3.3 million Boppy lounge chairs recalled after 8 infant deaths

The Boppy Company is recalling approximately 3.3 million baby lounge chairs linked to eight infant deaths, the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. The recall comes nearly a year after the CPSC issued a safety warning for similar baby products that look like pillows.

The infants are said to have suffocated after being placed on their backs, sides or stomachs on lounge chairs, with the eight deaths occurring between December 2015 and June 2020, according to the CPSC and the Golden, Colorado-based company.

“These types of incidents are heartbreaking,” CPSC Acting President Robert S. Adler said in the recall notice. “Lounge chairs and pillow-like products are not safe for infants to sleep because of the risk of suffocation. Given that we know that infants sleep most of the time – even in products not intended for sleep – and that choking can occur so quickly, these Boppy lounge chair products are just too risky to stay on. Marlet.”

Boppy is “devastated to hear about these tragedies,” a spokesperson for Boppy said in the statement on infant deaths over the past six years. “The lounge chair was not marketed as an infant sleep product and includes warnings against unsupervised use.”

The recall involves all Boppy Newborn lounge chairs, which were sold in three models: the Bobby Original Newborn lounge chair, the Boppy Preferred Newborn lounge chair and the Pottery Barn Kids Newborn Boppy lounge chair. Parents and guardians should immediately stop using the sun loungers and contact the company for a refund.

Sold from January 2004 to September 2021 for between $ 30 and $ 44, the recalled products were distributed nationally and in Canada by retailers including Amazon, Pottery Barn Kids, Target and Walmart.

The CPSC last October warned the public against letting babies fall asleep on such products, saying it was investigating reports of infant deaths.

The recall highlights the need for a new federal rule approved by the CPSC in June and due to go into effect in mid-2022 that bans several types of sleep products for babies under five months old, according to an advocacy group. “Currently, too many products are entering the market that may appear to be intended for sleep but do not provide a safe sleeping environment,” Kids in Danger said in a press release Thursday.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should sleep on their backs on firm, level surfaces without bedding, padded bumpers, or ties.

A Consumer Reports investigation released earlier this month linked at least 28 infant deaths to rest pads and nursing pads, seven of which are linked to Boppy products.

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