Regulators say infant neck floats are unsafe after 2 deaths and dozens of ‘close calls’

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of at least 85 babies slipping through neck floats in the last five years. Now, the CPSC is considering tougher rules around the design and safety testing for infant neck floats—but some regulators say that’s not enough.

At a hearing earlier this month, at least one CPSC commissioner suggested banning neck floats altogether.

“I think this product category is a terrible idea, and I’m not sure that I’m fully on board with the approach that we’re discussing today,” said Commissioner Peter Feldman, who explained that he was speaking from his experience both as a government regulator and as a former lifeguard. He went on to request a closed session to discuss an outright ban.

Infant neck floats are marketed to parents as a way to keep babies’ heads above water while they float and play in the bath or in a pool. Some are made of firm foam, while others, like the ones sold by the popular brand Otteroo, are hollow and inflatable. A CPSC staffer said as many as a million neck floats have been sold over the years, which is “concerning” to the agency.

Neck floats are meant to be used while the babies in them are under constant supervision. In fact, to purchase one from Otteroo, parents are required to check a box on the company’s website that says, “I will be within arm’s reach of my baby in Otteroo at all times.” But parents have reported close calls to the CPSC even when they were supervising their babies in their neck floats. Babies ranging in age from 17 days to 12 months (according to CPSC) have slipped through the floats and had their heads, mouths, or noses go underwater. This can happen if the float is underinflated, starts to leak, becomes slippery due to soap, or for completely unknown reasons.

In most incidents where babies slipped out of their neck floats, they were rescued quickly and uninjured. But two babies were admitted to hospitals, and two other babies (who were left unattended in bathtubs) drowned and died.

The FDA has warned against using neck floats, saying they can cause neck strain and injury, particularly in babies with special needs. CPSC has also warned parents against using them, following one of the infant deaths that occurred. Consumer Reports safety experts also say parents should not use neck floats, and believe they should be removed from the market.

“Infant neck floats put babies at a severe risk of drowning and are not safe to use. Simply put, these products shouldn’t exist,” Oriene Shin, CR’s policy counsel for product safety, said. “If the CPSC can get new rules in place that effectively reduce the risk to American families, that’s a good thing. But the safest and most straightforward approach would be for Congress to pass a law banning infant neck floats entirely.”