Millions of newborn baby loungers are being recalled due to the risk of suffocation after eight reports of infant deaths, officials announced Thursday.
The infants who died had suffocated after being put on their backs, sides or stomachs on the lounger and were later found on their sides or on their stomachs, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in an alert. The deaths happened between 2015 and 2020.
Due to the suffocation risk, the Boppy Company is now recalling the Boppy Original Newborn Loungers, Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers.
The Colorado-based company had sold about 3.3 million of the recalled loungers nationwide at retailers including Pottery Barn Kids, Target, Walmart and on Amazon.com.
The loungers were sold in a variety of colors from January 2004 through September 2021, and ranged in price between $30 and $44.
“These types of incidents are heartbreaking,” said Acting CPSC Chairman Robert S. Adler. “Loungers and pillow-like products are not safe for infant sleep, due to the risk of suffocation.”
A spokesperson for Boppy said in a statement that the company was “devastated” to learn of the deaths.
“Boppy is committed to doing everything possible to safeguard babies, including communicating the safe use of our products to parents and caregivers, and educating the public about the importance of following all warnings and instructions and the risks associated with unsafe sleep practices for infants,” the spokesperson said. “The lounger was not marketed as an infant sleep product and includes warnings against unsupervised use.”
Still, Adler said the loungers are “simply too risky to remain on the market” since infants can fall asleep even in products not intended for sleep.
Officials said infants can suffocate if they roll, move or are placed on the lounger in a position that obstructs breathing, or if they roll off onto another surface that obstructs breathing.
Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the recalled loungers and contact The Boppy Company for a refund by calling 800-416-1355, or through their website.
Authorities say it’s best to place a baby to sleep on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard. Parents should never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.
Babies should also always be placed to sleep on their backs.
