Recall issued for baby lounger linked to 8 deaths in the U.S.
Health Canada has issued an important safety recall involving a popular baby lounger that's been linked to eight infant deaths in the U.S.
The recall follows earlier warnings and investigations by Consumer Reports into the safety risks involving loungers and nursing pillows.
The products recalled are made by Colorado-based Boppy Company, and include the Boppy Original Newborn Loungers, Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers. Health Canada said the loungers pose a suffocation hazard.
Last year, Consumer Reports warned the public about these types of products, reporting on at least 28 deaths from 2012 to 2018 tied to nursing pillows and baby loungers.
“When babies are left unattended or sleeping on these products, they may roll over or their heads may fall in a way that can block their airway and lead to suffocation,” said Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Consumer Reports investigative reporter.
In the recall announcement, Boppy said it is "committed to doing everything possible to safeguard babies” and that the lounger "was not marketed as an infant sleep product and includes warnings against unsupervised use.”
The company reports 34,941 of the units were sold in Canada from January 2016 to September 2021 – 3.3 million were sold in the U.S.
Health Canada followed the U.S. lead on this and worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission in issuing the joint recall.
Consumer Reports believes something should have been done sooner.
"To keep something like this from happening in the future, parents need Congress to strengthen the CPSC’s ability to warn the public about hazardous products and take quick, forceful action when people are at risk,” explained Oriene Shin, safety advocate for Consumer Reports.
What should you do?
Boppy is offering full refunds as part of the recall. If you have one of the recalled products, you can call The Boppy Company toll-free at 800-416-1355 or go to their website and click “Recall & Safety Alert” for more information.
It's important for parents to remember only to allow infants to sleep in regulated, approved products for infant sleep that meet safety standards, such as cribs and bassinets. Click here for safe sleep practices for infants.
With files from Consumer Reports
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.