassinet/cradle.’” CPSC’s page says the same: infant sleep products “must comply with the requirements for bassinets and cradles at 16 C.F.R. part 1218.” So a baby nest or in-bed sleeper is held to the bassinet standard as well as to the angle limit. The CPSC business guidance page does not treat inclined sleepers as a separate category, so this guide sticks to what parts 1236 and 1218 say.

Registration Cards and Permanent Marking (16 CFR 1130)

CPSC’s page states that “Product registration forms are required for all durable infant and toddler products.” Section 1130.2(a) lists the categories, and item (12) reads “Bassinets and cradles, including bedside sleepers and infant sleep products.” Cribs (item 1) and play yards (item 6) are on the list too, so every product in the lookup table carries part 1130 duties.

Who owes them matters for Amazon sellers who import. Section 1130.2(b) says that for an imported product, “manufacturer” means the importer. Section 1130.3(a) then requires each manufacturer to:

1. Provide a postage-paid consumer registration form with each product.
2. Keep a record of the contact details of consumers who register.
3. Permanently mark the product with the manufacturer name and contact information, model name and number, and date of manufacture.

The card. Section 1130.6 sets the format. The form must be “at least the size of two standard post cards,” each portion at least 3 1/2 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.007 inches thick, in bold black type no smaller than 0.10 inch (0.12 inch for the purpose statement). The top front must carry the prescribed statement beginning “PRODUCT REGISTRATION FOR SAFETY ALERT OR RECALL ONLY.” Section 1130.7 adds online registration: the manufacturer’s website needs a link on the main page that goes directly to “Product Registration.”

The marking. Section 1130.4 requires the manufacturer name, U.S. address and telephone number, model name and number, and date of manufacture (month and year, which “can be stated in code”), in English, legible and conspicuous, and permanent, meaning it “can reasonably be expected to remain on the product during the useful life of the product.” CPSC notes this is “in addition to the tracking label requirement.”

The records. Section 1130.8 requires keeping registrant information for at least 6 years after the date of manufacture and producing it within 24 hours of a CPSC request. Registration data may be used only for recall or safety alert notices.

The Certificate Citation

These products are children’s products, so they need a Children’s Product Certificate. CPSC’s guidance gives the citation for part 1236: “16 CFR part 1236 – Infant sleep products.” For the other five, cite the part that matches your product’s classification from the table. How CPCs are built and tested is covered in our Children’s Product Certificate guide; if you import, the certificate data also feeds the filing covered in our CPSC eFiling guide.

What This Means for an Amazon Listing

Because part 1236 turns on “marketed or intended,” your listing is part of the scope analysis. Phrases that present a lounger, nest or travel tent as a place for an infant to sleep can bring it within part 1236 if no other part covers it. Copy that describes sleep while the product tests only to a non-sleep standard is a gap between the listing and the certificate.

A short audit before you list:

• Match the product title and bullets to the CFR part on the CPC.
• Check that photos do not show the product in a use the certificate does not cover.
• Confirm the registration card and permanent marking are physically in the box and on the product, not only on the supplier’s spec sheet.

Amazon’s own review process is outside the scope of this guide. What happens after CPSC acts is covered in our Amazon product recalls guide, and your duty to tell CPSC about a defect is in our Section 15(b) reporting guide.

Common Mistakes

• Classifying by listing keyword. “Travel crib” may be a non-full-size crib, a play yard or a bassinet; the dimensions and construction decide.
• Testing to an old ASTM edition. Parts 1218, 1219, 1220 and 1221 now cite 2024 or 2025 editions; a test report against an older edition may not match the current eCFR text.
• Assuming part 1236 is only about the angle. It also requires meeting part 1218.
• Treating the registration card as the supplier’s job. For imports, the importer is the manufacturer under section 1130.2(b).

Pre-Listing Checklist

1. Measure interior dimensions and identify the CFR part using the definitions above.
2. Note the ASTM edition named in the current eCFR text for that part.
3. Get a test report against that edition and a CPC citing the right part.
4. For any infant sleep product, confirm the sleep surface angle result (10 degrees maximum) and the part 1218 results.
5. Check the permanent marking on the product (name, U.S. address, phone, model, month and year).
6. Check the registration card meets section 1130.6 and the brand website has a “Product Registration” link.
7. Set up a registrant database you can keep for 6 years.
8. Align listing copy and images with the certified use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 16 CFR 1236?

It is the CPSC safety standard for infant sleep products. It covers products marketed or intended for sleep by infants up to 5 months that are not already covered by the bassinet, crib, play yard or bedside sleeper standards, requires compliance with a modified ASTM F3118-17a and part 1218, and caps the sleep surface angle at 10 degrees (eCFR, data checked 2026-10-12).

Is a baby nest or in-bed sleeper covered?

CPSC’s guidance lists “in-bed sleepers, baby boxes, compact/travel bassinets, baby nests, and infant travel tents” as examples of infant sleep products. Whether a specific product is one depends on how it is marketed and intended, and on whether another part already covers it.

Do play yards need a registration card?

Yes. Play yards are item (6) on the part 1130 list of durable infant or toddler products, and CPSC’s page says registration forms are required for all such products.

Who sends the registration card if I import from a factory?

Under section 1130.2(b), the importer is the manufacturer for part 1130 purposes, so the duties to supply the card, mark the product and keep records sit with the importer.

Conclusion

Find your product’s CFR part from the definitions, test to the ASTM edition in the current eCFR text, cite that part on the CPC, and ship every unit with permanent marking and a compliant registration card. Recheck the eCFR edition before each new production run, because these parts change when ASTM does. Nursery dressers fall under a different rule, covered in our STURDY rule guide. If liability exposure is your next question, see our product liability insurance guide.