Federal regulators announced Tuesday that the Boppy Newborn Lounger – a popular baby pillow recalled almost two years ago – has been linked to at least ten babies’ deaths in 2015.
In September 2021 , the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled more than 3,000,000 Boppy loungers after receiving reports that babies were suffocating. Boppy’s padded cushions were linked to eight infant deaths between December 2015 and June 2020.
The CPSC announced Tuesday that two more infants had died within the month following the 2021 recall. The CPSC and The Boppy Company urged the public to stop using this product and contact Boppy to receive a refund .
The Boppy Company recalled over 3 million loungers in 2021.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
In an interview, CPSC chair Alex Hoehn Saric stated that parents whose babies died in Boppy Loungers believed their babies were safe – “and then it happens.”
He added, “It is too easy for a child to fall asleep with this product and put them at risk.”
Researchers have discovered that loungers are dangerous for infants who fall asleep.
One of the newly revealed deaths is from October 2021. An infant was placed in a Boppy Lounger to sleep, and then rolled under a pillow near an adult, dying due to positional asphyxia. One of the newly disclosed deaths occurred in October 2021 when an infant was placed in a Boppy Lounger to sleep and then rolled underneath a nearby adult pillow, dying from positional asphyxia.
A NBC News report last month revealed that the baby loungers of Boppy and other brands are linked to twice as many deaths than federal regulators previously reported.
NBC News reported that, since December 2015 at least 26 infants have died as a result of incidents involving Boppy or other loungers, based on CPSC data and autopsy reports. Court documents, consumer reports and local authority reports were also included.
The 26 deaths previously reported by NBC News did not include the two new deaths announced Tuesday by federal regulators.
Michael Trunk, an attorney in Philadelphia who represents two families of infants who died after being placed in Boppy loungers – a girl aged 4 days and a boy aged 1 week – said that the fact The Boppy Company had to issue a recall again showed the product was not safe the first time.
Trunk, a Kline & Specter PC partner, said: “I believe it shows that the public still hasn’t gotten this message.” “Two babies have now died. “It’s only going to get worse.”
Boppy released a press release Tuesday encouraging consumers to take part in the recall. Amy St. Germain said, “Our hearts are broken for any parent who has lost a baby.”
St. Germain said that consumers should adhere to the experts’ guidelines on safe sleeping practices. These recommend that babies sleep on their backs without any loose blankets, pillows or soft bedding.
The CPSC sent a second letter to Meta on Tuesday, urging them to take more action against illegal sales of the Boppy Lounger through Facebook Marketplace. The agency called this a “particularly egregious” example of a recalled item being illegally sold despite multiple requests by the CPSC or Boppy to remove such listings.
The letter stated that the CPSC had asked Meta about a 1,000 times per month in average to remove listings of Boppy loungers over the last year.
Richard Trumka Jr., CPSC commissioner, said that Meta can and should do much more to help save lives.
Meta stated in a press release that it regularly reviews and enforces its policies. The company previously stated thatFacebook Marketplace policies prohibit the sales of recalled products.
Meta said previously that “we remove listings when we find them violating our rules.”
Consumer safety advocates told NBC News it’s more difficult to flag recalled products on Facebook Marketplace compared to other online resale sites, like Craigslist or eBay. Facebook asks users to select a reason for removing posts, but the item being recalled is not one of them.
The loungers are available in different sizes and shapes. The Boppy loungers have a round shape with a shallow depression in the center. They are different from the popular U-shaped pillow. Some companies produce loungers that have rectangular or oval pads with raised edges.
The CPSC commissioned a study that examined multiple brands of infant pillows and loungers. It found that babies who died suffocated when they rolled or turned their heads against the fabric-covered surfaces. Other babies died of positional asphyxia, where their breathing was blocked when they slouched or curved backward. Baby’s can also die after rolling off of loungers and onto other surfaces.
The manufacturers claim that their loungers can be used by babies who are awake, and are supervised. Boppy said previously in a press release that its loungers were never intended for sleeping and that they included warnings about unsupervised use.
Images of babies in loungers are common on social media. Some loungers have been marketed specifically for co-sleeping.
NBC News reported that CPSC staff wanted to consider sweeping regulation of infant loungers, and other pillowlike infant products at the time of 2021 Boppy’s recall. This was based on interviews conducted with former and current agency employees, and consumer advocates.
One day after the recall announcement, the CPSC’s two Republican commissioners, who were in the majority at the time, canceled the more comprehensive action. Instead, they instructed the agency instead to develop voluntary safety standards.
Many consumer advocates and experts in infant safety believe that other loungers are available on the market.
Two agency employees have said that the CPSC will likely consider new regulations regarding infant loungers within the next few weeks.
