Baby and children’s products must meet minimum federal requirements based on safety and use. Baby Safety Alliance Verification—formerly JPMA Certification— is a voluntary program based on adherence to ASTM standards, federal and state laws in the U.S., Canadian regulations, and certain retail requirements. The program is designed to provide peace of mind to parents and caregivers by confirming that juvenile products and child restraint systems have been independently tested to meet the most rigorous U.S. and Canadian safety standards.

The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Seal signifies a product meets these and additional requirements. To become Verified, each product is sample-tested at an independent laboratory to verify it meets the highest standards for safety, performance and functionality.

The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program tests to all federal and state chemical safety requirements for juvenile products. Our protocols require compliance with all 50 states, regardless of where the product is sold. These requirements restrict chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony, flame retardants, phthalates and more.

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards. Today, thousands of ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence. The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program is built on ASTM standards. ASTM standards do not widely address chemical safety but are focused on performance and general requirements. ASTM standards are voluntary, but the Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program and many federal rules for juvenile products rely on the ASTM standard as the basis for their own requirements.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the federal agency tasked with regulating consumer products. Despite its huge responsibility, the CPSC does not (and cannot) certify or test each individual product on the market. The CPSC has rulemaking and enforcement tools to help regulate consumer products. Signed into law in 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) gave the CPSC a significant role in creating and enforcing federal requirements as they pertain to children’s products. Testing to CPSIA means that a manufacturer meets or exceeds the federal requirement for their product. All Baby Safety Alliance Verified products must test to the applicable federal regulation.

In Canada, children’s products, such as cribs, strollers, playpens, high chairs, and gates must meet specific safety requirements set by the government. These rules are published as SORs, which stands for Statutory Orders and Regulations. SORs are detailed safety standards made under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). They make sure that products meet strict guidelines for things like strength, stability, labeling, and fire safety.

The CCPSA, or Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, is Canada’s key law for protecting the public from unsafe consumer products, including children’s products. It gives Health Canada the authority to set safety rules, recall unsafe products, require companies to report hazards, and remove dangerous items from the market ensuring products sold in Canada meet high safety standards so families can trust the products they use daily. All Baby Safety Alliance Verified products must be tested to meet the applicable Canadian regulations.

There are various differences between the two programs. Primarily, the Baby Safety Alliance does not create its own requirements, but rather relies on federal, state, ASTM and major retailer requirements to make up its testing protocol. The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program is a third-party verifier that a company has met or exceeded all of these safety requirements. GreenGuard Certification is more focused on chemical safety and is in addition to existing regulations. Many Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program participants are also GreenGuard Certified.

Underwriters’ Laboratories, or UL as it is universally known, tests and evaluates a variety of products and components. UL’s label on electronics and small appliances is the most recognizable. It means that the product has been found to be free from a reasonably foreseeable risk of fire or electric shock in most environments. The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program verifies compliance with the UL program for any products that have an electrical component.

Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about possible exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) maintains the list of Prop 65 chemicals that it considers harmful, and it updates the list at least once a year. At the latest count, the Prop 65 list contained more than 900 chemicals. These warnings are on a wide range of products and have to be posted in California businesses as well, if applicable. Despite being specific to California, all Baby Safety Alliance Verified products are required to have the Prop 65 warning. For many products, this warning is included if there is the slightest possibility of contamination during the manufacturing process.

PFAS are widely used, long-lasting chemicals, the components of which break down very slowly over time. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial and industrial products—primarily outerwear, cooking pots and pans, and other waterproof or stain-resistant materials. This makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks. Baby products are regulated for PFAS chemicals, primarily through state laws such as those in California and Colorado. Baby product manufacturers do not intentionally add PFAS to their products, and the Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program is an added level of security to ensure they are compliant with the most current PFAS regulations.

Phthalates (pronounced THAL-eights) are a class of chemicals that are used to make plastics flexible [primarily polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl)]. The chemicals also serve various functions in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. Baby Safety Alliance Verified products are tested for phthalates, as required by state and federal regulations.

Flame retardants are chemicals that are applied to materials to prevent the start or slow the growth of fire. They have been used in many consumer and industrial products since the 1970s to decrease the ability of materials to ignite. Baby Safety Alliance Verified products are tested for flame retardants in accordance with various state regulations.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility. Many VOCs are human-made chemicals that are used and produced in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals and refrigerants. An example is formaldehyde, which is regulated at both the federal and state level. Baby Safety Alliance Verified products are tested for formaldehyde, which is required by the EPA and various states.

Yes, Baby Safety Alliance Verified products are tested for lead, cadmium, and mercury, which is required by federal and state regulations.

Child restraint systems meet rigorous safety standards and comply with federal regulations. Under the self-verification process outlined in 49 U.S.C. 30115, manufacturers are responsible for verifying that their products meet all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. As part of the Baby Safety Alliance’s commitment to product safety, each verified child restraint system meets FMVSS 213 and, where applicable, ASTM F2050/16 CFR 1225, reinforcing consumer, retailer, and manufacturer confidence in product safety and compliance.

The Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program includes a car seat category. Car seats are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States and by Transport Canada in Canada. In the U.S., car seats must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213, which, through incorporation of FMVSS 302, requires flame retardant properties. This is often achieved through the use of chemical treatments. Many car seat manufacturers are working to develop chemical-free ways to protect families from the risk of fire in vehicles while still meeting NHTSA’s and Transport Canada’s flame retardancy requirements. Certain models or fashions are offered without these chemical treatments. Learn more about car seat safety here.

For over 60 years, the Baby Safety Alliance has been committed to advancing the safety of products used for babies and young children. As the industry evolves, so do the needs of families and manufacturers. To better address these changes and provide a more transparent, efficient approach to safety assurance, we transitioned from the JPMA Certification Program to the Baby Safety Alliance Verification Program. This new program emphasizes verification over certification, allowing for greater clarity around testing processes, reducing redundant testing, and strengthening partnerships with retailers. The updated name, Baby Safety Alliance, reflects this broader commitment to collaborative safety efforts and ongoing innovation in protecting children.

The Baby Safety Alliance Verification program provides parents and caregivers with greater confidence by independently testing products to meet or exceed current safety standards. It covers both U.S. and Canadian regulations, making it relevant across North America. The program offers transparency, ensuring products with the Baby Safety Alliance Verification seal have undergone thorough evaluation beyond voluntary verification. By managing its own verification process, Baby Safety Alliance stays up-to-date with the latest safety regulations, helping families make informed choices that reduce risks and enhance child safety.

Check for the tracking label! While Baby Safety Alliance verifies products for safety, they don’t manufacture products or have replacement hardware. The tracking label will have the following information:

– The manufacturer or brand name
– Production location
– Country of origin
– Manufacturing date
– Batch number

Once you have this information, you can visit the manufacturer’s website to request replacement parts, review the instruction manual and warnings, and more.