Overview
ISO 23645:2025 - Child care articles - Baby walking frames - Safety requirements and test methods is the first edition international standard that specifies safety requirements and test methods for baby walking frames. It applies to walking frames designed to carry a child placed into the frame from when the child can sit unaided (around six months) until the child can walk independently or weighs more than 12 kg. The standard excludes devices for therapeutic/curative use, inflatable-supported frames, and toys (e.g., ride-on or push-along toys). Where a walking frame includes toys or multiple functions, relevant standards such as the ISO 8124 series apply to those parts.
Key Topics and Technical Requirements
ISO 23645:2025 covers both chemical and physical safety risks and describes the required test equipment and procedures. Major technical topics include:
- Scope and definitions: intended use, age/weight limits, exclusions.
- Test equipment: standardized test masses, probes for finger entrapment, stability and dynamic test rigs.
- Chemical hazards (Clause 6): migration of certain elements, phthalates, azo colourants, formaldehyde, flame retardants and related sampling/testing requirements.
- Thermal hazards (Clause 7): assessment and test methods for heat-related risks.
- Mechanical hazards (Clause 8): entrapment, moving parts (compression/shear), edges and protrusions, choking/ingestion risks, suffocation from packaging.
- Structural integrity and stability: static and dynamic strength tests, tip-over and fall-down-steps tests, parking device performance.
- Protective functions: seat restraint features (crotch straps), removable seats and seat height considerations.
- Product information (Clause 9): marking, purchase information, and instructions for safe use.
Annexes provide further information on chemicals (Annex A), hazard background (Annex B), and a normative test platform for tip-over testing (Annex C).
Practical Applications and Who Uses the Standard
ISO 23645:2025 is intended for stakeholders involved in the design, manufacture, testing, regulation and sale of baby walking frames:
- Manufacturers and product designers - to design compliant, safe walking frames and validate performance during development.
- Testing laboratories and conformity assessment bodies - to execute standardized mechanical, chemical and stability tests for certification and market access.
- Regulators and safety authorities - to reference a harmonized basis for consumer safety requirements, recalls and compliance enforcement.
- Retailers and procurement teams - to set purchase specifications and assess supplier compliance.
- Safety engineers and risk assessors - to evaluate hazards (entrapment, choking, tipping, chemical exposure) and create mitigation measures.
Using ISO 23645 supports market access, reduces liability risk, and helps ensure baby walking frames meet internationally recognized safety and test method benchmarks.
Related Standards
- ISO 8124 series - Safety of toys (applies when walking frames incorporate toys).
- ISO/TC 310 - Technical Committee for child care articles (developer of this standard).
Keywords: ISO 23645, baby walking frames, safety requirements, test methods, child care articles, ISO 23645:2025.