The Australian Babywearing Association (ABA) has launched a ‘National Campaign for Change’, urging the ACCC to implement mandatory national safety standards for baby carriers.

Currently, baby carriers can be sold without undergoing rigorous safety testing, as there are no mandated safety requirements for these products in Australia.

The ABA is calling for Australia to align with international benchmarks, such as the ASTM International standards used in the US or the European EN standards.

The association recommends that national standards address several critical safety areas such as mechanical integrity, material quality, operational safety, health and positioning.

The campaign highlights that the absence of regulation can lead to the distribution of poor-quality products, including ‘drop-shipped’ items that lack instructions or structural integrity, posing risks to babies and parents.

The ABA is currently collecting accounts of negative experiences with baby carriers via its website to support the campaign for regulatory change further.