At least 32 babies have died while in the sleeper. Why is it still on the market? – Consumer Reports
In this podcast: Rachel Peachman joins It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ to talk about her report on Fisher-Price Rock n’ Plays and the dangers all inclined sleepers pose to infants.
Update: On April 12, Fisher-Price recalled all 4.7 million of its Rock ‘n Play Sleepers, citing infant fatalities, and said parents should immediately stop using the products.
Anytime you have plush areas for infant sleeping, there is a danger for suffocation. And, the rock n’ plays are not different. However, Peachman explains there have also been deaths under 3 months because of the lack of neck strength which can cause positional asphyxiation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have long counseled against letting infants sleep unsupervised in a reclined position.
The AAP also doesn’t recommend for routine use sleeping devices that require the use of restraints because a baby could roll or turn into an unsafe position and be incapable of moving, leading to suffocation or strangulation.
That’s one of the reasons experts caution against using infant car seats for unsupervised sleep. Those products are “acceptable for shorter periods of time because it’s the safest position for a crash,” said Paul Gaudreau, a mechanical engineer who currently works for UPPAbaby and has experience in the car-seat industry. But, he said, research (PDF) shows that a baby’s oxygen level can drop when sleeping at an incline in a car seat. And medical experts warn that the straps can lead to strangulation. “That’s why I’ve steered companies that I’ve worked for away from doing inclined sleepers.”
Finally, the basic advice—that babies should sleep on level, firm surfaces—dates back to 1994, well before Fisher-Price created its Rock ’n Play Sleeper. That’s when the AAP and other groups introduced the “Back to Sleep” campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of death. That campaign (now called “Safe to Sleep”) has helped cut the rate of SIDS by almost a half.
