American toy company Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel recently announced the recall of about 4.7 million Rock ’n Play Sleepers, after receiving reports of over 30 infant fatalities connected to the products.
Parents who own these sleepers are advised to stop using them immediately and contact the company for more information.
The recall came after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take action, due to the potential dangers associated with the sleepers.
Consumer Advocacy Groups Push for Rock ’N Play Recall
The CPSC previously warned parents about the Rock ’N Play products, after discovering that they could lead to suffocation and death.
“The CPSC is aware of 10 infant deaths in the Rock ’n Play that have occurred since 2015,” the commission stated in a press release,
“after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, while unrestrained. All 10 infants were 3 months or older.”
Because of these deaths, the CPSC recommended consumers stop using the product once their children reached the age of three months, or as soon as the infants were able to roll over. They had previously warned parents to always use the restraints in inclined sleep products.
The federal government and Fisher-Price also issued a warning about the product, alerting parents to place babies flat on their backs alone and free of soft bedding to reduce the risk of suffocation. Even after these warnings, however, Fisher-Price did not implement the recall until April 12, 2019. This was after Consumer Reports investigated the sleepers and found that they were tied to at least 32 infant deaths since the products came on the market in 2009.
Consumer Reports’ ongoing investigation later turned up other deaths that occurred in infants younger than three months, some of which were not associated with rollover.
AAP Recommends Parents Avoid Inclined Sleep Products
Prior to the recall, the AAP in their news release urged parents to stop using the Rock ’n Play Sleeper, noting that the warning issued by the CPSC and Fisher price
“did not go far enough to ensure safety and protect infants.”
They added that there was sufficient evidence to show that the sleepers put infants’ lives at risk, and called for the products to be removed from the market.
The AAP added that they did not recommend inclined sleep products like the Rock ’n Play, because of the risk that the baby could roll or turn into an unsafe position “and be incapable of moving, leading to suffocation or strangulation.”
Parents who own a Rock ’N Play can check Mattel & Fisher-Prices’ recall website, or call toll-free at 866-812-6518 from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time from Monday through Friday for more information. The company plans to give consumers a refund or voucher.
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