Almost four years after a Consumer Reports investigation prompted the recall of millions of popular infant inclined sleep products — including the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play — more child deaths have been linked to them. How is this possible? Consumer Reports and other product safety experts say companies aren’t doing enough to warn parents of the danger.
New information just released is a stark reminder that these dangerous sleep products are still in use. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that since the recall, at least eight babies have reportedly died in Fisher-Price’s Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and four have died in the Kids2 sleepers, bringing the total number of deaths for both sleepers to more than 100.
The news that additional infants have died means that even while the inclined sleepers can’t be sold legally, they’re still being used in people’s homes. According to Mattel, Fisher-Price’s parent company, as of last March only 9.5 percent of the Rock ‘n Play sleepers had been accounted for since the recall. In other words, more than 4 million recalled sleepers are potentially still in use.