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Why It Is Important to Purchase Products With a Standard Mark

1 August 2024

The purchase of products such as a carriage, playpen, bassinet or bed with a standard mark is the best way of ensuring that we have purchased a product that will not endanger our babies and children. A product with a standard mark is one that has been meticulously tested by the Standards Institution of Israel, which was established to confirm the compliance of products with functional and safety requirements.

Every product that satisfies the standard set for it by the Standards Institution is marked with the letters SI, the initials of an Israeli standard. As intelligent consumers, we must check whether the products we purchase bear the standard mark and were found to be safe for use.

Independent testing to confirm that the product you purchased is standard compliant is possible and recommended.

  • Check whether the product comes with assembly and usage instructions in Hebrew and assemble it only according to these instructions.
  • Touch the product to make sure that there are no sharp corners, broken parts, grooves or holes in which the finger of a child in a playpen, crib or bassinet can get stuck.
  • Check the wheels: on a crib, bassinet and carriage, make sure the wheels are intact and functional with working brakes.
  • Mattress: make sure the mattress is an exact fit for the size of the bed, not too big or small.

Looking at ads for various products, you will see that the ad occasionally proudly and visibly mentions that the product is standard compliant. In the modern era, with a vast supply of various products, the standard mark is an excellent way to know whether you are buying a product that was tested and found to be safe for use. The role of the Standards Institution of Israel is to conduct meticulous tests and to confirm that the product is safe for use in various respects, and avoid to the extent possible dangers that unsafe products may cause.

What is a standard mark

A product with a standard mark is one that has been meticulously tested by the Standards Institution of Israel. The Institution tests and confirms that every product is standard compliant to prevent, as much as possible, various risks that unsafe products may cause.

Product tests

Playpen, bassinet, crib, bottle and pacifier: every product undergoes the relevant tests and only after they successfully pass them do they receive the standard mark. Product tests include:

Test of product structure

no protruding or sharp parts, stability (for a bed or carriage, for example), no spaces in certain furniture that may endanger a baby.

Material test

For example, when discussing a wooden bed, wood properties will be tested. For products made of metal, the durability of the ironwork will be checked.

Toxicity test

Products arrive with various paints. It is important to check whether these paints are toxic.

Resistance test

Particularly fire resistance, of mattresses and fabric covers.

Independent test of product compliance with standard requirements

Even after you purchase a product that bears a mark with the details of the standard, several tests and preparations should be performed to confirm that the product you purchased or received is safe:

  • Assembly in accordance with the manufacturer’s assembly instructions. If you do not have the assembly instructions, search for them on the manufacturer’s website or on the internet.
  • Removing nylon and plastic wrapping: certain products arrive wrapped in nylon or plastic, materials that may be hazardous (choking hazard) for babies and children. Make sure that you have removed them from the product and out of the reach of babies and children.
  • Touch the furniture: to make sure there are no sharp corners, broken parts, grooves or holes in which the finger of a child in a playpen, crib or bassinet might get stuck. Make sure the bottom of the furniture (for instance, the bottom part of a bed) is stable and durable and cannot be detached.
  • In carriages, or beds with wheels, make sure there are brakes on some of the wheels and that the brake mechanism is stable.
  • Mattress: in addition to the standard mark, it is important that you check that the mattress size exactly fits the bed you plan on resting the mattress, and that it is not too big or too small.

Video: Safe Use of Products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvAT4KnUQ7c

Recommendations for purchase and use of a baby mattress, at the Ministry of Economy and Industry website (Hebrew)

Recommendations for purchase and use of a bed, crib or playpen, at the Ministry of Economy and Industry website (Hebrew)

Recommendations for purchase of a bunk bed, at the Ministry of Economy and Industry website (Hebrew)