Fisher-Price Recalls More Than 2 Million Infant Swings Following 5 Deaths

An example of a Fisher-Price Snuga Swing being recalled. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission via AP

Fisher-Price announced a partial recall of 21 models of infant swings following reported deaths of five infants over the past decade.

The recall, announced on Thursday, pertains to a total of 2.1 million swings sold in the United States, an additional 99,000 sold in Canada, and about 500 in Mexico. The $160 products were available from October 2010 to January 2024 at Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart/Sam’s Club, and Target stores.

The recalled products are a series of infant swings with very similar designs: a two-legged stand with a cupped seat suspended from it, in which the baby reclines.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it had received notice of five infants between one and three months of age who died of suffocation in the recalled products.

“In most of those incidents, the infants were unrestrained and bedding materials were added to the product,” the recall notice said.

The recall notice attributes the danger to the swings’ headrest and body support insert.

Consumers are advised to immediately discard the headrest by cutting the tether and remove the body support insert from the seat pad “before continuing to use the swing.”

Fisher offers a $25 refund for consumers who remove the hazardous parts.

The recall notice then warns that, even with these parts removed, consumers “should never use any inclined seated products, such as swings, gliders, soothers, and rockers, for infant sleep ... due to the risk of suffocation.”

In a statement, Fisher-Price said its “greatest concern and primary focus has always been the safety of the children who use our products. For that reason, we’ve taken action to recall the Dots & Spots Puppy Cradle ‘n Swing. Fisher-Price is dedicated to creating safe and helpful products for you and your family.”

CPSC Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr. in a separate personal statement said the recall was “doomed to fail.”

“Fisher-Price fails to recall the entire product, instead recalling only a portion of it,” he said, remarking that the product remains “unsafe for infant sleep” even after the respective parts have been removed.

Trumka criticized the company for encouraging consumers to “continue to use the swing,” and for offering only a fraction of the products’ price as a refund.

“If the goal were to truly end this hazard, Fisher-Price could be offering $160 to consumers to destroy the entire product—that would be a reasonable way to end the risk to babies’ lives.”

He advised consumers to take the $25 refund and “throw this product away.”

The CPSC commissioner noted the 2022 congressional Safe Sleep for Babies Act, which banned inclined sleepers for infants as hazardous products, and referred to the scientific literature. In particular, research has shown that infants placed in inclined products have difficulty self-correcting when they are in difficult or dangerous positions.

According to the CPSC, the best place for an infant to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard, with nothing but a fitted sheet.

Examples of recalled Fisher-Price Snuga Swing headrest and body support insert. Courtesy of CPSC

List of Recalled Models:

BGB32	My Little Snugakitty™ Cradle ‘n Swing
CCF38	My Little Snugabunny™ Swing
CHM56	My Little Snugabear Cradle ‘n Swing
CHM69	My Little Snugabear Ballerina Cradle ‘n Swing
CHM76	Safari Dreams Cradle ‘n Swing
CHM78	Moonlight Meadow Swing
DRG43	Sweet Snugapuppy™ Swing
FKL21	Deluxe Swing- Surreal Serenity™
GJB53	Sweet Snugamonkey Swing
GKH44	Blooming Flowers Swing
GNG38	Fawn Meadows Deluxe Swing
GNG40	Peek-a-boo Fox Swing
GVF83	Dots & Spots Puppy Swing
HBM23	Snow Leopard Swing
HDY10	Hearthstone Swing
HGX49	Baby Raccoon Swing
V0099	My Little Snugabunny Cradle ‘n Swing
W9510	My Little Sweetie™ Deluxe Cradle ‘n Swing
X7051	My Little SnugaMonkey™ Cradle ‘n Swing
X7345	My Little Snugapuppy™ Cradle ‘n Swing
X7347	My Little Snugabear Cradle ‘n Swing

Fisher-Price’s parent company Mattel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

From NTD News