JPMA Celebrates 60 Years of Commitment to Families, Baby Safety, and the Juvenile Products Industry

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This year, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) marks its 60th year of helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children.

JPMA was founded in 1962 by a group of manufacturers in response to a 1959 government-imposed tax that threatened the car seat industry, a relatively new category at that time. Since then, JPMA has been at the center of some of the most critical and now widely supported product safety advances in our nation's history, as well as a cultural shift in how we meet the unique needs of infants and celebrate family life.

"When we look back at JPMA's formation in the 1960s, this was really an emerging industry. Most baby products that are considered essential for new parents today were incredibly innovative for their time, and often considered a convenience rather than a safety imperative," said Kelly Mariotti, executive director of JPMA. "Over six decades, we've witnessed an incredible shift toward supporting families so they can enjoy this special phase of life and fully integrate baby into more aspects of life. Innovative, safe products help make that possible."

With just a small number of companies in the founding cohort, today JPMA has grown to represent 95 percent of the prenatal to preschool industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These companies manufacture, import and distribute infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, and play yards.

Many of the baby products that ease caring for children from birth to pre-school today didn't exist 60 years ago. Early versions of now core categories, like car seats, strollers and cribs, were growing in popularity. Modern parent favorites like carriers, monitors and even general safeguarding products were still decades away, as were laws requiring car seats and modern guidance on safe sleep.

"Our industry listens closely to caregivers to understand how they use existing products and unmet needs where an innovative product could improve baby safety," added Mariotti. "Car seats, cribs and other baby products have saved thousands of lives in the last half-century, and our industry continues to work to make them easier for parents to use and safer for babies."

In its ongoing quest to better serve manufacturers and parents, JPMA established a voluntary product certification program in 1976. It works closely with parents, manufacturers and representatives from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and is active in the ASTM International process to test and develop standards for juvenile products. Today, more than 2,500 products in 30 categories have been JPMA Certified. Parents can look for the JPMA Certified seal, which confirms a product meets all government standards and has been further tested at an independent lab to verify it meets the highest standards for safety and functionality.

To serve its purpose of supporting the juvenile products industry while promoting children's safety, JPMA serves as a resource to both parents and companies through ongoing efforts, including:

• Baby Safety Month – Founded by JPMA in 1982 and recognized each September in the U.S. and abroad, Baby Safety Month helps increase awareness of the unique safety needs of babies and young children and serves to educate parents and caregivers on the safe selection and use of baby products.
• The JPMA Summit – Hosted annually by JPMA, the Summit serves as an opportunity for members, manufacturers, government entities and media to come together in a joint forum to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities within the industry and to identify ways to better support the communities they serve.
• JPMA Innovation Awards – Held annually since 1989, the JPMA Innovation Awards recognize the most innovative and noteworthy new children's products in the industry making caring for baby safer and easier than ever before. Since the program's inception, JPMA has awarded titles to products across many categories, including the coveted "Most Innovative" title to more than 300 companies.
• JPMA Cares - Founded by JPMA in 2021, JPMA Cares is an industry-based charitable foundation that contributes to the long-term success of babies and young children by reducing barriers to healthy development, ensuring fundamental needs are met, and promoting a safe and nurturing environment to learn and grow. More can be learned about JPMA Cares and its initiatives at jpmacares.org.

To learn more about innovative baby products to ease your parenting journey, baby safety tips, car seat installation resources and more on the history of the juvenile products industry, visit jpma.org.

*About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)*
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is the voice of the industry on quality and safety for baby and children's products in North America. We work to advance the interests of manufacturers, parents, children and the industry at large by advocating for safety through product certification programs and legislative and regulatory involvement. We support our broad and diverse membership through member-only programming and industry promotion, and we act as a comprehensive source for baby product information and education. Established in 1962, this year JPMA marks its 60th year of helping protect future generations by advancing the availability and safety of products used to care for babies and young children.

Media Contact

Kelly Voelker, JPMA, 704-769-5537, [email protected]

SOURCE JPMA