The combination of yesterday and last night were the final straw. You were going to make it through the first few months without buying a rocker/sleeper. But your infant needs sleep, and so do you.
You rush to the store and buy the one that all your friends swear helps their little ones take great naps and get through the night. It works like a dream. Everyone in the house is getting better sleep. With your hands free during nap time, you even got the laundry done with two hands.
For some parents, their stories ended much differently.
Fisher-Price adds Rock ‘n Play to list of recalls
Stores fill the shelves in their baby sections with options. Parents consider factors like size, color and features such as vibration or battery power in their purchasing decision. For the 4.7 million parents who chose the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play, they probably assumed that safety wouldn’t have to be a factor.
At least 30 of the parents mentioned above suffered their worst nightmare. The product that was supposed to provide a cozy and protective environment proved deadly for their young infants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price issued a safety warning, recalling the product, and several parents have filed lawsuits.
This wasn’t the first case of an infant rocker, bouncer or swing pulled from the market for hidden hazards. Some of the others include:
- 2019: All Kids II Rocking Sleepers, recalled after reports of fatalities
- 2017: Fisher-Price Soothing Motion Seats, recalled for fire hazard
- 2016: Bednest’s Bedside Infant Sleepers, recalled for fall hazard
- 2016: Fisher-Price Infant Cradle Swings, recalled for fall hazard
- 2013: Fisher-Price’s Rock ‘N Play Infant Sleepers, recalled for reports of mold
- 2012: Dream On Me Infant Swings, recalled for strangulation hazard
- 2009: BabySwede Bouncer Chairs, recalled for laceration hazard
- 2007: Fisher-Price Rainforest Infant Swings, recalled for entrapment hazard
- 2007: Oeuf infant Bouncer Seats, recalled for frame failure
Child products should be safe. Period. The responsibility to make them safe lies on the shoulders of the manufacturers. The burden to check for recalls should not be the parent’s. That being said, parents can go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website for a searchable list of product recalls to determine if any of the products in their home may be dangerous.
