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Choosing Safe Baby Products with the JPMA
by Lance Judd, Amazon.comWhat Is the JPMA?
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is an international trade organization that represents 95 percent of the North American companies responsible for the manufacture and import of child and infant products. Formed by 29 industry-leading companies in 1962, it has since grown to include more than 330 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
How Does the JPMA Certification Program Work?
The JPMA maintains an extensive, highly regarded certification program designed to help parents select child and infant products that are built with safety in mind. A JPMA team of product experts has developed performance standards and tests for a variety of baby- and child-related products, including highchairs, playards, walkers, hook-on chairs, carriages and strollers, gates and enclosures, full-size cribs, and toddler beds . These specific product categories were chosen because they are basic, high-use items that nearly all new parents use.
To become JPMA-certified, a product must be tested by an independent testing facility for compliance with the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials. If a product passes the tests, JPMA allows the manufacturer to label it with the JPMA Certified Seal.
How Do I Know If a Product Is Certified?
Parents can look for the JPMA seal on baby products or product packaging for added assurance that the product was built with safety in mind.
If you are interested in a product but are unsure if it is JPMA-certified, ask your retailer for assistance or contact the manufacturer.
Lance Judd, a former sports journalist, has been with Amazon.com since 1997. Lance now edits many of the category pages for Amazon.com's Web shopping service. Lance is a veteran board-sports enthusiast; when time allows, he also plays tennis and video games, and maintains his lawn.