Fisher-Price is recalling some 5 million “Rock ‘n Play sleepers after more than 30 infant suffocation or strangulation deaths over the past decade have been linked to the product rolling over.
The recall, announced Friday night, had been urged by child safety experts.
“This product is deadly and should be recalled immediately,” Kyle Yasuda, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, had urged in a news release earlier this week.
“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.”
Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price warned that the sleepers should not be used for infants older than three months, since older babies would more likely have the strength to tip the product over.
The AAP’s notice appears to have been prompted by an investigation from Consumer Reports, whose president said in a statement the Rock ‘n Play recall was “long overdue.”
“Fisher-Price and the CPSC knew about deaths linked to this product for years and could have taken steps to avoid this unnecessary tragedy,” Consumer Reports President Marta Tellado said in the statement.
“It took dogged investigation and the voices of doctors, victims’ families, and advocates across the country to make this recall a reality.”
With Post wires
