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Where to Find the Model Number on Baby Gear

Where cribs, strollers, high chairs, swings, carriers and car seats carry the model number and manufacture date you need for a recall check.

By Baby Product Recalls editorial teamUpdated 4 min readHow we research

A wooden high chair with a white tray and a navy seat with a harness
Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

The model number on baby gear is on a permanent label or stamp that federal rules require on cribs, strollers, high chairs, swings, carriers and other durable baby products, next to the maker’s name and the month and year of manufacture. Look on the frame, under the seat or pad, and on the base. Car seats carry their own labels.

You need that label to check a recall, because notices name exact models, codes and dates.

What must the label show?

Under 16 CFR 1130.4, every durable infant or toddler product must be permanently marked with:

  • the manufacturer’s name and contact information, with a U.S. address and phone number;
  • the model name and number (or a product identification number the maker normally uses instead);
  • the date of manufacture, with at least the month and year, which “can be stated in code.”

The rule says the mark must be in English, legible and “in a location that is conspicuous to the consumer,” and must be expected to last for the product’s useful life. It covers cribs, toddler beds, high chairs, booster and hook-on chairs, bath seats and infant tubs, gates, play yards, activity centers, carriers and slings, strollers, walkers, swings, bassinets and cradles, bouncers, changing products, bed rails, crib mattresses, nursing pillows and infant support cushions.

Where recall notices told owners to look

CPSC recall notices often say where the numbers are. These examples come from the notices themselves:

Product Where the notice says to look Notice
Stroller “on a label on the stroller’s frame between the front wheels” or on the inside frame by the back right wheel Britax, Jan. 21, 2016
Stroller “on a white label on the back of the stroller seat” Dorel Safety 1st, Aug. 24, 2016
High chair “on a label on the underside of the toddler seat” Graco, March 1, 2018
Infant swing “located on the seat under the pad” Fisher-Price, April 14, 2016
Bassinet “on a white label attached to the mattress support board” DaVinci, Dec. 5, 2019
Backpack carrier date code on a black label “sewn in the interior of the large lower zippered compartment” Osprey, May 26, 2016
Bath support seat date codes “printed on the underside of the mat” Tubeez, Oct. 16, 2018
Chest of drawers supplier number and date stamp “on the underside of the top panel or inside the side panel” IKEA KULLEN, March 4, 2020

Each notice is linked in the sources below, and the product pages for strollers, high chairs and infant swings list more recent ones. The pattern is consistent: labels sit where they will not rub off, which often means under a seat, under a pad or on the inside of a frame.

Places to check on each type of gear

A wooden high chair with a white tray and a navy seat with a harness
On high chairs, start under the seat and on the back of the chair.Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  • Cribs and toddler beds: the inside or outside of the headboard and footboard, the side rails and the mattress support.
  • Bassinets and play yards: under the base, on the legs and on the mattress support.
  • Strollers: the frame near the wheels, the back of the seat and the inside of the frame.
  • High chairs: under the seat, the back of the chair and the tray.
  • Swings and bouncers: the seat under the pad and the base.
  • Carriers: sewn-in labels inside pockets, on the waistband or behind the shoulder area.
  • Car seats: NHTSA’s used seat checklist says a seat should have “labels stating date of manufacture and model number.” Look on the sides, back and bottom of the seat and its base.

Take a photo of the label when you first unpack a product. If the sticker wears off later, you still have the numbers.

When you cannot read it

Keep the top of the card

The registration card that comes with durable baby gear repeats the model name and number and the date of manufacture in a box, and the rule requires it to say “KEEP THIS TOP PART FOR YOUR RECORDS.” File it with the receipt.

If the label is gone and you have no card, contact the maker with photos of the product and ask how to identify it. For a used product with no label at all, buying used baby gear explains the risks, and for car seats see used car seats.

Once you have the numbers, go to how to check a baby product for a recall. The section overview, how baby product recalls work, explains which agency covers which product.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the model number on a crib or bassinet?

Look on the frame, the headboard or footboard, and under or on the mattress support. CPSC's 2019 DaVinci bassinet notice, for example, said the model number was on a white label attached to the mattress support board.

What if the label on my baby gear is missing?

Without the model number and date you cannot rule out a recall. Contact the maker with photos of the product, or replace it. For car seats, NHTSA says a second-hand seat needs labels with the model number and date of manufacture before it may be okay to use.

Is the date code the same as the expiration date?

No. The federal rule for baby gear requires the month and year of manufacture, which can be written in code. For car seats, NHTSA says the date of manufacture also tells you whether a seat is too old, so check the seat's labels and manual for its maker's limit.

Does the registration card show the model number?

Yes. Under 16 CFR Part 1130 the card must include the model name and number and the date of manufacture, in a box, and tells you to keep the top part for your records. That top part is a good place to look if the label is hard to read.

Filed under Recall basicsStart with How Baby Product Recalls Work in the U.S.

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