Infant seat linked to at least 32 deaths, consumer group demands recall

A consumer watchdog group in the U.S. says it has linked an incline sleeping chair for infants to at least 32 baby deaths and is demanding the product be recalled by manufacturer Fisher-Price.

Fisher-Price issued a joint alert with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on April 5, warning that babies should not be put in the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper once they are able to roll off their backs. That typically happens around three months of age.

“The CPSC is aware of 10 infant deaths in the Rock ‘n Play that have occurred since 2015, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, while unrestrained. All 10 infants were three months or older,” reads an alert from the commission.

But watchdog organization Consumer Reports says its investigation, published Monday, links the chair to at least three times as many infant deaths, including babies younger than three months. The organization says the CPSC alert was issued a few days after Consumer Reports asked for comment on its findings.

“Based on the deaths and injuries associated with the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play, the product clearly puts infants’ safety at risk and should be recalled immediately,” said William Wallace, senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports.

“All other inclined sleepers should be investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. These products conflict with American Academy of Pediatrics' safe sleep recommendations, and manufacturers should pull them off the market. CR also recommends that people not use them for infant sleep or leave infants unattended in them.”

Canada requires that the Rock ‘n Play be marketed as a “soothing seat” rather than a sleeper after Health Canada wrote to Mattel Canada in 2011 indicating concerns about the product “in light of the Safe Sleep recommendations of Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Pediatric Society.”

The Rock ‘n Play can be found on Walmart’s Canadian website, but it’s listed as unavailable. It does not appear on the Toys R Us website in Canada, but does appear to be available through Amazon and BuyBuyBaby. It’s also widely available on resell websites.

Consumer Reports says Fisher-Price has marketed the product as being suitable for overnight sleep, but that pediatricians say babies should not be unsupervised when in an inclined position or while restrained because the straps can impede breathing.

The product warning is “long overdue and falls far short of what is needed, especially given how long ago the CPSC first received reports of fatal incidents,” said Wallace. He says the CPSC should strongly regulate infant sleep products and mandate that companies tell parents that babies should sleep on a firm, flat surface free of pillows, blankets or other soft materials.

“And if products don’t meet the rules, the agency should quickly get them off the market and out of people’s homes, even if they conform to voluntary industry standards. It’s totally inappropriate for companies or the CPSC to put the bulk of the responsibility for safety on parents and caregivers — especially when a product indicates it’s safe for routine sleep but really isn’t — or to imply that they’re to blame for tragedies.”

Consumer Reports said it based its investigation on previously undisclosed CPSC data, reviews of lawsuits and “interviews with numerous medical experts, product engineers, government and industry officials, and parents.” It said the earliest death it uncovered was in 2011 and that it found some of the fatalities were among babies younger than three months.

“There is, for example, the mother in Hidalgo County, Texas, who placed her 2-month old daughter on her back for a night’s sleep on Oct. 19, 2013, according to a lawsuit filed by the family against Fisher-Price,” reads an article by Consumer Reports. “At 4 a.m., when the mother checked, all was well, but by 7 a.m., the baby had stopped breathing. Her head was tilted to the side with her chin on her shoulder, compressing her airway. She was pronounced dead at the scene from positional asphyxia, or an inability to breathe caused by her position.”

The watchdog said the most recent deaths occurred a year ago, one involving a one-month-old girl in Tennessee and the other was a nine-day-old boy in Texas.

Fisher-Price general manager Chuck Scothon said in a statement Friday: “A child fatality is an unimaginable tragedy. Fisher-Price has a long, proud tradition of prioritizing safety as the cornerstone of our mission.”

The company reminded parents and caregivers to follow all product safety warnings: always use the provided restraints; always place infants on their backs to sleep; and make sure no pillows, blankets or extra padding are placed in the Rock ‘n Play with the baby.

It says the product meets all applicable safety standards, including those of the international standards organization, known as ASTM International, and is certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA).

According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, in the first year of a baby’s life: “Use a firm, flat surface for sleep. Waterbeds, air mattresses, pillows, couches/sofas or soft materials are not safe sleep surfaces for babies. Babies can turn onto their side or stomach and bury their face in these soft materials, not getting enough air to breathe.”

Fisher-Price is a division of Mattel, which reported about US$4.5 billion in sales in 2018.

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