In an effort to prevent newborns from suffocating, Fisher-Price recalled two parts of its Snuga Swings on Thursday. The swings are intended to calm babies by swaying back and forth. Parents were advised not to use the devices for sleeping.
Five baby deaths connected to Snuga Swings as they napped on the chairs occurred between 2012 and 2022. The majority of those incidents involved the addition of bedding items to the swings, raising the possibility of asphyxia.
Fisher-Price issued a statement telling customers to take down the headrest and the insert from the seat pad that supports a baby’s body right once because they can raise the danger of asphyxia. If customers take out the pieces, split them in half, label them, and send the corporation a picture of them, they can get a $25 refund.
However, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. warned in a sharply worded statement that the company’s efforts fall short. He demanded that Fisher-Price recall the whole product and pay customers the entire $160 retail price.
In addition to calling Fisher-Price’s botched recall “a horrible example of putting profit over people,” Trumka stated, “I believe that Fisher-Price is putting many babies in danger and that it is doomed to fail.”
Trumka advised getting a $25 refund before discarding the merchandise.
A spokesman for Fisher-Price’s parent company, Mattel, directed NBC News to the business’s statement when prompted for comment.
Experts in safety concur that items for inclined sleeping, such as rockers and swings for babies, pose a risk to small children due to the possibility of head slumping forward, which can impede breathing. During naps or sleep, doctors advise putting newborns on their backs on a level, hard surface.
Congress passed a rule outlawing inclined beds for newborns in 2022, but the restriction only applied to goods that had an inclination of more than 10 degrees and to infants under the age of one.
According to Fisher-Price’s notice, newborns can continue to use Snuga Swing while they are awake as long as the two pieces that are recalled are taken out first. The manufacturer advised against using the swing for sleeping, adding blankets to it, and leaving young children unattended or unbuckled.
A total of 2.1 million Snuga Swings were sold in the United States between October 2010 and January 2024, with retailers like as Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target being included in the partial recall. Around 500 swings sold in Mexico and around 99,000 swings sold in Canada were also partially recalled by the business.
Fisher-Price has recalled a number of baby goods over the past five years because of safety concerns.
Millions of Rock ‘n Play Sleepers were recalled in 2019 in response to reports of 30 newborn fatalities, the most of which were caused by babies rolling onto their sides or stomachs while using the foldable bassinet. Following eight additional infant fatalities, Fisher-Price reminded customers about the recall last year.
According to a congressional investigation from 2021, Fisher-Price knew the Rock ‘n Play might seriously damage newborns, yet they chose to disregard warning signs and still selling the device. The Rock ‘n Play has been connected to at least 100 newborn fatalities, according to reports the firm has received.
Fisher-Price’s Rock ‘n Glide Soother is a vibrating, rocking baby seat. Four more child fatalities have been linked to it, leading to a recall in 2021. The babies were allegedly found on their stomachs after being put on their backs without being belted in.
Simultaneously, the business recalled its Soothe ‘n Play Gliders; nevertheless, the device was not connected to any deaths. Fisher-Price then alerted customers in 2022 to the fact that its Infant-to-Toddler Rockers and Newborn-to-Toddler Rockers had been connected to 13 infant deaths.
These specific goods, which may be used as a toddler rocker or an infant seat, were not recalled by the business. Rather, it served as a reminder to consumers that the items are not meant for sleeping. That year, Fisher-Price wrote a letter to Congress stating that its rockers could be used safely as long as parents kept an eye on and properly confined their infants.
