While most of us want to believe that every baby-related product sold online or in popular retail stores has been thoroughly tested and is 100 percent safe, this is often not the case.
Indeed, everything from cribs and strollers to toys and car seats are regularly recalled for potentially dangerous defects, while still others are taken off the market entirely because they have caused serious injuries or even wrongful deaths.
One such product that was recalled several times starting in 2010 before being pulled from the market altogether in 2013 was the Nap Nanny and the Nap Nanny Chill manufactured by the now-defunct Baby Matters, LLC.
Tragically, the reason these products were removed from store shelves and made illegal to either sell or resell by government regulators was that they were attributed to the deaths of five infants.
Here, the deadly issues with the Nap Nanny and the Nap Nanny Chill, which were designed to function as a sort of infant recliner, were twofold:
- The harness strap can entrap babies in unsafe positions causing them to suffocate.
- The baby could become trapped between the recliner and the crib bumpers causing them to suffocate.
In recent developments, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is once again warning consumers not to use either of these products after yet another tragedy involving an 8-month-old earlier this year.
The problem says, CPSC officials, is that even though the product was pulled from store shelves, roughly 165,000 were nevertheless sold from 2009 to 2012. This means that Nap Nanny and the Nap Nanny Chills could still be making their way into homes via garage sales, hand-me-down gifts and online auction sites.
The CPSC is now urging all consumers to get rid of the products and to spread the news to other parents about their deadly defect.
“Our message is: stop using it,” said a commission spokesperson. “It’s an entrapment and suffocation risk to babies.”
Here’s hoping that the power of social media can help get the word out to as many parents as possible.
Those who have suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one because of a dangerous or defective product should consider speaking with an experienced attorney to learn more about their options for seeking justice.
Source: The Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Another death reported in a Nap Nanny infant recliner,” May 27, 2014; Reuters, “U.S. regulators warn parents to stop using ‘Nap Nanny’ after sixth death,” June 3, 2014