An Update Regarding Our Deluxe+ Dock

  • Christian Piencka
  • November 10, 2022
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

Dear DockATot families: 
 
In 2006, when my first son was born in my home country of Sweden, I was
inspired to create something unique. A convenient product with a flat
surface that I trusted to keep my baby safe and close, while I navigated my
new life as a parent. I used it for playing, tummy time, feeding, changing
diapers, and all the other great bonding moments we shared as a new
family.

I am a believer in attachment parenting, so we chose to bedshare with both
our sons. Bedsharing is something that is encouraged by midwives in
Scandinavia and the norm in many cultures around the globe. Consequently,
we also used the dock for this, as it provided a separate space for my son
while allowing proximity for bonding and feeding.

After I created this solution for my family, I decided to share my multi-
functional docks with the world. I began by searching for voluntary
certifications and testing and the highest quality materials to produce the
safest product possible. My top commitment is and always has been to the
well-being and safety of little ones and their families.

We encountered differences in opinions surrounding the practice of
bedsharing as we grew across the globe. These differences result in a lack of
standards applicable to products offered for bedsharing families and in 2020
we made the decision to no longer promote our docks for any type of sleep.
Recently, we have made the difficult decision to phase out the Deluxe+ dock
in the United States. We reached this decision in part due to the United
States’s new Infant Sleep Product Rule, which went into effect in
June of this year. This standard requires that all newly made products that it
covers be redesigned with bassinet features.

The Deluxe+ was always meant to be extremely portable and multi-
functional and it simply does not make sense to redesign it with legs, high
sides, and other aspects of a bassinet as they are defined in the US and
Canada. However, in the rest of the world, the Deluxe+ dock remains the
trusted multipurpose solution that has benefited so many families and will
remain available through our websites and retailers.

Lastly – with this pivot away from sales of the Deluxe+ dock in the US, our
team has been able to focus on a new sleep product line that we will be
launching in the US in January 2023. As you’ve come to expect from
DockATot, this next generation will be game-changing and stay true to our
commitments to safety, function, style, quality... and so much more.

Thank you for making DockATot a globally loved family lifestyle brand. In the

spirit of the season of thanks, we continue to be grateful for the opportunity
to serve you and your loved ones.
 
With gratitude and my best wishes, 
Lisa 
For more information on the safe use of our docks, please visit https://dockatot.com/pages/safety-guide
________________

 Questions and Answers

We thank you for the opportunity to better explain what is going on with our Deluxe+ product line with transparency.

We invite you to review the Infant Sleep Product Rule which is important for all of us to understand. 

While long and very technical, we wish to point out two key facets that are most relevant to our Deluxe+ docks:

For sleep or for lounging?

DockATot fully supports safe sleep. While bedsharing was part of the Deluxe+ docks history, we encountered differences in opinions surrounding the practice of bedsharing as we grew across the globe. Without a specific safety standard applicable for products offered for bedsharing families, we had no standard to certify as a safe sleep space and thus made the decision to no longer promote or market our docks for any type of sleep back in 2020. We continue to believe in the multi-functional use of the Deluxe+ product and encourage families who own them or are considering purchasing them to fully understand safe use of these types of products: https://dockatot.com/pages/safety-guide

The Infant Sleep Product Rule at the center of recent news defines an “infant sleep product” as “a product marketed or intended to provide a sleeping accommodation for an infant up to 5 months of age.” 

The Deluxe+ dock is not for sleep.  For naps and overnight sleep, place your baby in a crib, bassinet, or play yard.  Babies fall asleep almost anywhere you put them.  If your baby falls asleep in the Deluxe+ dock, move them to a crib. 

What standard applies to products like the Deluxe+ dock?

As mentioned above, there is no safety standard specific to loungers, pods, docks (or whatever you choose to call them). There are five defined categories in the new US Infant Sleep Product Rule:

Products that do not already fit within any of those defined categories, but that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission decide should be swept under the Infant Sleep Products Rule,  are then lumped into one catch-all requiring they be redesigned as bassinets if they continue to be made after June 23, 2022. As you can imagine, it’s simply impossible to redesign the Deluxe+ dock as a bassinet, as it would require legs and tall side walls (among other features that do not translate for our current product).  

What does the notice of violation from the CPSC mean? 

The Deluxe+ dock has not been banned or recalled nor has a stop sale been issued. Since the Infant Sleep Product Rule went into effect on June 23, 2022, the issue at hand is specific to whether Deluxe+ docks manufactured on or after June 23, 2022, and intended for sale in the United States were redesigned as bassinets. 

As a global brand navigating a complex supply chain network, a small number of Deluxe+ docks made after June 23, 2022, were shipped to the United States.  While DockATot had informed the CPSC that it had no intent to sell such units, the CPSC recently chose to issue and widely publicize a notice of violation regarding these units.  

To be clear: this announcement this week was “CPSC recently issued a violation notice to one firm, Dock-a-tot, for importing an infant sleep product manufactured after June 23, 2022 that fails to comply with the mandatory requirements of the ISP rule.”  This Notice of Violation was issued at a time when the agency was already aware that DockATot had chosen to discontinue the Deluxe+ dock for the US market and had no intent of selling any docks made after June 23, 2022.  Although DockATot proactively worked closely with and met with the CPSC over the past year to inquire of any concerns the agency may have regarding our Deluxe+ docks, the agency never communicated any concern regarding the Deluxe+ dock under the new rule until immediately before issuing the Notice of Violation. 

DockATot disagrees with the Notice of Violation and feels misrepresented by the agency's statements but will continue to work with the CPSC in good faith in order to resolve any concerns it may have. 

What is the Safe Sleep for Babies Act?

In many of the headlines, you may also be hearing about the Safe Sleep for Babies Act that President Biden signed into law in June and become effective on November 12, 2022. This law does not impact DockATot’s current product offering including the Deluxe+ docks, in any way. You can read more about how crib bumpers and inclined sleepers are impacted on the White House’s website

***

We intend to continue to add to this conversation to support the needs and questions of our community.

 

 

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