Recalled Inclined Sleepers Being Used by Daycare Centers, Posing Child Injury Risks
Many parents with infants may know that the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper was recalled after the company received news of infant deaths in the inclined sleeper. After Fisher Price recalled nearly 5 million of its products, other manufacturers also recalled dangerous inclined sleepers. For example, about 700,000 Kids II inclined sleepers were recalled in April. However, despite the recall and news about the risks posed by this type of product, a recent article in Consumer Reports says that daycare centers continue to use these defective products.
According to the article, a mother in Philadelphia, Sara Landis recently brought her 1-year-old child to a daycare center in the Philadelphia area to discover that the facility was using a Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper. According to Landis, when she and her spouse, U.S. PIRG employee Adam Garber, inquired about the recalled product with the daycare facility, the daycare provider, “who cares deeply about the kids, was really confused.” Indeed, the daycare provider “said she thought there had only been a warning about the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and that as long as the product was properly used, and babies were buckled in, it would be fine.”
Garber realized that the daycare had not received notice of the inclined sleeper recall, and as a result was continuing to use this dangerous product. In response, U.S. PIRG and Kids in Danger partnered to create a survey about knowledge of the inclined sleeper recall. What that survey found is that “many other daycare centers didn’t know about the inclined sleeper recalls, either.” Indeed, about 10% of the daycare facilities that responded to the survey were still using recalled inclined sleepers, including the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play and the Kids II model.
At least 53 infants have died in inclined sleepers, and at least one of those deaths occurred at a daycare facility. Only 18 U.S. states currently have regulations that prohibit daycare centers using recalled products. Even in those states, many daycare facilities do not receive adequate notice concerning recalled children’s products.
Getting the Message Out About Recalls
The article emphasizes that media surrounding recalls needs to be better. In other words, we need to find a better way of ensuring that daycare centers and other similar facilities receive information about dangerous products and product recalls that could lead to child injury. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has details about plans for how it will improve messaging, as well as tips for parents. The CPSC will do the following:
- Streamline its website, making it more user-friendly;
- Update messaging systems to ensure that product buyers receive information about recalls;
- Doing more outreach to daycare centers and other childcare facilities;
- Improving social media and press release messaging; and
- Notifying state health departments about recalls.
What can parents do?
- Ask about your daycare facility’s plans for identifying and removing recalled products;
- Registering for product recall updates through the CPSC;
- Inform your daycare center or childcare facility when a child product is recalled; and
- Register your infant products so that the manufacturer will be required to notify you in the event of a recall.
Was your child injured because of a defective product? A product liability lawyer may be able to help.
