Dreamland Baby sleep sacks were hailed as a miracle for infant sleep. Then a surprise alert from a government safety agency turned the business upside down.

BY BRYCE COVERT

Illustration: Bianca Bagnarelli

Tara Williams couldn’t believe what was happening. Last April, five years after she launched Dreamland Baby to sell weighted sleep sacks for infants, the Consumer Product Safety Commission suddenly published a warning and contacted retailers such as Target, Walmart, and Amazon. It cautioned them to yank products like hers from their shelves. “CPSC has a clear warning for safe infant sleep: ‘Don’t use weighted blankets or weighted swaddles’ for your babies,” read a statement from Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.

The results were immediate. “It’s had devastating consequences to our company,” says Williams, whose company is suing the CPSC, claiming it overstepped its legal authority. “Overnight, we lost 60 percent of our business.” She is particularly frustrated because she says she tried to follow all the rules when designing her product.

Today’s parents are faced with an ever-growing list of complicated dos and don’ts to keep their babies safe, particularly when they sleep, as the science keeps evolving. Desperate for help to follow the guidelines while holding onto their own sanity, these parents are in need of innovation—presenting a prime market for entrepreneurs who think they have a hot new idea to........

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