JPMA Certified Baby Products
May 9, 2018

Parents are naturally very cautious about the products they buy for their babies. The safety of your child is your primary concern in the choice of any product. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the federal agency tasked with developing safety standards, conducting research into dangerous products, and issuing recalls of products the agency determines to be unsafe. However, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) allows makers of products for children to go beyond the minimum to achieve a higher standard of safety.

What Is JPMA Certification?

The JPMA offers a voluntary certification program for manufacturers to join. The program involves testing requirements for juvenile products that goes beyond legal requirements to ensure the safety of products sold in the United States.

In order to achieve certification, the manufacturer must submit the product for testing by an independent laboratory. The product must meet standards required by state and federal laws for safety, as well as the higher standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials International. JPMA outlines the testing required to meet the standards, and the documentation and evidence required to achieve certification. Manufacturers must resubmit products each year for testing to ensure continued safety and maintain certification.

Why Would Manufacturers Voluntarily Submit to JPMA Certification?

JPMA certification offers greater assurance to those purchasing baby products that the item will be safe for use. JPMA negotiates lower costs for testing at independent labs and coordinates the required paperwork needed by manufacturers. This allows the makers of baby products to achieve this greater level of safety efficiently and at a reasonable cost. In addition, manufacturers submitting to this process know they are less likely to face claims of child injury due to defective products and have fewer recalls due to safety issues.

Why Would Consumers Want JPMA Certified Baby Products?

The safety of your baby is important. A defective product can break with use. A poorly designed product may cause injury to your child, even if it does not break. A product without adequate instructions or warnings may give you the impression that the product is safe for a particular use that is actually dangerous for you or your baby.

Defective products injure many each year. While a broken toy may cause only a scratch for an adult, babies are more likely to suffer serious injury as a result of a product defect. Adults also may be able to avoid harm from a poorly designed product, but a baby may be unable to take the action necessary to escape injury. Because babies are uniquely vulnerable, the risk from defective products is much greater for babies than adults.

The CPSC maintains a list on its website of recalls of potentially dangerous baby products. Consumers worried about the safety of products they already own may check the website for any recalls and information on the possible dangers of recalled products. If a baby product you own is found on the recall list, you should immediately discontinue using the product to avoid any possible harm to your child.

If your child does suffer injury from a defective product, you have the right to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other expenses related to your baby’s injury. However, if you knowingly used a defective product that was the subject of a recall, you may have difficulty winning compensation for your child’s injuries.

How Can I Know if a Product Is JPMA Certified?

Manufacturers of JPMA certified products proudly display the JPMA seal of approval, ensuring parents and other buyers of baby products are aware of their certification. Consumers can find this seal on the product packaging in stores, or in the product description for items purchased online.