November 2025: New Safety Guidelines for Childcare Products and Toys Announced

In November 2025, the landscape for childcare products and toys saw significant changes, with the publication of five pivotal standards aimed at elevating child safety across domestic and commercial equipment, entertainment, and sports sectors. These updates introduce new and revised guidelines covering general safety philosophies, chemical and mechanical hazards, essential product information, and the migration of elements from polymers in toys. For manufacturers, quality managers, procurement professionals, compliance officers, and engineers, understanding and integrating these standards is fundamental to maintaining product safety, meeting regulatory expectations, and protecting the most vulnerable users—children.

Overview

The childcare and toy products industry is one of the most tightly regulated sectors worldwide, given the critical importance of protecting young users. Updated standards ensure that products not only meet the latest technical requirements but also reflect the current understanding of hazards and risk mitigation. In this article, we review the five most recent November 2025 publications, explaining their scope, major provisions, compliance impact, and the practical steps organizations should take for implementation.

Readers will learn about:

• The core safety philosophies for childcare articles
• How chemical and mechanical risks are now addressed
• Best practices for product information and consumer guidance
• New insights into element migration from toy polymers

Detailed Standards Coverage

CEN/TS 13387-1:2025 - General Safety Philosophy and Assessment

Child care articles - General safety guidelines - Part 1: Safety philosophy and safety assessment

This foundational technical specification provides the overarching safety philosophy and a systematic guideline for performing safety assessments during the development of standards for childcare articles. It lays out principles for identifying, assessing, and mitigating hazards that may be present in products intended for children from birth to 48 months.

Central to the standard is the recognition of children's unique vulnerabilities; it provides methods for hazard identification, risk analysis, and risk evaluation, including a comprehensive Annex A consolidating critical anthropometric data for young children. While it does not address all hazards (such as misuse or inadequate adult supervision), it serves as a blueprint for safety-centered product design and standardization.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Structured process for hazard and risk assessment
• Consideration of children's development, unpredicted behaviors, and environmental context
• Guidance for harmonization and consistency across other childcare standards
• Recommendations (not mandates) for safety requirements and test methods
• Explicit exclusion of considerations for children with special needs (referencing ISO/IEC Guide 71 for further requirements)

Who needs to comply:

• Standards developers, manufacturers, engineers, regulators, and organizations producing childcare articles

Practical implications:

• Essential for drafting hazard-based, safety-focused standards
• Encourages a science- and data-driven approach leveraging accident data and child development insights
• Supports holistic safety assessments beyond just mechanical or chemical properties

Notable changes:

• Revision of the 2018 version; expanded safety assessment methodology and integration with parts 2 to 5

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive child vulnerability assessment framework
• Data-driven, harmonized approach for standardization
• Includes collection of anthropometric and behavioral data

Access the full standard: View CEN/TS 13387-1:2025 on iTeh Standards

CEN/TS 13387-2:2025 - Chemical Hazards in Childcare Articles

Child care articles - General safety guidelines - Part 2: Chemical hazards

This technical specification delves into chemical safety for childcare products, providing detailed guidance on addressing chemical hazards when drafting or revising safety standards. It covers regulatory frameworks like REACH and the Toy Safety Directive, risk assessment methodologies, exposure evaluation, and the handling of substances of very high concern (SVHC), carcinogenic/mutagenic/reprotoxic (CMR) substances, primary aromatic amines, and more.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Framework for chemical safety assessment (CSA) specific to childcare materials
• Guidance on regulatory compliance (REACH, Toy Safety Directive, packaging regulations, etc.)
• Evaluation methodologies for exposure, risk characterization, and migration limits
• Annexes providing specific recommendations for flame retardants, colourants, plasticizers, sensitizers, and release of formaldehyde

Who needs to comply:

• Chemical compliance managers, product designers, testing laboratories, manufacturers, and regulatory bodies

Practical implications:

• Structures the risk assessment of chemical substances that may be present in child-contact products
• Offers concrete guidance for choosing compliant materials and setting migration limits
• Promotes proactive rather than reactive hazard management

Notable changes:

• Updated guidance on formaldehyde and aromatic amines
• Adapted recommendations reflecting the latest legislative and normative changes

Key highlights:

• In-depth review of applicable chemical regulations
• Provides practical risk assessment and material selection tools
• Direct alignment with legal safety requirements for Europe

Access the full standard: View CEN/TS 13387-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

CEN/TS 13387-3:2025 - Mechanical Hazards in Childcare Articles

Child care articles - General safety guidelines - Part 3: Mechanical hazards

Focusing on prevention of injury from mechanical sources, this technical specification lays down a detailed approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating mechanical hazards specific to childcare products. The guideline covers design features that can lead to entrapment, crushing, shearing, choking, suffocation, ingestion, hazardous edges, projections, and more.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Structured risk analysis for all forms of mechanical hazards
• Test methods for accessibility of hazardous elements, entrapment probes, and simulation of realistic scenarios
• Recommendations for locking mechanisms, stability, and integrity
• Special focus on hazards from parts designed to fold, cords, ribbons, and looped components

Who needs to comply:

• Childcare products manufacturers, mechanical and design engineers, product test laboratories, and quality assurance teams

Practical implications:

• Facilitates design choices that reduce potential for serious or fatal injuries
• Guides test protocol selection and product design risk reviews
• Enables effective product recalls and market surveillance

Notable changes:

• Hazard-based approach, updated to reflect current risk scenarios and injury data
• Fully revised to align with latest mechanical hazard theories

Key highlights:

• Extensive coverage of all major mechanical risk categories
• Scientifically grounded test methodologies
• Focus on real-world use and behavioral unpredictability in children

