Nursing Pillow Regulations Tighten. Is Yours Safe?
Significant design changes aim to make nursing pillows safer. Here’s what parents should know now.
Nursing pillows are meant to help support a nursing mom, quite literally. But over the years, they’ve also proven to be a safety concern. Between 2010 and 2022 there were 154 infant deaths associated with nursing pillows, mainly due to uses other than nursing, such as lounging or sleeping.
In response, the Consumer Product Safety Commission changed regulations last fall to improve product safety for all nursing pillows and discourage unattended use. The changes went into effect in April, and in a May 5 announcement, former CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka called the changes “momentous progress in CPSC’s efforts to keep sleeping babies alive.” (On an unrelated but urgent note, Trumka was recently and abruptly fired along with two other commissioners, leaving the agency potentially understaffed, which CR safety advocates say puts the important work of the CPSC at risk.)
Safety Concerns About Nursing Pillows
Nursing moms may wonder—what’s the big deal about having a soft place for a baby to lie while they nurse or bottle-feed? When nursing pillows are not used properly, especially as a sleeping device or as a baby lounger, they can present a serious hazard. In addition to the 154 infant deaths associated with nursing pillows reported between 2010 and 2022, there were also 64 infant injuries, according to the CPSC. Most of the babies were under 3 months old, and they died from suffocation, entrapment, or falls associated with nursing pillows.
Bringing attention to these safety concerns isn’t about blaming or shaming new parents. While it’s easy to say "I would never let that happen," postpartum sleep deprivation can be “brutal,” says Marissa Zwetow, licensed therapist and founder of Postpartum Happiness in Orange County, California. “Exhaustion often drives parents to prioritize whatever gets everyone the most rest, even if it goes against what’s ‘recommended.’ In moments of desperation, a parent might let their baby sleep on a nursing pillow, or even unintentionally fall asleep with them,” she says.
Nursing Pillow Changes in Effect Now
To help prevent deaths and injuries from nursing pillows, the CPSC changed product regulations in four key ways.
- Clear warning labels advise on the hazards of misuse and urge parents not to use the pillow for infant sleep or to prop up a baby.
- New firmness standards require nursing pillows to be sufficiently firm to prevent accidental infant suffocation and flatter in design to prevent use as infant loungers.
- Wider openings are now required, so the pillow is designed to fit around an adult’s waist rather than prop up an infant.
- No straps for baby are allowed, to discourage using a nursing pillow as a place to leave a baby unattended—but straps to allow a better fit for the nursing parent are still okay.
Now it is up to nursing pillow companies to respond with modified designs to accommodate those changes.
Safety experts and advocates at Consumer Reports support the new regulations for nursing pillows. “The CPSC’s new rule will help prevent infant injuries and deaths by ensuring that nursing pillows made after April 23, 2025, incorporate design and material changes,” says Gabe Knight, senior safety policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “They must meet certain testing requirements, and provide clearer warning labels to help prevent their use for sleeping, lounging, or propping up a baby. The rule helps protect babies and will help prevent the kinds of tragedies that have been documented since 2010 in connection with nursing pillows.”
The label reminders themselves might seem trivial to some, but they can be lifesaving. “I appreciate that reminders are being placed on these items so that parents know that using them in a way that they were not intended could put their child at risk,” says Clara Chlon, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and newborn hospitalist for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a certified lactation consultant, and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “While this may seem obvious at times, it isn’t necessarily going to always be evident to new families and caregivers of newborns. Sometimes, a well-meaning grandparent, babysitter, or day-care provider inadvertently misuses these items, and a well-placed and obvious reminder could go a long way to educate everyone involved in caring for infants and keeping them safe.”
Knight adds, “To help caregivers make informed decisions, Consumer Reports urges retailers to immediately make clear which products they’re offering for sale meet the new federal safety standard, and which products are older and do not.”
How to Safely Use a Nursing Pillow
If you follow safe sleep practices and only use the pillow when you and the baby are awake and nursing, you don’t necessarily need to throw out your existing nursing pillow or stress about nursing pillow accidents. In fact, your nursing pillow can be an essential and helpful accessory.
“A good nursing pillow can help your baby rest comfortably at just the right height during breastfeeding and bottle feeding, while helping you avoid a sore back and shoulders,” Knight says. “However, nursing pillows are only meant for use when a baby is supervised and awake. If a baby does fall asleep while feeding, it is important to place them on a firm, flat, non-inclined surface in a safe sleep environment, such as a crib, bassinet, or play yard.”
The CPSC shares the following recommendations for staying safe with your nursing pillow—including pillows that were made before the new regulations went into effect:
- Only use your nursing pillow while feeding the baby.
- Never use it for sleeping or lounging.
- Do not put a nursing pillow in your baby’s crib or bassinet.
- Do not leave your baby unattended on a nursing pillow, especially on elevated surfaces.
- If you or the baby gets sleepy, transfer the baby to a safe sleep space like the crib.
Chlon says, “I also recommend that families keep an eye on each other and support one another, because caring for an infant and keeping them safe is exhausting and truly takes a village. It is a good idea to educate all caregivers to practice these same behaviors each and every time.”
Safe Sleep Guidelines for Infants
- Always place your baby down on their back in their own sleeping space, with no other people or pets.
- Always use a crib, bassinet, or portable play yard for sleep with a firm, flat mattress.
- Only use a fitted sheet in your baby’s sleeping space.
- Do not put loose blankets, pillows or nursing pillows, stuffed toys, bumpers, baby loungers, or sleep positioners in your baby’s sleeping space.
- Do not use weighted sleep sacks.
- If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, or infant carrier, move them to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) remain among the leading causes of death in infancy. But following safe sleep practices for every nap and nighttime can help keep your infant safe and prevent the risk of SUID fatalities. For more safe sleep recommendations, reach out to your pediatrician.
