The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging parents and caregivers to stop using Boppy Newborn Loungers, recalled in 2021, after two more infants died on the “unsafe sleep environment.” Photo courtesy of CPSC
June 6 (UPI) — The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reissuing its warning to parents and caregivers to stop using Boppy Newborn Loungers, recalled in 2021, after two more infants died on the “unsafe sleep environment.”
The Boppy Company of Golden, Colo., joined CPSC in issuing the new warning Tuesday, saying infants are at risk of suffocation if they roll, move, or are placed on the lounger in a position that obstructs breathing.
Before the recall, there were reports of eight deaths associated with the Boppy loungers between 2015 and 2020. Two more infants died in the loungers shortly after the recall was issued in September of 2021.
One infant died of positional asphyxia after it was reportedly placed on the lounger to sleep and rolled underneath a nearby adult pillow. Another infant died in a lounger which was placed on an adult bed, surrounded by soft bedding.
More than 3 million Boppy Original Newborn Loungers, Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers were recalled in September of 2021 and are no longer legal to sell.
But CPSC warns the recalled products continue to appear for sale on Facebook Marketplace and thousands of other online marketplaces despite repeated requests to remove the dangerous loungers. It is illegal to sell or donate a CPSC recalled product in any manner, CPSC warned in a tweet.
“Until these sales are stopped, babies will continue to be at risk of death,” CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka said in a statement. Trumka said the agency wrote to Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday demanding it take “effective action.”
The CPSC also warned parents Tuesday to keep blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers and other items away from infants when they sleep. The safety commission says the best place for babies to sleep is on their backs on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard. The CPSC tweeted the list of potential “nightmares” in “your baby’s crib” to clarify sleeping dangers.
Anyone who still has a Boppy Newborn Lounger is urged to stop using it immediately and contact The Boppy Company for instructions on how to dispose of the product and get a refund.
The Boppy Company can be reached at 800-416-1355 or online at www.boppy.com. Click “product recalls” for more information.
