EU Updates the Soother Holder Standard
On 02 April 2025, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) published an updated version of the following standard:
|
Reference |
Title |
Directive(s) |
Supersedes |
|
Child care articles - Soother holder - Safety requirements and test methods |
2001/95/EC, but no citation expected for this Directive in the OJEU |
EN 12586:2007+A1:2011 |
Scope
This document specifies safety requirements relating to materials, construction, performance, packaging and labelling of soother holders. It includes test methods for the mechanical and chemical requirements specified. This document covers products for children from birth to 36 months of age, alike the soothers to which these items are connected to.
This document is intended to provide safety requirements for soother holders. All products that allow the attachment of a soother intended for babies and young children to any other object are included in the scope.
The soother holder has a holding device at one end for the soother, a garment fastener that attaches to any other product, e.g. the child’s garment and a connecting device linking these parts.
Substantial Changes
The changes from the previous edition, inter alia, includes:
- Updates the structure and chapters of the whole standard;
- Clarifies the soother holder products are suitable for children of an age range of up to 36 months;
- Adds requirements for magnetic components;
- Describes clearly the use of button and coin batteries is not allowed;
- Adds 300 mm as the total length requirement of the newly added pacifier chain;
- Adds the chain width requirement and updates the rope thickness requirement;
- Updates the test equipment (stainless steel balls) for finger traps;
- Specifies the ventilation hole requirements;
- Adds requirements for preventing suffocation hazard by packaging;
- Adds chemical requirements include adding control materials (including silicone elastomer, rubber, TPE, etc.);
- Deletes the chemical requirements of "phthalate" and "nickel", and test related substances according to the EU REACH regulations;
- The migration of specific elements was updated from 8 to 19;
- Updates test method, applicable to coloured or printed parts for Colour Fastness;
- Updates the requirement for formaldehyde migration of the whole soother holder (shall not exceed 0.75 mg per litre);
- Deletes the requirement of formaldehyde monomer test, and reduces the migration limit of bisphenol A and phenol;
- Adds Section 7.10 Leather preservatives, which is applicable to leather materials;
- Adds Section 7.11 Release of N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances, which is applicable to silicone elastomer, rubber and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) materials;
- Adds Section 7.12 Solvent migration, which is applicable to decorations, coatings and resin-bonded materials;
- Updates consumer packaging requirements;
- Updates product information requirements.
Effective Date & Limits
|
Date of |
When |
As Latest Date by Which |
|
Announcement (DOA) |
2025-07-31 |
The EN has to be announced at national level. |
|
Publication (DOP) |
2025-10-31 |
The EN has to be implemented at national level. (by an identical national standard or by endorsement) |
|
Withdrawal (DOW) |
2026-01-02 |
National standards conflicting with the EN have to be withdrawn. |
Reference
