This article is provided by BRC Associate Member, UL.
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Children’s sleep bags: Insights on EU safety requirements
The Q4 results are in
A sleep bag is a bedding item consisting of a full-length fabric bag with a neck opening and armholes designed to warm a child during sleep more safely than traditional blankets.
These articles are used in children’s sleeping environments, i.e., not under supervision. They are designed to provide sufficient warmth to eliminate the need for additional bedding when sleeping on a cot or similar product, e.g., in a crib/cradle.
European Commission Mandate No. M/497 requested that the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) develop standards or specifications including safety requirements and test methods, warnings and instructions to adult users to address the possible hazard posed by some products including sleep bags. Following this European Commission mandate in 2018, European Norm EN 16781 was published.
This European standard aims to minimize the main risks posed by products in the sleep environment of babies and young children, such as entrapment, hyperthermia (overheating), strangulation, external asphyxiation (suffocation), flammability and injuries due to ingestion of small parts. To cover all the possible hazards, EN 16781 includes specific design characteristics involving several hazards and specific marking, purchase information and user instruction.
Hazards
One of the significant hazards arises if a child slips through the neck opening of the sleep bag such that the material of the sleep bag covers the child’s head. Suffocation can occur if the material covers the child’s nose and mouth and may lead to the brain becoming starved of oxygen, which may result in asphyxia and potential brain damage or fatality. To limit this hazard, the EN 16781 standard specifies the maximum and minimum size of the neck opening circumference in relation to the child’s height as well as the requirements for three possible development sizes of the sleep bag. For example, a sleep bag designed for a child 50 cm to 65 cm tall shall have a minimum circumference of 28 cm and a maximum circumference of 32 cm when tested as specified in Clause 4.1.2.2 of the standard.
Another significant hazard is hyperthermia (overheating), describing a rise in core temperature that may be associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Sleep bags incorporating hoods or other means of covering the infant’s head may lead to overheating, as the head represents a significant means by which an infant regulates body temperature. For this reason, children’s sleep bags are not permitted to include hoods or other means of head covering. In addition, sleep bags undergo thorough testing to verify their thermal resistance; EN 16781 requires a maximum thermal resistance of 0.40 m²·K/W (4.0 thermal overall grade) for sleep bags.
Considering sleep bags are used by very young children, the release of small parts could lead to severe choking and aspiration injuries. EN 16781 specifies that sleep bags shall not contain attached components that can be detached under a force less than 70 N when tested according to Clause 4.2.3.2.1 (removal force procedure) or that can be detached after five cycles of washing and tumble-drying when tested according to Clause 4.2.3.2.2 (washing/drying procedure). The procedure to be used for testing depends on the type of component. Components to undergo testing according to the removal force procedure are, for example, mechanically applied metallic press fasteners and buttons, while components to undergo testing according to the washing/drying procedure are, for example, embroidery and eyelets.
The use of slide fasteners is widespread on sleep bags. Slide fasteners shall respect a series of specific design requirements and, in addition, shall comply with EN 16732:2015 at least to the performance requirements of Code B, except for the strength of the closed end, for which the minimum shall be 70 N, and with the requirements of Table 2, as stated in EN 16732:2015.
With legislation constantly evolving, the EN 16781 standard is under revision more than six years after its first publication and implementation in the EU member states.
The proposed new standard version (not approved yet; still under discussion) has undergone technical revisions on several points, and the document has been restructured to be hazard-based.
Some of the possible changes are as follows:
- A child height range has been added to the requirement for the neck opening (for a total of four sizes), and a different test method has been proposed to measure the neck opening.
- A minimum length requirement for a sleep bag has been recommended.
- Requirements on attached components refer to CEN/TS 17394-1:2021, and test methods for attached components refer to EN 17394-2, CEN/TS 17394-3 or CEN/TS 17394-4.
- Weighted sleep bags would not be permitted. Weighted sleep bags are sleep bags in which one or more areas include additional functional weighting for the sole purpose of increasing the pressure on the body.
Following the publication and implementation of the new version of EN 16781, there should be an 18-month transition period from the date of availability to allow manufacturers to develop and produce sleep bags that conform to the new standard.
The next discussion on this topic will be in February 2025 during the next CEN TC 248 WG34 meeting. UL Solutions actively participates in the working groups to monitor the evolution of this important standard and remain at your disposal for any clarifications at RCP@ul.com.
