FAQs - Safety

We do not use any flame retardants in any part of our docks, as our products meet the appropriate flammability tests without the addition of such chemicals. 

The materials used in the DockATot are Oeko-Tex certified as not containing harmful chemicals.

Deluxe+ docks are not intended for overnight sleep.

Babies fall asleep most anywhere you put them, and this may include a Deluxe+ dock. You should always supervise your baby in the dock, whether awake or asleep. The dock is not designed to contain a child and babies can begin to crawl or scoot unexpectedly. A baby that wakes up alone may try to find you and can fall or become entrapped between adjacent objects.

For overnight sleep, or for any time that you are not able to supervise, you should move your baby to a bare product subject to a mandatory sleep standard (such as a bassinet, Moses basket, crib/cot, cradle, or play yard), on their back.

Children older than one year of age and otherwise ready to sleep in a big-kid or toddler bed on their own may use a Grand dock in their toddler or big-kid bed.

No. It is not safe to carry your baby in the dock.

While docks themselves are very portable, remove your child before transporting dock, even for short distances.

No. DockATot docks should not be used in a crib/cot, cradle, bassinet or play yard. Babies should be placed in a bare crib/cot without any additional bedding, blankets or pillows. There is a concern that an infant who can scoot or crawl out of the dock might get entrapped between the side of the crib/cot, cradle, bassinet or play yard and the dock.

There have been incidents involving other products where babies have suffocated after becoming entrapped between a soft product and the side of a crib/cot, cradle, bassinet or play yard, and incidents where babies have suffocated on soft bedding like blankets and comforters. This is why when it comes to an infant's sleep environment, bare is best. It is also why we warn that blankets and pillows should not be placed in a dock with a baby.

The Grand dock can be used in a toddler bed or big-kid bed, once the child is otherwise ready for such a sleep setting, and then only placed at a height that allows the child to safely descend on their own. For important safety information about use of the Grand Dock in a toddler or other big-kid bed, click here.

No.  DockATot docks should only be used when fully assembled and zipped.  Loose fabric and parts may present a suffocation hazard.

Until there is more of a global consensus on mandatory standards for products offered for bedsharing (sometimes called co-sleeping), we do not recommend our Deluxe+ dock be used for bedsharing.

Globally prominent safety guidance is that the safest place for a baby to sleep during the first year of life is in an infant sleep product subject to a mandatory standard (such as a bassinet, Moses basket, crib/cot, cradle, or play yard). As no one knows your child better than you and your doctor, we believe you should consult your pediatrician about your sleep arrangements.

Learn more about the evolution of our bedsharing message here, and more about why some loungers say that they can be used for overnight sleep and we do not here.

Globally prominent safety guidance is that a baby should only be placed on their back to rest until they are one year of age. Because babies may fall asleep anytime, even unexpectedly, aside from tummy time, we advise that babies less than one year of age always be placed on their back in the dock for lounging.

Pediatricians advise that once a baby is capable of rolling over from back to stomach, and stomach to back, the baby can be allowed to rest in the position that the baby assumes. We recommend that parents place their baby on their back and allow their child to choose their position once they are capable of rolling from back to stomach and stomach to back within the dock.

A healthy tot of over one year of age may be placed in the dock however they prefer.

As always, we recommend you also check with your pediatrician about the best practices for your baby’s stage of development. 

The DockATot Deluxe+ and Grand docks are designed and tested for air-permeability. While our docks pass a test for air permeability, your baby should only be placed on their back in the dock until age one. According to globally prominent safety guidance, babies placed on their tummies are at increased risk.

Babies fall asleep most anywhere you put them, and this may include a DockATot Deluxe+ dock. Deluxe+ docks are not intended for overnight sleep. You should always supervise your baby in the dock, whether awake or asleep.

The dock is not designed to contain a child and babies can begin to crawl or scoot unexpectedly. A baby that wakes up alone may try to find you and can fall or become entrapped between adjacent objects.

For overnight sleep and for any time when you are not able to supervise your baby, we recommend using a product subject to a mandatory standard contemplating infant sleep (such as a bassinet, Moses basket, crib/cot, cradle, or play yard), on their back.

The category for products like the DockATot docks is relatively new and a specific mandatory standard for this product type has not yet been developed. As part of its effort to lead the industry in safety, DockATot voluntarily subjects its products to numerous tests and standards and actively participates in the development of mandatory standards that would apply to all products like DockATot docks.

Brands claiming that their product is certified safe for overnight infant sleep are not doing so based on a comprehensive mandatory standard (such as those that apply to bassinets, Moses baskets, cribs/cots, cradles, or play yards). Until there is more of a global consensus on mandatory standards for infant lounger/pod type products offered for overnight sleep, we do not recommend our Deluxe+ dock be used for overnight sleep.

Our brand grows out of Sweden, where, like in many cultures, bedsharing (sometimes called co-sleeping) is the norm and encouraged. We have encountered differences in opinion surrounding the practice of bedsharing as we have grown across the globe. These differences result in a lack of mandatory standards and general guidelines applicable to all products offered for bedsharing families.

We remain an active participant in the ongoing development of mandatory standards that would apply to all products offered for bedsharing. However, until there is more of a global consensus on standards for products offered for bedsharing, we no longer promote our docks for use in bedsharing.

Deluxe+ docks are not intended for overnight sleep and babies using a Deluxe+ dock should be supervised at all times. The dock is not designed to contain a child and babies can begin to crawl or scoot unexpectedly. A baby that wakes up alone may try to find you and can fall or become entrapped between adjacent objects.

Consistent with globally prominent safety guidance, DockATot recommends that you only use a product subject to a mandatory standard contemplating infant sleep for intentional sleeping or for any time you need to set your baby down and cannot supervise. Only certain product categories are subject to mandatory standards that contemplate infant sleep—depending on your country, these include bassinets, Moses baskets, cribs/cots, cradles, and/or play yards. 

For older children otherwise ready to sleep in a big-kid or toddler bed, they may use a Grand dock in their toddler or big-kid bed.