The CPSC has flagged safety issues with loungers for years. The Boppy infant lounger was recalled in 2021, several lesser-known loungers sold by Amazon and Walmart were all recalled in 2024, and four more baby loungers have been recalled so far in 2025.
In 2024, the CPSC passed a new rule to try to make baby loungers safer, setting stricter safety requirements that in effect required most infant support pillows on the market to be redesigned. The new designs are firmer and flatter, and they have more prominent warning labels, among other protections. That rule went into effect in May 2025, but manufacturers and retailers can still sell infant loungers manufactured before that date, as long as they aren’t marketed as safe for infant sleep and don’t make references to infant sleep in their images or promotional language.
This all makes for a confusing shopping experience for parents. Both old and new versions of the same products can be for sale at the same time, with slightly different features. Amazon tells CR that they are working to make sure all baby loungers sold on their platform comply with the new rules.
Meanwhile, misinformation and mixed messaging online adds to the confusion. Do a single search on Instagram or Google for “baby lounger,” and you’ll easily find an image of a baby lounger inside a crib—or with a sleeping baby lying inside. While companies aren’t supposed to market baby loungers for infant sleep, parents may understandably believe, because of the appearance of these products, that they are okay to use for a baby’s nap, or even for overnight sleep.
CR’s safety experts recommend that parents and caregivers put their babies down to nap only in approved products for sleep, such as a play yard, crib, or bassinet. For your baby’s awake time, try to purchase loungers made after May 5, 2025, when the new rule for loungers went into effect. Avoid cushions with deep contours or overly soft padding, which can increase suffocation risk, and look for firm, flat surfaces. And never place a lounger, even one that meets the new standard, in any approved sleep product, like a crib, play yard, or bassinet.
