The Boppy Company has recalled millions of Boppy baby loungers after the popular pillows were linked to eight infant deaths. According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the soft, padded loungers could cause a baby to suffocate and are simply too dangerous to remain on the market any longer.
The Killino Firm’s Defective Infant Sleeper Lawyers believe the victims of dangerous baby products deserve compensation for their pain and suffering. If your son or daughter suffocated on a Boppy lounger, please call our child injury law firm toll-free at 877-875-2927 to speak with a top personal injury attorney and learn more about your legal rights.
Boppy Newborn Lounger Recall: What’s the Problem?
The recall affects all Boppy Newborn Loungers sold in the United States and Canada from January 2004 through September 2021, including:
- Boppy Original Newborn Lounger
- Boppy Preferred Newborn Lounger
- Pottery Barn Kids Newborn Boppy Lounger
The baby loungers came in various colors and fashions and measure about 23 inches long by 22 inches wide and 7 inches high. Around 3.3 million Boppy Newborn Loungers were sold before the recall, mainly at juvenile product stores and mass merchandisers nationwide and online, including Pottery Barn Kids, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.com.
The Boppy Company also distributed about 35,000 newborn loungers in Canada.
According to the CPSC, eight infants died in the loungers between December 2015 and June 2020. The children reportedly suffocated after being placed on their back, side, or stomach on the lounger. All were found on their side or their stomach.
“These types of incidents are heartbreaking,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert S. Adler. “Loungers and pillow-like products are not safe for infant sleep due to the risk of suffocation. Since we know that infants sleep so much of the time – even in products not intended for sleep – and since suffocation can happen so quickly, these Boppy lounger products are simply too risky to remain on the market.”
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled loungers and contact The Boppy Company for a refund.
Boppy Newborn Lounger and Infant Suffocation Deaths
The CPSC has been investigating pillow-like baby loungers and nursing pillows since last October. Just last week, a Consumer Reports investigation linked such products to 28 infant suffocation deaths, including 7 involving the Boppy.
Infant loungers are designed for a baby to sit or lie on while supervised, and nursing pillows are intended to make breastfeeding more comfortable for both mother and child. But when babies are left unattended or allowed to sleep on these soft loungers and pillows, they may roll over, or their heads may fall in a way that can block their airway and cause suffocation.
According to Consumer Reports, incident reports detailing Boppy pillow fatalities indicate that children not yet developmentally able to roll over on a firm, flat surface can push themselves off a lounger’s padding. This will cause an infant to roll over and press their face into the pillow’s fabric, potentially blocking airflow. Once on their side or stomach and up against the padded lounger, babies can’t return themselves to a position where it’s impossible to breathe.
In one incident highlighted by Consumer Reports, a 2-month-old baby girl “died after being found face down on a Boppy lounger pillow . . . The cause of death as determined by the medical examiner was positional asphyxia.”
Although it’s true the recalled Boppy Newborn Loungers weren’t marketed for sleep, Consumer Reports’ review of CPSC incident data and social media postings suggests that many caregivers were using the products for that very purpose. Some have even used the loungers for bed-sharing, a practice that only increases the risk of infant suffocation.
For example, another incident report stated that a 3-month-old baby boy was found “unresponsive,” lying on top of a Boppy lounger “with his head between [an] adult body and [the lounging] pillow, which was folded in half.”
“It is now clear that Boppy never should have introduced these loungers in the first place and should have acted sooner to remove them from the marketplace,” said Oriene Shin, policy counsel at Consumer Reports. “While we welcome the recall, this is yet another example of a company taking advantage of outdated federal product safety laws that keep consumers in the dark about product-related dangers.”
Nursery Fatalities Caused by Defective Infant Sleeper Products
Unfortunately, nursing pillows and loungers aren’t the only products that can endanger a sleeping baby. In June, for example, Fisher-Price recalled around 120,000 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Gide Soothers and roughly 75,000 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Gliders after those inclined products were linked to four infant suffocation deaths.
Just two years prior, Fisher-Price recalled all models of the Rock ‘n Play, an inclined infant sleeper it had introduced just a decade earlier. So far, the Rock ‘n Play has been tied to the deaths of 97 babies. More than a dozen additional manufacturers have announced inclined sleeper recalls in the two years since the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play recall.
According to the CPSC’s most recent report on nursery injuries and deaths, cribs/mattresses, playpens/play yards, bassinets/cradles, infant carriers, and inclined infant sleep products were associated with 83% of the fatalities reported. About one-third of infant and toddler fatalities were associated with cribs and mattresses, while bassinets/cradles, infant carriers, and inclined sleepers were implicated in an additional one-third of the deaths. The majority of fatalities involved asphyxiation that resulted from a cluttered or hazardous sleeping environment.
By the middle of next year, infant sleepers will be required to meet a new federal safety standard that will effectively eliminate many hazardous products currently on the market, including inclined sleepers, travel and compact bassinets, and in-bed sleepers, all of which have been linked to dozens of infant deaths.
Remember the Basics for Safe Infant Sleep
The tragic deaths involving the Boppy Newborn Lounger have prompted the CPSC to once again remind parents and caregivers of the three basic rules for safe infant sleep:
- Back to Sleep:Always place the baby to sleep on the baby’s back to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUID/SIDS) and suffocation;
- Bare is Best: Always keep the baby’s sleep space bare (fitted sheet only) to prevent suffocation. Do not use pillows, padded crib bumpers, quilts, or comforters; and
- Only place the baby to sleep in a product that is intended for sleep. Transfer the baby to a crib, bassinet, play yard, or bedside sleeper if the baby falls asleep in a swing, bouncer, lounger, or similar product.
It’s also wise to frequently check cpsc.gov to see if any of your baby’s nursery products have been recalled. If so, promptly follow the recall instructions to receive a refund, replacement, or repair. Finally, you should register all nursery products with the manufacturer to ensure you’ll be contacted directly in the event of a recall.
Contact an Experienced Child Injury Lawyer Today
As a nationally recognized Child Injury Lawyer, Attorney Jeffrey Killino has successfully handled a wide range of personal injury and wrongful death cases that involved defective baby products and toys. If your son or daughter was harmed by a Boppy cushion, inclined sleeper, or other dangerous infant sleep product, Jeffrey Killino and his legal staff will commit the resources necessary to ensure your family obtains the compensation and justice you deserve. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today at 1-877-875-2927.
