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How to Check Your Baby Gear for Recalls (and Why to Register It)

By Oğuz Tokatlı · Updated October 17, 2026

man kneeling on a wooden floor using a screwdriver to assemble a white crib, with a toolbox beside him

When baby gear is recalled, the maker needs a way to reach the people who own it. Federal law builds that in for most of the gear you buy for a baby or toddler, through a permanent label and a registration card. Here's how to use both, and how to check an item yourself.

Which Baby Gear the Rules Cover

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) calls these durable infant or toddler products. Under 16 CFR 1130, that means products for children under 5 in these groups:

  • Strollers, swings, infant bouncers and walkers
  • Infant carriers: soft carriers, slings, hand-held carriers and frame carriers
  • High chairs, booster seats and hook-on chairs
  • Cribs, toddler beds, bassinets, cradles, bedside sleepers, play yards and crib mattresses
  • Bath seats, infant bathtubs, gates, bed rails, changing products, activity centers and children's folding chairs

The CPSC says all of these need testing by a CPSC-accepted lab, a certificate, a registration card and tracking labels. Bottle warmers and other small appliances aren't on the list.

Step by Step: Check an Item

  1. Find the label. The CPSC requires a permanent label with the maker's name, a U.S. address and phone number, the model name and number, and the date of manufacture (at least the month and year). Look under the seat, on the frame or on a sewn-in tag.
  2. Register it. The card comes attached to the product and can be mailed postage-paid, or you can register online or by email. The CPSC says makers may use your details only to tell you about safety alerts or recalls, never for marketing.
  3. Search for recalls. Go to CPSC.gov/Recalls and search the brand and model. You can narrow results by category, such as Baby Carriers, Strollers or Bassinets and Cradles.
  4. Check the date against the rule. Each product type has a federal standard that has been updated over time. A newer date of manufacture means the item was made to a newer version (see the table below).
  5. Report problems. If something breaks or a child is hurt, report it at SaferProducts.gov or call the CPSC Hotline at 800-638-2772.

Federal Rules and Their Dates

These are the current versions for the products in our guides, from the CPSC's business guidance pages.

ProductFederal ruleCurrent version applies to items made after
High chairs16 CFR 1231The CPSC suggests a chair made on or after June 19, 2019
Strollers16 CFR 1227February 15, 2022
Slings and wraps16 CFR 1228November 19, 2022
Infant swings16 CFR 1223September 14, 2024
Soft (buckle) carriers16 CFR 1226February 22, 2025

Our baby gear age checker looks up the version for any date. An item made before these dates may still have met the version in force at the time. The date helps you judge how old it is, and the recall search tells you whether it has a known problem.

Buying or Taking Secondhand Gear

A recalled item can sit in a closet for years before it's handed on. The CPSC says federal law prohibits anyone from selling a product under a recall, yet a free item from a friend gets no such check. Before you use one:

  • Find the label. If the model and date are gone, you can't check it.
  • Search the model on CPSC.gov/Recalls.
  • Register it with the maker in your own name, so recall notices reach you.
  • Look for missing parts, cracks and buckles or locks that don't hold.

Tip: take a photo of each label when you set up new gear. If a recall comes out later, you can check the model and date without crawling under the crib or flipping the stroller.

Why Registration Cards Exist

Congress ordered the card system in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, and the CPSC approved the final rule 5-0 on December 16, 2009, covering 18 product categories. The CPSC said the goal was to raise registration rates so more owners hear about recalls. The CPSC refers to Section 104 of that law, which also orders the safety standards for these products, as the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act.

Shopping for One?

bright nursery with wooden floors, a window and a white crib with a bare mattress against the wallNurseryBest Cribs: Convertible and Budget Picks That Meet the Federal StandardConvertible cribs from Graco, Dream On Me, Delta Children and Babyletto compared on conversions, size and price, with the CPSC's crib rules and safe sleep basics.nursery with a mesh bassinet beside a changing table, a play mat on the floor and framed pictures on the wallNurseryBest Bassinets: Bedside, Portable and Play Yard PicksBassinets from Dream On Me, HALO, Graco and Chicco compared on height, weight limit, portability and price, with the CPSC bassinet rule and AAP room-sharing advice.woman in a striped top leaning over a purple stroller to check on her baby in an autumn parkStrollersBest Strollers: Full-Size, Lightweight, Travel and Jogging PicksStrollers from Graco, Summer, Ingenuity, Baby Trend and Baby Jogger compared on weight, fold size, weight limits and price, with the hazards the CPSC's stroller rule targets.woman in a pink jacket wearing a green front carrier by a lake, with her baby's head just above the carrier panelCarriersBest Baby Carriers: Buckle Carriers, Wraps and Ring SlingsBaby carriers from Ergobaby, Infantino and Boba compared on weight range, carry positions and price, with the CPSC's sling safety tips for young babies.laughing baby in a gray high chair wearing a blue bib, with food on the trayFeedingBest High Chairs: Compact, Convertible and Easy-Clean PicksHigh chairs from Graco, Evenflo, Cosco, Ingenuity and Baby Trend compared on weight limits, folding, cleanup and price, with the CPSC's tips on preventing falls.smiling baby in a pink mesh bouncer seat with the harness buckled and toys hanging aboveSwings & BouncersBest Baby Swings: Compact, Portable and Multi-Motion PicksBaby swings from Graco, Ingenuity and Bright Starts compared on weight limits, size, power and motion, with the CPSC's rule that swings are not for sleep.

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