US CPSC Finalizes Mandatory Toy Safety Requirements for Neck Floats

Published: December 2025
Effective Date: 15 June 2026
Regulation: 16 CFR Part 1250 – Safety Standard for Toys (Neck Floats)

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has published a final rule establishing mandatory safety requirements for neck floats intended for use by infants and young children.

Neck floats are aquatic play products designed to encircle a child’s neck to provide buoyancy during use in bathtubs, paddling pools, and swimming pools. The CPSC determined that additional, product-specific requirements were necessary to address drowning and submersion risks associated with these products.

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Scope

The rule applies to neck floats:

• Intended for infants and young children
  
• Used in indoor or outdoor aquatic environments

Products regulated as U.S. Coast Guard–approved flotation devices are excluded.

Key Requirements

The final rule introduces requirements covering:

• Product conditioning and durability prior to performance testing
  
• Minimum buoyancy and buoyancy retention criteria
  
• Restraint systems and release mechanism performance
  
• Neck opening design to reduce slip-through risk
  
• Mandatory warnings and detailed instructions for safe use

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Regulatory Impact

From the effective date, all neck floats within scope must comply with the requirements of 16 CFR Part 1250 before being manufactured, imported, or placed on the U.S. market.