Are Nursing Pillows Safe? Yes for Feeding, Never for Sleep

Yes, a nursing pillow is safe for what its name says: holding a baby up while an awake adult feeds them. It is not safe for sleep, napping or "lounging", ever. That is not a cautious opinion. When the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wrote the first federal rule for these pillows in 2024, it counted 154 infant deaths linked to nursing pillows between 2010 and 2022, and 142 of them involved a baby sleeping on or in one.

A nursing pillow is a feeding tool, not a bed. If the baby, or you, start to drift off, the pillow comes out.

This week the question is back in people's feeds because of a fresh recall, and with the holidays coming, a lot of baby gear is about to change hands as gifts and hand-me-downs. Here is what the rule says, what the recall means, and a simple way to judge a pillow you already own or are offered.

Why are nursing pillows dangerous for sleep?

The CPSC's own breakdown in the final rule (published October 25, 2024) is the clearest answer, and the numbers are hard to forget:

• Very young babies. 144 of the 154 deaths (94 percent) were babies 6 months old or younger, and 110 (71 percent) were 3 months or younger.
• Sleep products and beds. 124 deaths (81 percent) happened with the pillow in or on a sleep surface: 62 in a crib, play yard or bassinet, and 61 on an adult bed.
• Couches too. 18 deaths involved a couch, sofa or loveseat.

The rule explains how it happens. A sleeping baby can roll so their face presses into the soft pillow. A baby can slip into the curved opening and end up face-down with the pillow around their head. Or a baby propped on top can let their head drop forward onto the chest or tip back over the edge, which can close off the airway. Very young babies cannot reliably lift or turn their heads out of trouble.

The CPSC also notes that the risk is foreseeable: babies often fall asleep during or right after a feed, and these pillows look cosy and fit neatly inside a crib. That is exactly why the rule leans on both design changes and blunt warnings.

What changed with the 2025 nursing pillow rule?

Every nursing pillow manufactured after April 23, 2025 must meet the federal standard (16 CFR part 1242). It covers the pillow and any removable cover sold with it. The main requirements:

1. Firm enough. A test probe pressed into the baby-side surface and the inner wall must meet a minimum resistance, before and after cleaning. A soft, squishy pillow that a face can sink into fails.
2. Not a nest. A 9-inch head-shaped probe placed in the curved opening must not be held in by the walls. This is meant to stop a baby's head getting trapped in the opening and to discourage using the pillow to prop a baby up.
3. No baby straps. Infant restraints are banned, because they can tangle a baby and suggest it is fine to leave one on the pillow.
4. Strong seams and waist strap. Seams must survive a pull test, and any strap that fastens the pillow to the adult must hold a 20-pound load.
5. A permanent warning you can see while putting it on. It must include a line telling you to move the baby to a crib or bassinet if the baby falls asleep or you feel drowsy. The CPSC added that line after finding three deaths where the caregiver fell asleep.
6. A date of manufacture. The product must be permanently marked with the maker's name, address and phone number, and a code showing at least the month and year it was made.
7. Honest packaging. The box must say not to use it for sleep or in cribs, bassinets or play yards, and must not suggest a baby can be left on it without an adult.

The rule also makes nursing pillows a product that must come with a registration card, so owners can be told directly about a recall.

What is the PILLANI nursing pillow recall?

On October 29, 2026, the CPSC announced a recall of about 25,762 PILLANI nursing pillows because they violate the mandatory nursing pillow standard and can obstruct an infant's breathing. No injuries had been reported when the notice went out.

How to tell if you have one, according to the CPSC notice:

If yours matches, stop using it now. The CPSC says to contact PILLANI for a full refund; the company will ask for a photo and send disposal instructions. The contact details are on the official recall page linked in the sources below. Do not pass it on, sell it or donate it: the same CPSC page states that federal law prohibits selling a product that has been recalled.

Is it OK to buy or accept a used nursing pillow?

It can be, if it passes a few checks. Because the federal rule only applies to pillows made after April 23, 2025, an older hand-me-down may be softer, more nest-shaped, or carry weaker warnings. Before you use a secondhand one:

1. Find the label. No maker's name, no model number, no date at all? Skip it. You cannot check a recall without them.
2. Read the date. Made after April 2025 means it should have been built to the new standard. Made earlier does not make it automatically unsafe, but it was not tested to these rules, so judge it harder.
3. Search the recall list. Type the brand and model into the CPSC recall search at cpsc.gov. Our guide on how to check if a product is recalled walks through it.
4. Press it. It should feel firm, not like a beanbag. Granular or loose bead fills are a red flag: certain "infant pillows" filled that way have been banned since 1992.
5. Check the seams and strap. No split seams, leaking fill or worn buckles.
6. Skip anything with a baby harness or "lounger" wording. If it was sold as a place for a baby to rest or nap, it is the wrong product.
7. Wash the cover. Follow the care label, and make sure the warning label is still attached and readable afterwards.

If it is going to be a gift, give it with the label and instructions intact. That is the part the new owner needs most.

How do I use a nursing pillow safely?

The warnings the rule requires boil down to four habits:

• Use it only while feeding, with an adult awake and watching.
• Never put it in a crib, bassinet or play yard, and never use it for naps.
• If the baby falls asleep or you feel yourself nodding off, move the baby to a flat, bare crib or bassinet on their back.
• Keep it off couches as a place to "park" a baby, even for a minute.

For the sleep space itself, our used bassinet checklist covers what a safe one looks like.

The bottom line

Nursing pillows are safe for feeding and never safe for sleep. The 2025 federal rule made new ones firmer, less nest-like and better labelled, and it requires a month-and-year date on every pillow, which is the quickest way to tell an older one from a newer one. If you own a PILLANI model NP4351 from batch 202604, 202605 or 202606, stop using it and claim the refund.

Shopping for baby gear secondhand this season? Browse what is in stock now, and see our FAQ for how pickup and payment work.

Know a new parent, or someone passing on baby things for the holidays? Send them this before the pillow changes hands.