Consumer Alert: Baby sleep products remain for sale, despite safety concerns
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, sets clear standards for baby sleep products.
But News10NBC found products that are not safe for sleep continue being sold on legitimate websites.
RELATED More than 100 infants die in New York every year because of how they are put to sleep
News10NBC’s Deanna Dewberry started investigating unsafe sleep products last month after the recall of a baby longer sold on Amazon. But when she started searching Amazon for others like it, she was shocked.
Boppy Newborn Longers are tied to the deaths of 10 babies. The CPSC issued a warning in June after the deaths of two babies: two years after the 2021 recall.
In early November, the Yoocaa Baby Lounger sold on Amazon was recalled because babies can suffocate in that thick padding that envelops them.
The Miracle Baby Lounger, also sold exclusively on Amazon, was recalled late last month for the same reason.
All have something in common: soft, pillowy bedding that suffocated the baby.
But one search of big marketplaces like Amazon and you’ll find dozens of loungers just like the recalled products.
Dewberry found pages and pages of baby loungers that look very similar to the Miracle Baby Lounger. They’re oval-shaped and envelop the baby in pillowy bumpers.
Pediatricians say no baby should be put to bed in one of these products.
And for folks who teach sleep safety, seeing products like these on the market is alarming.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. Again, because the parents are assuming these things are safe because they’re being sold for babies, that’s a reasonable explanation and expectation. To realize how unsafe they are, it just really kind of feels like preying on a desperate customer. They want to do the best for their child, they want their baby to sleep comfortably, but these are just not safe and it’s frustrating,” Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
She says the rules of safe sleep are simple. Think ABC. Your baby should sleep ALONE on her BACK in a CRIB. The mattress should be firm And you should use neither crib bumpers nor blankets..
If you have a baby lounger, Dr. Murray says your baby should be supervised at all times, and should not be allowed to sleep in the lounger.