Why lawmakers want to ban weighted sleepwear for babies

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - This week, federal legislation was introduced that would ban weighted sleepwear for children under the age of one.

“There are multiple concerns that we have about these products,” said UVA Health Children’s Pediatrician, Dr. Rachel Moon.

Weighted sleepwear is becoming more popular for infants, but parents should be aware of how dangerous it can be.

“One is that when particularly for newborn babies, it takes a while for your rib cage to become bone,” Moon said.

Another problem, Moon says, is that weighted sleepwear does not have safety standards for infants. Anything weighted on a sleeping child can make it harder for them to breathe.

“Some of these products have a pound of weight in them, on the baby’s chest, and that’s more than 10% of a normal newborn’s body weight,” she said. “If you can’t breathe, then that’s certainly going to that, that certainly could be fatal.”

Aside from the safety component, Moon advises babies lay on their back and parents pay attention to when they put them down to bed.

“You want to try to put them in the crib when they’re just a little bit awake, almost asleep and not quite asleep, so that they learn how to fall asleep by themselves,” Moon said.

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