Access the full standard: View CEN/TS 13387-3:2025 on iTeh Standards

CEN/TS 13387-5:2025 - Product Information Requirements

Child care articles - General safety guidelines - Part 5: Product information

This specification establishes best practices for drafting information requirements in childcare product standards. It emphasizes the dual role of accurate product information: enabling correct consumer choice and facilitating safe use. The guidance includes marking, visibility, durability, the format of warnings, symbols, instructions for use, and quick-start guides.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Rules for permanent, visible product and packaging markings
• Guidance on durable safety warnings; avoidance of information overload
• Requirements for manufacturer identification, relevant standards, and access to additional information (e.g., via QR codes)
• Standards for instruction manuals and quick-start guides
• Recommendations for clarity and consistency of language across European markets

Who needs to comply:

• Product information writers, packaging designers, regulatory specialists, and technical writers

Practical implications:

• Ensures end-users receive the information needed to minimize risk and use products safely
• Helps organizations meet EU legal obligations and avoid recalls due to labeling deficiencies
• Provides a foundation for harmonization of safety information across product lines and regions

Notable changes:

• Alignment with CEN/CLC Guide 11 and ISO/IEC Guide 50
• New digital access and visibility recommendations

Key highlights:

• Detailed product and packaging marking guidelines
• Clarity-focused warning and instruction protocols
• Harmonized European approach to consumer information

Access the full standard: View CEN/TS 13387-5:2025 on iTeh Standards

CEN/TR 18217:2025 - Migration of Elements from Polymers in Toys

Safety of toys - Migration of certain elements from polymers

This technical report, although focusing on toys, provides key insights that are vital for risk assessment professionals and regulatory compliance teams. The publication details the migration behavior of chemical elements from polymer materials used in toys, supporting compliance with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-3 testing. It demystifies the science around the migration of metals (like lead, cadmium, and others) from hard plastics, such as ABS, PP, PE, and polycarbonate, under conditions simulating a child's exposure.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Scientific evidence and lab data supporting negligible migration rates from common toy polymers under realistic conditions
• Practical recommendations on the necessity (or lack thereof) for certain migration tests
• Theoretical and empirical background explanations for diffusion, desorption, and solvation in polymers
• Sample preparation and analytical method guidance for EN 71-3 compliance

Who needs to comply:

• Toy manufacturers, quality testing labs, compliance managers responsible for EU and international toy safety

Practical implications:

• Enables risk-based, cost-effective compliance strategies for toys
• Informs decision-making about routine testing requirements
• Reduces unnecessary laboratory testing for hard polymer components when supported by data

Notable changes:

• First comprehensive technical report benchmarking migration from polymers in Europe
• Includes extensive laboratory and literature data

Key highlights:

• Negligible element migration from hard toy polymers confirmed
• Supports efficient, risk-based compliance
• Detailed theoretical and empirical backing for test strategies

Access the full standard: View CEN/TR 18217:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

The updated and new standards introduced in November 2025 reshape the compliance landscape for all organizations involved in designing, manufacturing, or distributing childcare and toy products. Not only do they introduce more rigorous and data-supported technical expectations, but they also establish a harmonized, pan-European baseline for injury prevention, chemical safety, and user information.

Impact on businesses:

• Enhanced need for multi-disciplinary risk assessment
• Greater harmonization across product categories (childcare, toys, packaging)
• Heightened expectations for chemical, mechanical, and instructional safety

Compliance considerations and timelines:

• Immediate review of product development and compliance files against new and revised requirements
• Adaptation of risk assessment, testing, and labeling protocols
• Engagement with notified bodies and testing laboratories for technical interpretation

Benefits of adopting these standards:

• Reduced risk of injury and improved consumer trust
• Streamlined product approvals and market access (EU and globally)
• Minimized liability from non-compliance and product recalls

Risks of non-compliance:

• Market access denial (notably in the EU)
• Costly recalls and serious reputational harm
• Legal penalties and regulatory action

Technical Insights

While unique in their focus, these standards share several technical threads:

• Risk-based approach: All standards encourage a cycle of hazard identification, risk evaluation, and implementation of controls, either as recommendations or technical specifications.
• Scientific basis: Each document pulls on current accident data, scientific principles, regulations, and real-world use to ensure relevance.
• Harmonization with EU Directives: Particularly evident for chemical and mechanical hazard management, and for product information requirements.
• Testing and certification: The migration report underlines the importance of data-driven decisions on when testing is necessary; mechanical and chemical standards outline methodologies and rationales for product testing.

Implementation best practices:

1. Map your product portfolio against the new requirements—identify gaps in compliance.
2. Conduct training for design, engineering, and quality teams on the new hazard-based philosophies.
3. Work with accredited labs to verify and validate compliance, particularly for chemical and mechanical safety.
4. Update labeling, instructions, and packaging to meet new product information guidelines.
5. Maintain robust records of compliance actions and continuous improvements.

Conclusion / Next Steps

November 2025’s newly published standards collectively mark a leap forward in the safety and reliability of childcare products and toys. Organizations operating in the domestic and commercial equipment, entertainment, and sports sectors must act to align policies, practices, and product portfolios with these state-of-the-art requirements.

Key recommendations:

• Conduct immediate reviews of your standards library and compliance assessments
• Prioritize the integration of CEN/TS 13387 series and CEN/TR 18217:2025 provisions for future product development
• Collaborate closely with quality, regulatory, and product teams
• Leverage iTeh Standards for timely access to full publications and updates

Stay ahead of the regulatory curve. Explore the full standards, implement best-in-class safety, and reinforce your brand’s reputation as a champion of child protection.