Federal lawmakers are calling for a ban on pillow-like baby loungers that have been linked to many infant deaths.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) sent a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday, calling baby loungers ‘unnecessary products’ that endanger children’s lives.
“A strong rule that removes pillows and other similar products that invite parents to use those products when they believe they are safe is essential,” the agency wrote before they voted on the new safety rule.
CPSC in 2021 The Boppy Co. has recalled more than 3 million baby loungers produced by , after eight children suffocated while using the products.
But they continued to be sold at online retailers, and last month company officials said the loungers were linked to two more child deaths.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) sent a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday, calling baby loungers ‘unnecessary products’ that endanger children’s lives.
Pictured above are the three baby loungers that were recalled. There have been two more deaths since the recall was announced and the loungers are still for sale on Facebook
Less than a week after Boppy’s recall, NBC News reported that a 3-month-old boy in Texas died while sleeping on a lounger after his father fell asleep.
He woke up and saw the boy lying face down on the lounger.
The following spring, a 4-month-old also died of suffocation on a lounger manufactured in China that was advertised on Amazon as ‘perfect or co-sleeping’.
In total, at least 25 people have died in baby loungers since 2015.
Babies die in two different ways: they either suffocate when they curl up or turn their face against the plush surface or they die from positional suffocation, when they lean forward or turn their face.
Boppy — the Boppy Original Newborn Lounger, Boppy Preferred Newborn Lounger and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Lounger — and other lounger makers said the items were never intended for sleeping and warned consumers against leaving babies unattended.
Health officials say babies should sleep on a firm, flat surface, such as a crib, instead of on their backs.
But newborns can fall asleep faster on a cushioned surface.
‘Until these sales are stopped, children will remain at risk of death,’ the agency’s commissioner, Richard Trumka, said in a statement last month announcing the two additional deaths.
At the same time, it warned against using another lounger that was sold exclusively on Amazon, after the company, Gorset US, refused to cooperate in the recall.
But the product is no longer visible on the website.
Alexander Hohen-Sarik, Chairman of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Pictured above are two boppy pillows that are for sale on the Facebook Marketplace. The photo on the right appears to show one of the recalled pillows marketed in Reading, Pennsylvania
Meanwhile, the CPSC is engaged in a lawsuit with Oklahoma-based Litchco for refusing to recall about 180,000 child loungers, which have been linked to the deaths of two children.
The company warned parents and caregivers against using the company’s Podster, Podster Plus, Bumji and Podster Playtime.
But Leachco defended the safety of its loungers when used properly and filed a countersuit.
The company argues that it has always given clear warnings and instructions that Podster should only be used when a child is awake and under adult supervision, which was not the case in the case that led to the deaths of the two children.
In one instance, a daycare worker placed a child on a podstar inside a cage and supervised the child for over an hour and a half.
The other child was placed in a podster and then placed in an adult bed between their parents with bedding and pillows.
The hearing is scheduled for August 7.
The CPSC is now expected to vote on new safety rules for baby loungers next week.
These new regulations could range from mandatory warning labels to design standards that would effectively ban certain types of loungers.
But any rule would have to go through a lengthy, yearlong process that includes public review and feedback.
CPSC Chairman Alex Hohen-Sarik said in a statement to NBC News, “I am encouraged by the letter that Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Schakowsky have demonstrated for our work.”
‘We look forward to their continued support as we work to improve performance standards to make these products safer.’
Meanwhile, New York lawmakers have taken measures into their own hands — introducing a bill that would ban the sale of baby loungers statewide.
It will fine retailers and secondhand dealers who list the lounger for sale up to $500.
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