Graco Class Action Says Infant Sleepers Pose Fatal Risk

A class action lawsuit claims that Graco infant sleepers are defective in their design and can pose a deadly threat to babies.

The Graco class action lawsuit takes issue with the Graco Little Lounger Rocking Seat, the Graco Duet Glide LX Baby Infant Gliding Swing and Napper/Portable Sleeper, and the Grace DreamGlider Gliding Seat and Sleeper.

The Graco sleeper defect class action lawsuit was filed by Nayonna Brezinksi, a California resident who says that she purchased a Little Lounger Rocking Seat from her local Walmart.

The plaintiff claims that she purchased the product because she had seen advertisements and labeling for the product that indicated that it was suitable for infants. However, she says that in reality, the product posed a fatal risk to infants.

Allegedly, the infant sleepers are popular because they combine the features of a sleeper and a rocking seat. The Graco class action lawsuit notes that the sleepers are inclined between 10 and 30 degrees, elevating an infant’s head.

“By positioning an infant at an incline between 10 and 30 degrees, the Inclined Sleepers significantly increases the risk that the infant’s head will slip into a dangerous position, tilt to constrict the windpipe and/or cause the infant’s face to become pressed against the padded fabric in the lounge and block airflow, which the infant may be unable to correct. This increases the risk of death by asphyxiation,” the Graco class action lawsuit alleges.

According to the plaintiff, the sleepers are advertised as devices that can help babies sleep, while limiting their motion through the use of restraints. 

However, Brezinski says that research shows that these devices can actually put babies at risk for injury or sudden death. She says that the CPSC recorded between 451 and 459 infant deaths related to infant sleepers between Jan. 1, 2005 and June 30, 2019, in addition to 392 non-fatal incidents in the same period.

Allegedly, the makers knew or should have known that sleepers put babies at risk for injury and death. The makers reportedly already instituted a recall of one of the devices, because fatalities had been reported in connection with comparable devices made by other companies. 

However, the infant sleeper class action lawsuit says that the companies did not recall other devices that are comparable, and merely removed the word “sleeper” from their titles. Allegedly, this still puts infants at risk for injury and death.

The plaintiff also claims that this choice caused customers financial injury because they received a dangerous and defective product.

Brezinski says that she was financially injured by the misrepresentation of the product and would not have purchased it if she had known it was unsafe.

The Graco class action lawsuit alleges that many other customers were similarly injured and seeks damages on behalf of a nationwide Class of similarly affected consumers, and a California Class of similarly affected consumers.

Have you purchased an infant sleeper? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Brezinski is represented by Brittany S. Scott, L. Timothy Fisher, and Scott A. Bursor of Bursor & Fisher PA.

The Graco Infant Sleeper Class Action Lawsuit is Brezinski v. Graco Children’s Products, et al., Case No. 5:20-cv-00347-SVW-SHK, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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