Baby neck floats must now meet new safety standards after multiple deaths

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued new mandatory safety standards for baby neck floats. These rules require manufacturers to meet specific performance and labeling requirements to prevent drowning and other hazards.

Before this rule, baby neck floats were not specifically covered by toy safety standards, even though they are used by infants in water. This meant manufacturers could sell them without proving they met basic safety requirements for aquatic toys. Now, these products must be designed and labeled to prevent the specific risks that have led to infant deaths.