Baby backpack carriers represent a relatively novel baby product category. This product first emerged in Europe during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. As the Alps movement gained popularity in Europe, some parents expressed a natural inclination to involve their children in outdoor sports activities. Consequently, outdoor enthusiasts began using mountaineering backpacks designed to carry children. Gradually, businesses recognized this trend and initiated the development of this product series, ultimately evolving into the framed child carrier commonly seen today. Currently, this product is predominantly available in more developed countries, such as those in Europe and the United States.
As the number of users grew and sales of these products increased annually in the market, the need to regulate the safety of infant and child products became apparent. In July 2004, the British Standards Institution (BSI) was tasked with developing an independent standard for this category. Subsequently, the European standard was approved by CEN on July 22, 2004, and enforcement of this standard commenced in 2009.
Section 104 of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 mandates the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to establish safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. In accordance with Section 104(b) of the CPSIA, the CPSC issued a safety standard for frame child carriers, approved as F2549-14A, to be included in the list of notices of requirements (NOR). This regulation was signed and approved by the Director of the Federal Register on September 2, 2016, and will take effect 18 months later, with the official effective date being May 2018.
Therefore, this represents a new category of products, one that is expanding within the baby product segment. According to data from Germany’s statista.com, the US market was valued at US$1.15 billion in 2018. With an average annual growth rate of 5%, the market size for child carrier products in the US is projected to reach US$1.6 billion by 2025. China’s existing enterprise standards for this category were formulated by Nanjing Zhonglong Bochuang Outdoor Products Co., Ltd. in 2023 and published on the China Enterprise Standards Network.