US CPSC Approves New Federal Safety Standard for Neck Floats 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a consumer product safety standard to improve the safety of neck floats, an aquatic toy intended for use by children up to and including four years of age. The new federal mandatory standard is aimed at preventing deaths and injuries to infants from drowning, and is effective June 15, 2026. The vote was 2 to 0.

Neck floats are typically ring-shaped tubes with discontinuous ends that wrap around a child’s neck. This placement is intended to allow the child’s head to float above the water while supporting their body.

The new standard aims to prevent drowning related injury or death from the following hazards:

• Children slipping through the product for reasons associated with inflation, which includes deflation and underinflation;
• Children slipping through the product for reasons not associated with inflation;
• Children slipping through the product due to a restraint system failure; and
• Children submerging in water without slipping through the product.

Key Regulatory Requirements (Effective June 15, 2026)

• Buoyancy: Must provide at least 30% of expected weight capacity, with inherently buoyant parts losing no more than 5% buoyancy.
• Restraint Systems: Must feature a double-action release or a single-action release requiring 50N of force.
• Neck Opening: Must pass tests with a head probe to prevent infants from slipping through.
• Labeling: Requires prominent "WARNING" label stating, "This is not a lifesaving device," and "Requires constant adult supervision".
• Product and Packaging Warning:


Please see the links below for additional details:

https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2025/CPSC-Approves-New-Federal-Safety-Standard-for-Neck-Floats-to-Prevent-Infant-Deaths-and-Serious-Injuries#:~:text=While%20using%20neck%20floats%2C%20CPSC,safe%20in%20and%20around%20water

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/15/2025-22827/mandatory-toy-safety-standards-requirements-for-neck-floats

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