Fisher-Price recalls millions of baby sleepers after deaths of 32 infants

‘This product is deadly,’ warns American Academy of Pediatrics

Fisher-Price has recalled nearly 5 million baby sleepers after they were linked to dozens of infant deaths.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission urged customers to stop using the Rock ’n Play sleeper “immediately” following reports of more than 30 fatalities over a decade.

The babies died after rolling over onto their stomach or side while unrestrained in the product, a padded cradle that vibrates to help them drop off to sleep.

The recall comes after American magazine Consumer Reports linked the sleeper to the deaths of 32 infants, some of whom were said to have suffocated.

Fisher-Price last week warned parents to stop using the sleeper once their child was three months old – the age at which babies typically begin to roll over – but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) called for the sleeper’s complete withdrawal.

“This product is deadly and should be recalled immediately,” said AAP president Kyle Yasuda. “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.”

Fisher-Price said it stood by “the safety of all of our products” but was recalling the sleeper “given the reported incidents in which the product was used contrary to safety warnings and instructions”.

Customers who bought the product can contact the company for a refund or voucher.

Babies are reported to have died after rolling over in Fisher-Price’s Rock ’n Play sleeper (Fisher-Price)

About 4.7 million Rock ’n Play sleepers had been sold for between $40 (£30) and $149 (£114) since the product’s launch in 2009.

According to Consumer Reports, four infant deaths have also been linked to a similar sleeper made by US company Kids II.

Kids II said in each of the “tragic and heartbreaking” cases involving its Ingenuity Moonlight Rocking Sleeper “there were either extenuating circumstances not relating to the sleep product or a failure to follow instructions and warnings”.

The AAP warned parents against the use of all “inclined sleep products” or any other products that require restraining a baby for sleep.

“The APP advises against using car seats, strollers or other devices for sleep because of the risk that a baby could roll or turn into an unsafe position and be incapable of moving, leading to suffocation or strangulation,” it added.