The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall of Zipadee infant bed frames and floor beds over the fatal risk the products pose to infants.
CPSC recalled around 7,450 units of Zipadee Kids Convertible House Bed Frames and Montessori Floor Beds over worries that spindles on the bed were spaced at a distance that created risk to infants, according to an Aug. 17 recall notice.
“The design of the bed allows a child’s torso to slip through the rail opening but will not allow their head to pass, posing entrapment and strangulation hazards that could result in death,” it said.
“At least two children have become entrapped in the bed rails. They include a 21-month-old boy (no injuries sustained) and a 4-year-old girl in February 2023 who sustained minor injuries.”
The recall is applicable to Zipadee Montessori beds sold in twin, full, and queen-size variations of the Convertible House Bed Frame and Montessori Floor Bed. The products were shipped between Feb. 26, 2018 and Oct. 22, 2021, and sold for prices between $260 and $900.
CPSC has asked customers who have bought the products to dispose of the items and not resell or donate them—warning that selling or distributing recalled products violates federal law.
The company that manufactured the product, Ohio-based Bell Station Interiors, has filed for dissolution in the state. The firm informed the watchdog that it is not able to provide a remedy to customers.
In recent weeks, the CPSC has issued multiple recalls for infant bedding and cribs owing to potential risks posed to babies.
On July 20, the CPSC issued a recall of around 310 convertible cribs manufactured by California-based Williams-Sonoma Inc. “The cribs’ end panel can become loose exposing sharp edges, posing a laceration hazard to children,” the agency said at the time.
On Aug. 10, the CPSC recalled around 100 Room & Board Natural Organic Latex and Latex and Spring Crib Mattresses manufactured by Minnesota-based Restwell Mattress Co.
“The recalled crib mattresses fail to comply with multiple provisions of the Federal Safety Standard for Crib Mattresses, including the firmness test and missing warnings and labels. The product poses a suffocation hazard to infants,” CPSC warned.
Crib and Bedding Safety
CPSC recommends that there be no more than 2 3/8 inches, roughly the width of a soda can, between crib slats so that the baby’s body does not fit through them.Corner posts should not be over 1/16th inch high to avoid an infant’s clothing getting caught in them. Plus, there should not be any cutouts in the foot board or the headboard to avoid a baby’s head getting trapped.
“Cribs that are incorrectly assembled, have missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats can result in entrapment or suffocation deaths,” it warns. “No missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws, brackets, or other hardware on the crib or mattress support.”
For the bedding, the agency advises people to avoid placing pillows, sheepskins, pillow-like bumper pads, or pillow-like stuffed toys in the crib. Instead of a blanket, a sleeper is recommended. The baby should be placed on their back in a crib that has a “firm, tight-fitting mattress.”
Although it is now illegal to sell cribs with drop side rails, parents should avoid such cribs if they do come across them. Such cribs were designed to aid parents to have easier access to the baby. However, they have been blamed for numerous injuries and deaths of infants.
Cribs must be free of sharp edges or corner posts that can scratch and injure a baby. The paint used on the crib must be free from lead since kids tend to start chewing rails when they begin teething.
Infant Deaths From Unsafe Sleeping Conditions
Unsafe sleep environments, including improper bedding, can pose a fatal risk to infants. A May 2021 study published in the National Library of Medicine looked into the cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) to determine the causes behind such tragedies.The study found that 72 percent of SUID incidents “occurred in an unsafe sleep environment,” with the SUID mortality rate at 97.3 per 100,000 live births.
“Among explained and possible suffocation deaths, approximately 75 percent resulted from airway obstruction attributed to soft bedding.”
The study looked at cases reported by states or jurisdictions that participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention SUID Case Registry between 2011 and 2017.
In a May 16, 2022 press release, advocacy group Kids In Danger lauded the passage of the act. The CPSC “has received 113 reported fatalities involving crib bumpers from January 1, 1990, through March 31, 2019. Over 100 babies have died in infant inclined sleep products,” it said.
