Fisher Price Recalls 4.7 Million Rock ‘n Play Sleepers Linked to Infant Deaths

Fisher Price has recalled 4.7 million Rock ‘N Play baby sleepers after at least 10 infants died while sleeping unrestrained, according to a story in the New York Times. Kids II, another manufacturer of rocking sleepers, has recalled 694,000 models for the exact same reason. Both companies are offering consumers a refund or a product voucher for the recalled product. In total, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reports of 10 infant deaths in the Rock ‘n Play sleepers since 2015, and about 32 since the product launched in 2009.

Earlier in April, Fisher Price and the CPSC issued a safety warning urging parents to stop using the product with infants older than three months or who have begun rolling over; however, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised the CPSC to recall the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper because the safety warning did not go far enough. Consumer Reports investigated the safety of the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and discovered that it was linked to at least 32 infant deaths.

What is the problem with the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play infant sleepers?

AAP recommends that infants are put to sleep on their back on a flat, firm surface. The Fisher Price sleepers are on an incline, so the AAP does not recommend using them, according to the Times article. Dr. David Fagan, a pediatrician quoted in the Times article, referred to research from the 1990s, which proved that putting babies to sleep on their backs on a flat, firm surface caused incidents of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, to drop significantly.

The Consumer Reports article chronicles the deaths of infants who died in the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleepers, the parents of some of those children have filed lawsuits against the company.

A mother in Hidalgo County, TX lost her two-month old daughter from positional asphyxia, which is the inability breathe caused by her position in the sleeper. A one-month-old girl in Knoxville, TN, a nine-day-old baby boy in Copperas Cove, TX died, 5-month-old Ezra Overton died while in a Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and several other tragic cases of death from using this dangerous product.

A story in the Washington Post quotes Kyle Yasuda, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “When parents purchase a product for their baby or child, many assume that if it’s being sold in a store, it must be safe to use. Tragically, that is not the case.”

Given that there are millions of these dangerous products in the homes of consumers with infants, it is imperative that parents stop using the Fisher-Price Rock ‘N Play Sleepers, request a refund, and place their babies to sleep flat on their backs in a crib. If you have a Rock ‘n Play sleeper, or if you know of someone who has one, stop using immediately. If your child was injured, or if you have experienced the tragic loss of a child in a Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, you have legal options available to you.

Contact the Chicago product liability team from Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers in Chicago to discuss your defective product injury or wrongful death case today. Call the office at 312-600-9585 or schedule an appointment using our contact form.