For most parents, safety is a top priority when it comes to their kids. Many parents spend hours researching to see which products are the best, safest, and most cost-effective. Unfortunately, sometimes companies put profits over safety, leading to risks of injuries and tragic accidents.
Fisher-Price Recalls Over 2 Million Snuga Swings
On Thursday, October 10, 2024, Fisher-Price announced a recall of its Snuga Swings. Tragically, five children were reported to have suffocated in the swing from 2012-2022. The infants, ranging in age from one to three months old, were usually unrestrained and had additional bedding in the seat. Over 2 million Snuga Swings have been sold in the United States, with an additional 99,500 swings in Canada and Mexico.
Fisher-Price is offering a $25 refund for the swing, which retailed for about $160 until January 2024. The company encourages parents who wish to continue using the swing to remove the headrest and body support insert. Unfortunately, the Snuga Swing recall is not the first of its kind for Fisher-Price, which also recalled a similar product, the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, in 2019.
Why are Swings Unsafe for Infant Sleep?
Infants are in danger of suffering fatal suffocation injuries from products such as the Snuga Swing because of defective designs that put babies in unsafe sleep positions. These types of swings place children in inclined, angular positions that can lead to asphyxiation. In addition, infants can also roll from their backs to their sides or stomach if left unrestrained in the swing, which also adds to the risk of suffocation.
Safe sleep experts in both the U.S. government and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that babies sleep flat on their backs on a firm, flat surface, such as a crib or bassinet. Further, there should be no blankets, pillows, toys, or other soft items in the sleeping space. These recommendations will help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation, experts say.
After the 2019 recall of Fisher-Price’s Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducted a study to evaluate the safety of inclined sleep products for infants. Ultimately, the CPSC found that infant sleepers with an incline of over 10 degrees are unsafe for babies and can pose serious risks to children under a year old, including:
- Suffocation
- Positional asphyxiation
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Flat head syndrome
- Twisted neck syndrome
Should I Stop Using Infant Swings?
Inclined seated products like the Snuga Swings have been deemed unsafe for sleep by the CPSC. The recall notes that caregivers should never use swings, gliders, soothers, or rockers for infant sleep. Further, babies should never be left in these products without supervision and without being properly restrained.
Despite the fact that Fisher-Price encourages continued use of the Snuga Swing after a couple of simple modifications, Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, advises parents to take the $25 refund and discontinue use of the chair.
“Even after a consumer follows through with the recall ‘remedy,’ the product remains unsafe for infant sleep, yet Fisher-Price encourages ‘continuing to use the swing,’” Trumka said.
Rock ’n Play Sleeper Lawsuits
In 2019, Fisher-Price went through a similar recall with its Rock ‘n play Sleepers that eventually led to hundreds of families filing Rock ‘n Play Sleeper Lawsuits. Almost 5 million Rock ‘n Play sleepers were recalled in April 2019 after 30 infant deaths had been reported. Then, in January 2023, the CPSC shared a recall reminder for all models of the baby sleeper. At the time of the recall reminder, the CPSC said that the total fatalities for the sleepers totaled “approximately 100.”
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform conducted an investigation and found that Fisher-Price had allegedly failed to properly vet the product for safety before putting it on the market in 2009. The company then neglected to address criticism of the Rock ‘n Play for a decade, only recalling it in 2019 after more than 50 infants had tragically lost their lives.
The still ongoing lawsuits allow families who have suffered losses due to the defective design of Fisher-Price’s Rock ‘n Play Sleeper to hold the company accountable and pursue compensation for their incredible losses.
The Carlson Law Firm Can Help
If your or a family member’s baby suffered injuries or lost their life because of the Fisher-Price Snuga Swing’s defective design, you deserve justice. While we know that no amount of compensation can ever make up for what was lost, we can help assist in the healing process and hold Fisher-Price accountable for its negligent actions.
Our compassionate Product Liability Injury Lawyers can help clients nationwide and offer free consultations. We care. We can help.
