Deadly, Recalled Fisher-Price Infant Sleepers Still Sold, in Use

The Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play sleeper, a kind of carrier that was designed to cradle babies while they sleep, was recalled in April of 2019 due to deadly defects. Despite the recall and the product’s association with the death of approximately 50 infants, the sleepers are still being sold and are still in use in child care facilities across the country.

The recall was based on claims that use of the sleepers caused the deaths of dozens of babies. The product does not include any kind of restraint, so infants were able to roll over onto their stomachs in their sleep, leading to suffocation.

Millions of the Rock n’ Play sleepers and similar products were taken out of stores as a condition of the recall. But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, consumers who are unaware of the defects can still purchase the deadly items via secondhand sale platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist — something that is illegal once a product is recalled. However, malicious intent does not appear to be the reason for the resales. Many people are simply unaware that the sleepers were taken off the market.

A lack of sufficient information regarding the recall has also failed many daycare operators and the parents who rely on them to watch their children. A study from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and the Kids in Danger (KID) organization revealed that many care providers — approximately one in ten in the surveyed states of Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin — still use Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play sleepers.

U.S. PIRG and KID cited shortcomings of the recall system which “relies on parents and child care centers seeking out information or seeing recall notices in media, rather than direct notice from the recalling company” as a contributor to these incidents. A lack of communication between businesses and their consumers could be blamed for the sleepers still being for sale as well. Companies fall short in providing safety warnings to customers, and endanger lives as a result.