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The Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play is a device advertised to help babies sleep better. It is marketed based on its defining features — toys around the device, its inclined position, and straps that are supposed to keep sleeping babies in place.
It was introduced in 2009, and quickly gained popularity via word-of-mouth and “mommy bloggers.” Despite its popularity, however, it has posed a serious danger for babies, and has been linked to over 30 deaths. As a result, the sleeper device has been recalled.
An article in The New York Times covered the voluntary recall by Mattel, the parent company, and reported that even if parents have not experienced problems with the sleeper, they are encouraged to stop using the device.
Why would parents use sleep positioners?
NPR covered the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play rise and fall. An expert noted that many babies have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. This can pose a serious problem for parents, whose sleep in turn becomes affected. These parents often turn to products geared at helping ease this problem, leading to the rise in popularity of the sleeper device.
The Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play was one such product, offered at a relatively affordable price of $40 to $149. Sleep positioners like the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play offer parents a solution to the problem of fussy, not sleeping babies, allegedly helping them to fall asleep more comfortably, and rest safely in the device.
More notably, the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play was advertised as helping babies who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux, because the angled position of the sleeper can reportedly help to reduce these symptoms.
Do sleep positioners like the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play work?
Despite the allure of sleep, the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play may be a dangerous device. In fact, its distinctive features – the incline, the soft mesh fabric, and the straps – may be what makes it a risk to infants, though these features are the center of its attraction.
The “gold standard” for infant sleeping positions is largely known to be one without the aid of sleep positioners. The FDA encourages parents and guardians to let babies sleep in a crib with a flat surface with no toys or blankets. This reportedly reduces the risk of suffocation, which can be linked to infant death.
Therefore a device like the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play may be in opposition to what is seen as safe for babies, and people filing Fisher-Price lawsuits agree.
What are the Rock-n-Play risks?
Many parents are now wondering how such a popular and seemingly helpful product could be so dangerous, and what prompted the recall. Sadly, the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play has been linked to at least 32 infant deaths in the last 10 years.
Most of these deaths occurred when babies rolled over and suffocated when they were not buckled in. Some babies reportedly fell out of the device despite being restrained with the straps, and were dangling upside down in the harness. In another case, a baby below the weight limit died from rolling over in the sleeper.
Some babies reportedly developed torticollis, a condition characterized by the head being twisted to one side. Some reports said that the device was flattening the infants’ skulls, and other reports said the device could cause respiratory illnesses and infection due to the presence of mold.
What is being done about this problem?
In Canada and Australia, authorities banned the Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play from being marketed as a sleeper, but the device remained popular in the United States for some time.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only warned against the use of sleep positioners like Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play because of the suffocation risk. However, after rising concern and criticism, and after numerous reports of infant death, Fisher-Price and the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a joint safety warning to the public regarding the dangers associated with the Rock-n-Play. This action spurred Fisher-Price to recall all the Rock-n-Play sleepers.
The warning stated that “infant fatalities have occurred in the Rock-n-Play Sleepers, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances.” The warning went on to say that “consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact Fisher-Price for a refund or voucher.”
Join a Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play Class Action Lawsuit Investigation
If you purchased a Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play sleeper that was part of the recent recall, you may qualify to join this Fisher-Price class action lawsuit investigation.
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