CPSC and Fisher-Price Warn Letting Infants Sleep in Toddler Rockers Carries Risk of Death

Between 2009 and 2021 there have been more than 13 reported infant deaths linked to letting infants sleep in toddler rockers

Federal consumer safety officials are urging parents to stop using Fisher-Price and Kids 2 infant rockers for sleeping babies, due to the serious risk of suffocation and death.

The infant sleeper warning was issued by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) last week, indicating parents and caregivers should never leave infants unrestrained,  unattended, or sleeping in any inclined infant product.

Infant suffocation risks have been linked to a number of products in recent years, including rockers, gliders, soothers, and swings. However, the warning focuses specifically on Fisher-Price rockers, which have been linked to at least 13 deaths between 2009 and 2021.

The increased risk of injury is due to the angle created by an incline which can cause the baby’s airway to become obstructed. In some cases, the infant’s head can slump forward in a chin-to-chest position making breathing difficult and resulting in serious injury or death, the CPSC warns.

The CPSC recommends that the best and safest places for babies to sleep would be cribs and bassinets or play yards that provide firm, flat, unobstructed surfaces.

With more than 17 million infant rockers sold since 1990, this is not the first time these Fisher-Price products have been the focus of child safety concerns.

In 2019, a Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper recall was issued, affecting millions of units after 30 reports of  infant fatalities.

Two years later, in 2021, a 4-in-1 Rock ’n Glide Soother recall was issued after four reported infant fatalities associated with its use.

The repeated injuries and infant lives lost due to these rockers resulted in the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, which passed in May 2022, making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute crib bumpers or inclined sleepers for infants in the United States.

Effective as of June 23, a new rule will be enforced by the CPSC requiring infant sleep products to have a sleep angle of no more than 10 degrees or less. Additionally, it would require that all infant sleep products conform to the existing crib, play yard, and bassinet standards.

The CPSC urges consumers to report incidents involving these or other infant products using their website Saferproducts.gov.