Two Congressional Democrats are asking the federal government to take action and ban “pillow-like loungers” for infants that have been recalled for safety and linked to at least 25 deaths according to an NBC News investigation.
This photo released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, shows, ... [+]
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) sent a letter to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday saying "a strong rule that eliminates pillow-like loungers, and other similar products that invite parents to use them believing these products are safe for infant sleep, is essential."
The pillow-like sleeping loungers are dangerous for newborns who can suffocate on the pillowy surface or asphyxiate if their bodies are stuck in a position that restricts breathing.
Loungers made by The Boppy Company have been linked to 10 deaths—and more than 3 million of its loungers were recalled in 2021—but it isn’t the only culprit: an NBC News investigation found loungers of similar styles by other companies have been linked to at least 21 deaths from December 2015 through September 2021.
Forbes has reached out to the two companies named in the letter—Boppy and another lounger manufacturer with loungers linked to deaths, Leachco, Inc.—for comment.
The style of lounger in question goes against the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that babies sleep “on firm, flat, non-inclined surfaces.” Instead, the loungers give babies a pillowy setting in which they can easily roll on their sides or stomachs. The Boppy loungers were the first of the style to be recalled after it was linked to eight deaths, and after the recall it was linked to two more. After the pushback, some lounger companies have argued their loungers weren’t intended for sleep, but the lawmakers wrote that “their design and marketing often signal otherwise to parents and caregivers.”
3.3 million. That’s how many lounge pillows were recalled in 2021 after the Boppys were linked to eight infant deaths, according to the CPSC. After two more deaths were linked to Boppys, the government organization again urged people to stop using the recalled Boppy Original Newborn Loungers.