The US federal safety officials have once again warned families against using Rock' n Play Sleeper as about a 100 infants have died since Fisher-Price initially recalled its product nearly four years ago.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Monday said around 70 additional deaths have been reported. This brings the total number of infant fatalities tied to the incline sleeper to approximately 100. In April 2019, Fisher-Price recalled 4.7 million sleepers after more than 30 infants died from rolling onto their stomach while unrestrained inside the device.
The regulator highlighted that Fisher-Price notes that in some of the reports, it has been unable to confirm the circumstances of the incidents or that the product was a Rock' n Play Sleeper. The CPSC advised anyone with a Rock' n Play should stop using it immediately and contact Fisher-Price for a refund.
Inadequate Response
The regulator lashed out at the toy company saying its sleeper recall inadequate and overly complicated. The CPSC called Fisher-Price to take responsibility for withdrawing the potentially deadly products from the market.
Richard Trumka, CPSC Commission, in a statement said Fisher-Price's Rock' n Play recall was not good enough to remove these products from homes. "The incentives Fisher-Price offered were inadequate to draw in enough consumers, and the hurdles were too many. Now, eight infants have died after the recall, tragically bringing the death toll associated with the product to over 90 babies."
Oriene Shin, policy counsel at Consumer Reports, said sleepers from Fisher-Price and Kids2, a Georgia-based baby product maker, have become a threat to infants in recent years. "Fisher-Price and Kids2 have had years to get their dangerous sleepers out of people's homes and make their recalls effective, but they have utterly failed. It is alarming that they haven't done more to prevent harm with infants' lives on the line."
The CPSC enhanced its warning saying that parents and caregivers should not use inclined products, including rockers, gliders, soothers and swings, for infant sleep and should never leave babies in the products unattended or with bedding material due to the risk of suffocation.
Voluntarily Recalled
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said all Fisher-Price Rock' n Play Sleeper and the Kids II Rocking Sleeper models sold in Australia had been voluntarily recalled in 2019. It said the recall is ongoing.
"Consumers who own this product should stop using it immediately and contact Mattel via the details in the recall notice to arrange a refund and instructions to make it unusable," the ACCC spokesperson said. "Implementing strategies to prevent infant injuries and deaths caused by inclined products used for sleep and addressing product safety issues for young children, are priorities for the ACCC this year."
Meanwhile, Fisher-Price has not commented on the latest status of its Rock' n Play Sleepers.
