Fisher-Price‘s ‘Rock ‘n Play’ sleepers have been reportedly linked to the deaths of 100 infants, together with 30 of whom died after it was first recalled over three years in the past.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price each mentioned they initiated one other recall of the sleeper, with upwards of 5 million being bought earlier than first being pulled off of the cabinets in April 2019, based on the New York Post.
Infant Deaths Believed To Be Caused By Sleeper’s 30-Degree Incline, Agency Urges Parents To Stop Using Them Immediately
Roughly 70 infants have died within the sleeper for the reason that first recall, with the reason for dying believed to be attributed to asphyxiation brought on by 30-degree incline of the product.
“Infant fatalities have occurred in the Rock ‘n Play Sleepers, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances,” based on CPSC.
CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric mentioned in an announcement: “we are issuing this announcement because, despite their removal from the marketplace and a prohibition on their sale, babies continue to die in these products.”
He went on to induce “all parents” to cease utilizing “these products immediately.”
“I urge all parents, grandparents, and caregivers to follow the guidance of this announcement and stop using these products immediately.”
Two Class Action Lawsuits Filed Since Recall In 2019, With Rival Product Similarly Recalled For 15 Infant Deaths
The authorities equally mandated a recall of Kids2 Rocking Sleepers, which itself has been blamed for 15 toddler deaths, the outlet reviews.
Two class motion lawsuits have been filed in opposition to Fisher-Price, and Mattel, the dad or mum firm, for the reason that first recall in 2019.
One swimsuit was filed by a Delaware couple – Samantha Drover-Mundy and Zachary Mundy – who misplaced their 12-week-old daughter after she died in her rocking sleeper.
The distraught dad and mom claimed the kid died simply minutes after she was positioned in a Rock ‘n Play Sleeper.
Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit filed by Long Island native Cassandra Mulvey, who alleges in her lawsuit that “the Rock ‘n Play’s defective design also causes injuries…which require costly medical treatment and can cause life-long damage, including permanent deformities and developmental delays.”
Mulvey added in her court docket submitting that Mattel’s advertising of the product was “dangerously false and misleading, as the product is not safe for all-night or prolonged sleep for infants.”
The Rock ‘n Play “significantly increased the risk that an infant’s head would slip into a dangerous position, tilt to constrict the windpipe and/or cause the infant’s face to become pressed against the padded fabric in the sleeper and block airflow, thereby increasing the risk of death by asphyxiation,” the court docket submitting went on to say.
Fisher-Price Accused Of Failing To Act, Even After It Learned Of Infant Deaths Over A Decade Ago
Fisher-Price have since been accused of failing to behave on the faulty product, even after it was warned in regards to the toddler deaths over a decade in the past, based on the Post.
Back in September 2011, the 15-week-old son of Sara Thompson of Pennsylvania, died in her Rock ‘n Play Sleeper. Thompson wrote a letter to the CPSC in December 2012, informing them of her son’s dying.
The company ultimately handed on the warning to Fisher-Price’s risk-management crew, per Consumer Reports, who in flip categorized the incident as an “injury flag,” inside firm information learn.
And in February 2013, an Atlanta-based pediatrician, Dr. Roy Benaroch, warned the toymaker that its product was unsafe for infants.
Sure sufficient, in August 2018, Erika Richter, of Oregon, misplaced her two-week-old daughter after she was positioned in a Rock ‘n Play sleeper.
Pediatricians Say 30-Degree Incline Angle Is Dangerous For Infants, Who Cannot Move To A Safer Position
According to pediatricians, the sleeper’s 30-degree angle poses a risk for infants, which may impede their airways by their comparatively heavier heads falling ahead right into a chin-to-chest posture.
And since they can not elevate their very own heads, infants are unable to maneuver to a safer place, the American Academy of Pediatrics reviews.
Fisher-Price and Mattel didn’t instantly return the outlet’s request for remark.