Urgent warning as baby pillow recalled after at least 10 infant deaths
THE deaths of at least 10 babies have been linked to a popular pillow for newborns.
More than 3.3million Boppy Loungers were recalled following reports of youngsters rolling over and being suffocated by them.
The padded cushions were pulled from shelves in September 2021 after being associated with eight deaths, which occurred from December 2015 to June 2020.
But two more have been recorded since then, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
One infant died from positional asphyxia in October 2021 after being placed on the lounger then rolling underneath a nearby adult pillow.
The second passed away a month later while sleeping on the cushion in an adult-sized bed.
Since the initial recall, the products have not been available to buy online or in-store, including at Target, Pottery Barn and Walmart.
However, thousands of pillows are being sold illegally on Facebook Marketplace.
Safety regulators have urged parents not to buy or use the Boppys over breathing restriction concerns, and to contact the retailer for a refund and instructions on how to dispose of the product.
The CPSC also emphasised that the best place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard.
Blankets, pillows, padded bumpers or other items should also not be used, and babies she always be placed to sleep on their backs, it added.
Three products have been recalled – the Boppy Original Newborn Lounger, Boppy Preferred Newborn Lounger, and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Lounger.
From their release in 2004 until September 2021, they were considered a “must have” for many new parents in the United States and Canada.
The babies who died were found on their sides or stomachs after being placed on the pillows.
According to NBC News, as many as 28 tots could have died as a result of Boppy products – though the official figure remains 10.
Michael Trunk, a Philadelphia-based attorney who represents two families whose babies died in Boppy loungers — a four-day-old girl and a one-week-old boy — fears the public has gotten the message.
“Two more babies have died now. It’s going to keep happening,” she told the outlet.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Amy St Germain, from Boppy, said: “Our hearts hurt for anyone who has lost a child.”
The CPSC has written to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, to raise its concerns that the recalled items are available on Marketplace.
Commissioner Richard Trumka, who said his team has made around 1,000 takedown requests every month over the last year, said: “Until these sales are stopped, babies will continue to be at risk of death.
“Meta can and should be doing much more to save lives.”